Welcome Winter!

 As we welcome in winter, the HCAC looks back fondly on the year that has just passed. 

The fall is always busy time for us here at the HCAC as we put together our biggest group show of the year, the Harvest Festival of Art. This past October 14th-16th we once again took over the Vaughan Shand Centre in Windsor for a weekend of art appreciation. 

 

Dr Avery Vaughan receiving his "Hall of Fame" award

Twenty of our members displayed over 150 unique art pieces and we were pleased that several members were able to provide artist demonstrations throughout the event. 

This year's event was very well attended thanks to the crowds from the Pumpkin Festival and sales were at an all time high, leaving everyone who participated eagerly anticipating next years event!
 

Even though today is just the first day of winter we are already looking ahead to the spring and our next group show. This will be a more intimate affair, taking place at the Bread Gallery in Brooklyn next March. 

If you are a member who has yet to participate in a group show, but would like to, then please contact us and reserve your space. There is limited space for this particular showcase so I encourage you to act quickly to ensure inclusion.
Another big project that will be taking up our time over the next few months is the publication of our 2013 Arts Digest. Inclusion in the digest is free for all members and includes a 40 word biography. With 15 000 copies printed, 14 000 of which are delivered directly to homes in Hants County, the Arts Digests has proven itself to be a very valuable promotional tool. 

Additional advertising space is also available at very a reasonable price allowing you to increase the visibility of your work and show your support of the arts and culture of our local community. Look for full details on our next edition of the Arts Digest coming this January.

 

With the holidays now here, we at the HCAC wish you all a lovely season filled with warmth, comfort and good cheer and we look forward to your continuing support in 2013!

HCAC Fall Newsletter

Since fall is now upon us it seems like the perfect time to reflect on some of the happenings over the past year and look ahead to what is next for the HCAC.

We kicked off the year by delivering our revamped Arts Digest directly to 17 000 homes in Hants County. Expanding the distribution of our arts digest proved to be a risk well worth taking and we quickly saw the results through our continually growing membership and increased community support.

Last spring we were approached by Joan Mckenzie of the Bread Gallery in Brooklyn, and this past March we hosted our first of hopefully many annual spring group shows. Joan truly appreciates the creative talent that resides here in Hants County and we are looking forward to working with her as we continue to promote and support our local artists.

In June we participated in the first annual Avondale Art Fair which drew an incredibly large crowd to the normally quiet historic seaside hamlet. Our board of directors were very impressed with the organization put into the event by Kathy Munroe and we look forward to taking part again next year!

Over the summer we have been busy planning our own annual arts festival which we have rescheduled to coincide with the annual Pumpkin Festival. Now in it’s 6th year the Harvest Festival of Art opens with a reception running from 7-9pm this Friday, October the 12th at the Vaughan Shand Centre in Windsor .

Taking over both the upper and lower floor of the centre, there will be approximately 150 original pieces on display. Throughout the weekend several artists will be on hand providing demonstrations in oils, acrylics, pastels as well as rug hooking and felt work.

We will even have a little something special for the kids on Sunday in the form of face painting and balloon animals!

We are still accepting nominations for this year's Hall of Fame
recipient. We ask that you all take a few minutes to fill out our
brief survey and nominate one person who stands out as a
representative of our local arts community by either their work as an
artist or their commitment to the growth and support of our local arts
and culture http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/B2SNKLB

We are really happy to be back at the Vaughan Shand Centre again this year and we are overwhelmed by the support we have received from local businesses to help make the event truly special. We send a huge thank you to Tan Coffee, The Spitfire Arms Pub, Blossom Shop, Daniels Flower Shop, The Bread Gallery, Flying Cloud Boutique, Sobeys, Gaspereau Winery, What’s Going On and Platypus Medical Exercise Therapy for all of their generous donations.

 

I’m sure this years event is going to be one to remember!

Even though fall has only just begun we are already looking towards 2013 and the continual growth of the HCAC. Recently our president Tacha Reed met with Susan Jeffries and Meghan Hallet from the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage to discuss future plans for the HCAC and the other arts councils and associations across the province. They are very interested in providing as much support as possible to help us in taking that next step towards becoming an even stronger support system that truly represents the creative community here in Hants County. Over the next few months they plan to develop a series of workshops aimed towards our particular needs so that over time we will be able to see all of our dreams for the HCAC come through to fruition.

For the HCAC our year started with the publication of our most recent Arts Digest and it will end with the production of the next edition! We are now actively looking for support from members and advertisers alike to help make this a reality. With such a large distribution our arts digest is a very affordable form of advertising that boldly states your dedication to strengthening our local arts community. Your ongoing support continually propels us forward, and for that we are thankful!

We look forward to seeing you all this Friday evening as we celebrate our fellow artists.

