Community art marks essence of festive season

As Christmas is a season devoted to family and community, I turned my attention to art of a community kind.

We see such a lot of art of a more amateur level. From cafes and restaurants to craft stands, it becomes so ubiquitous that often it seems to filter in and through us without registering.

Square Edge is the obvious place to go, set up and, recently redeveloped, is a place for newer artists to spread their wings. It's a place I often unintentionally miss during a busy year.

Half expecting the shambolic Christmas decorations and over-clutter that such venues can take on, it seemed somewhat quiet and diminished with exhibitions more understated than you would expect. The current offerings are glassworks from Wanganui students, a photographic series on greyhounds and the results of the Life Drawing Society after their first year of practice.

Wanganui glass is a great facility to have on our doorstep. But this small selection displayed didn't have enough volume to make much splash.

Featuring works such as a cage from glass rods, funnels made into faces, glass eggs and glass flax they sought to be unusual and inventive.

Simply Grey, photographed greyhounds printed on canvas, has its own artistic flair. The dogs were well photographed and gave different senses of the dogs' world – sleeping on couches, running on the track – some interestingly cropped and composed.

I don't suppose anyone else saw the weirdness of the juxtaposition of an exhibition of photographs of dogs followed by drawings of nudes.

The figurative drawings by the Palmerston North Life Drawing Society, who meet once a week, were of a range of styles and techniques.

Some had used the nudes as studies to loosen up and perfect their drawing, some had grabbed the technique for its own sake and were creating complete artworks.

A range of materials were used, one on wallpaper, some pulling in colour with coloured pencils and pastels.

The model was posed in a variety of positions, indicating how many sessions these works grew from; lying, sitting, leaning, turned away and towards.

They are worth a view, keeping in mind that they are technical studies, many without yet the emergence of a conceptual direction and firm style. Simply Grey, photographs by Cate Marshall, runs until January 12, 2010.

Glassworks from the Wanganui School of Glass runs until February 2, 2010. An exhibition of work by members of the society is on until January 12, 2010.

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