Art for revolution

Here's the original article I threw together the eve before its due date, about local artist Keegan Rice and his participation in the Art For Revolution project: "For visual artist Keegan Rice, the act of creating is not only a personal pastime, but a necessary anecdote. Few hobbies or interests have established such a prominent place in his life whereas art has laid its roots as a constant endeavour. “I’ve always been into art but I started really drawing a lot when I was a kid and my parents’ tv broke. I couldn’t watch cartoons so I made my own cartoons, I started drawing stories.” Raised in Saskatchewan, Rice says creating visual art became a top priority during high school. Greatly influenced by continuously vivid dreams, he began using drawing and painting as a distraction from the unhealthy habits his peers were drawn to. Craving a more tangible and lasting release, Rice found solace in the creative process. "It was the thing that saved me, finding I can express myself while also having a positive impact on the world. Later on I ended up starting an arts collective to try and help other people who’ve had that kind of experience too.” The Creative Avenue Collective is in its seventh active year, continuing to gain momentum throughout Saskatchewan. While Rice studies at the Victoria College of Art, the CAC team strives on to carry inspiration and ingenuity to different Canadian communities and artistic festivals. Still proudly tied to his collective, Rice says Victoria was the obvious choice when settling in one spot for school. “When travelling I kept coming back to Victoria because it’s really welcoming and there’s a ton of artists. Plus it’s still a city but it’s a good size, it’s not as intense as Vancouver. It’s quiet here, I can focus. But there’s always lots going on so it’s hard to get bored.” With an ever-growing collection of original works, Rice says he’s happiest when creating for a cause. Whether it be a live painting event or studio time with the intent to donate, he associates art as a tool to not only achieve connection on a grand scale, but to reach out and assist in any way possible. “If art is going to be sold for anything it should be going to a physically positive cause” he says. “I mean it’s nice to have art for enjoyment, but it’s always better when the money goes towards something that makes a difference.” This year a local project called Art For Revolution contacted Rice and asked if he wanted to be involved. Naturally, he agreed. Just remembering how it felt to start collaborating and exploring within a creative community was all it took. Helping a cause that resonated with him personally, six of the nearly two dozen paintings he offered were selected to be featured. “I’m really, really happy to be involved. This year Art for Revolution is raising money for an art camp to take place on Unist’ot’en territory for indigenous youth. When I was younger people supported me through youth programs and one of the first art lessons I ever took was at a youth camp in Regina.” In early February an event was held at Cenote lounge where musicians donated their time and tunes to help the space fill to capacity. Rice says there was a line out the door and up the stairs. Everyone had a lot of fun. The backbone of supporting such a cause really made the night what it was. He knows every dime collected will be contributing to something special. “They’ll end up working on a mural at the camp which is awesome. When you do that, especially for your first time, you feel like you’re bonded with these people and you’ve all had this creative achievement.” Rice’s artwork will be on the walls of Cenote until March 15 along with selected paintings by two other artists involved with Art For Revolution." ~ a link to the edited article printed in the Nexus Newspaper: http://www.nexusnewspaper.com/2016/03/02/keegan-rice-uses-art-as-a-tool-to-connect-assist/