Call to Artists: Harvest Festival of Art

We are thrilled to announce that this year's Harvest Festival of Art will once again be held in the upper level of the Vaughan Shand Centre, 69 Cedar Street in Windsor, Nova Scotia.

Last year we fell in love with the space with it’s high ceilings, natural light and weathered brick walls and wooden beams. Together these elements proved to be the perfect compliment to the work of our 20 presenting artists, creating a comfortable and  authentic gallery experience for all of  those in attendance.

This year’s event is our first to coincide with the Pumpkin Festival and in particular the Pumpkin Regatta. We are confident that by paring our event with this popular festival our attendance numbers are sure to reach an all time high.

With this in mind our Harvest Festival of Art committee is working diligently to ensure that as many local artistic genres as possible are represented including painters, sculptors, print makers, photographers, carvers, weavers, hookers and other various crafters, musicians and performers. 
   


Artist Jaki Durocher providing a
demonstration at last year's event

In an attempt to grow the festival we are inviting members to provide demonstrations, performances and/or workshops throughout the weekend portion of the event. In return, you will have your entry fee for the show refunded(*). Please contact Tacha (tacha.reed@gmail.com) if you have a particular idea and are interested in sharing and promoting your talents. We currently have 12 three-hour spots available; three each on Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon.

We are also looking for volunteers to be on hand throughout the weekend to greet patrons and answer general questions.

Exhibiting artists must be members of the HCAC; memberships may be purchased at the time of entry at a cost of $15.00.

The entry fee is $45.00, payable to the Hants County Arts Council and each participating member may show up to 8 pieces. If you would like to display more pieces (or less) you can do so at $10 per piece.  For example, if you would like to show 12 pieces the cost would be $95, if you just wanted to show 2 pieces the cost would be $20.

Since this is a fundraising event for the Hants County Arts Council a commission of 25% will be deducted from the retail price of the works for sale - please keep this in mind when pricing your work.

If you have any questions our would like to volunteer your time please contact us at hcacfestivalofart@gmail.com

We look forward to having your support as we celebrate our local creative talents!

　
Artist registration and drop-off is Thursday October 11th from 4pm-7pm

Show opens Friday October 12th at 7pm and runs Saturday & Sunday from 10am - 5pm

Artist pick-up is Sunday October 14th from 5pm-7pm

Deadline for entry is September 1st  2012.

* the fine print: entry fees are to be paid in advance. Fee for artists volunteering their time to provide demonstrations, performances and/or workshops to be refunded at the rate of $45 per 3 hour demonstration, performance and/or workshop completed.

$15 membership fee is non-refundable and must be paid in advance of the festival.

Save the date!

Greeting fellow artists and members of the HCAC!

There are many wonderful art related events happening over the next few months and we wanted to make sure that you were all aware.


First on our list is the Avondale Art Fair held on June 16th in Newport Landing. As you all know the HCAC will have a booth at this event and will be displaying a limited amount of work from our members.


If any one would like to have their business cards or any other promotional material on display during the event, then please drop off said material by Friday June 15th to Tacha Reed at Flying Cloud Boutique, 6075 Highway #1 in Ellershouse.



For more info on the Avondale Art Fair please visit: www.avondaleartfair.com








The Method in Selma

The next item of interest on our list is a Fine Art and Craft Workshop led by the department of Communities, Culture and Heritage, scheduled for June 28. The location is ‘The Method’ which is a repurposed church that is now offered to the community as a space to host and hold events. The address is: 8096 Hwy 215, Selma Nova Scotia.





Overall the workshop will present on program development and resources and product trends and areas of market development for producers in the region.

Is has been suggested for participants to bring samples of their work, portfolios, packaging, promotional materials, price lists, etc. for a table top trade show. That way, during the break, and lunch, presenters can take a look and give suggestions and specific answers to questions.

There will be 5 presenters:

Bernard Burton
Executive Director, Craft Alliance
President, Nova Scotia Designer Crafts Council

Susan Hanrahan
Executive Director, Nova Scotia Designer Crafts Council

Peter Kirby
NS Communities, Culture, & Heritage

Karen Williams
NS Communities, Culture and Heritage

Jennifer Dunbar
Nova Scotia Business Inc

There will be refreshments and lunch provided. The registration fee for this workshop is $15 which can be paid during registration in the morning.

If you have any other questions please don’t hesitate to contact  Katherine Wadden at the Hants RDA: kwadden@hantscounty.com

Anyone interested in carpooling can contact Tacha at tacha.reed@gmail.com





The next item on our list is a workshop and demonstration by Andrea Warren of Golden Paints being held July 14th at Flying Cloud Boutique from 12-2pm.

Andrea Warren is a painter and mixed media artist based out of Ottawa, Ontario, and is a Working Artist for Golden Artist Colors, a professional quality acrylic paint company based out of New Berlin, New York.    She has shown her work in BC's lower mainland and the nation's capital, and has given lectures and hands-on workshops on acrylic materials and technique for university and college art programs and art associations across Central and Eastern Canada. She is also an instructor with Artswell, an Ottawa-based charity which provides community therapeutic art programs. Andrea studied visual art and philosophy at Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia, and trained with Golden Artist Colors Greenville, South Carolina and upstate New York.  Andrea lives in Ottawa with her husband Andy, a fellow painter, and their chubby kitty Howard.  



Calooh Callay
by Andrea Warren

The Golden lecture demo is a free, information-packed two hour presentation that gives an overview of Golden products and acrylics in general - we  will be looking at the different kinds of paint, pigments, gels and mediums, pastes, varnishing, the new OPEN acrylics and Digital Mixed Media line, etc.  

Andrea will hand around wet and dry samples, and each attendee goes home with a product literature pack and a little goodie bag of samples. 

A sandwich lunch will be provided by the HCAC. Please contact Tacha ahead of time to reserve a space tacha.reed@gmail.com








We hope to see you all out enjoying all of these wonderful events this summer!

Until then, happy creating!







Bread Gallery May & June Exhibit: Opening Friday May 18th

The most recent show at the Bread Gallery celebrates it's opening this Friday from 6-8 pm.


Running until June 24th, this show features work by a few members of Lushes with Brushes; including paintings by Pauline Sullivan, June Brown and Audrey Goucher Millet.


Also on display, the whimsical folk art carvings of Jim Tracey.

A Look Back at the 14th Annual Great Little Art Show

On Friday April 27th the Avon River Heritage Museum played host to the 14th Annual Great Little Art Show.  24 local artist's work was on display for this annual fundraiser. Here is a selection of images from opening night.

Patrons admiring a painting by Kelly Mitchelmore

Sculptures by Alison MacNeil

Sculpture by Carmen Dalrymple

Chief by Jim Tracey

Various works by Mira MacNeil, June Brown, Tacha Reed and Linda Barkhouse

Metal work by Al Simm

Pottery by Elspeth MacKenzie

Rug hooking by Rose Marie MacDonald

Various works by Greg Dickie

Boat Builders by Jim Tracey

14th Annual Great Little Art Show

Avon River Heritage Museum, 17 Belmont Road
Newport Landing, near Avondale, Hants County

Friday April 27- Sunday, April 29

For longer than a decade, this show has been an important means for promoting visual arts in Hants County.

Casually the organizers say it's "a great little show with a lot of great, local art!"

More officially, it is a venue for both professional and novice local artists to display and sell their work in a semi-formal environment. Each spring we look forward to seeing the work of participants and the blossoming of new talent.

"The Great Little Art Show is our most important fund raising event. Sales of the exhibits provide the Avon River Heritage Society with the needed capital it requires to keep our community museum operating from year to year."


The show will get under way with a wine and cheese reception on Friday, April 27 from 7pm to 9pm with a special guest speaker sculptor Alison MacNeil.

The show continues over the weekend with viewings at the following times:
• Saturday, April 28 10am – 5 pm
• Sunday, April 29 11am – 3pm

Admission: $7.00 for Friday night opening; $2.00 Saturday and Sunday; Children under 12, free.




For more information contact:
Andrew Fisher, 757-2787glas@avonriver.ca
General Museum enquiries, please call 757-1718 and leave a message
Or you can email: info@avonriver.ca

Bread Gallery Group Show: Our Artists!

For those of you who still haven't made it to the Bread Gallery to check out the Hants County Arts Council's most recent group show, you still have until April 25 to catch a glimspe of some of the lovely pieces our members have to offer!

June Brown was born and raised in the north of England. She and her husband immigrated to Nova Scotia, Canada in 1975. Since that time they have lived from the west to the east coast of Canada, and in 2002 they returned to live in the beautiful Annapolis Valley.

June has been painting watercolours for approximately twelve years. June loves the breadth of creativity watercolour painting offers: from the most subtle and delicate work to the  most dramatic and vibrant of expression.

Dora Warren Davis was born and raised in St. John’s, NL and currently resides near Windsor, NS. Painting in acrylics, oils and watercolour, she is particularly fond of the vibrant colours seen in the row houses, dories and landscapes of NL and NS.Over a number of years Dora has studied with several well-established artists, both in Nova Scotia and in the USA.

Carlos Da Rosa notes the scenic beauty of Nova Scotia, particularly
the red cliffs of Blomidon and the tides of the Minas Basin, as sources of inspiration for his paintings.  Excursions to Europe and Italy have also served as inspiration, evident in his various bold and colourful tributes to Tuscany. Recently he has begun to explore the nude figure through his paintings.

Terrie Greencorn works in oil, acrylic and watercolour, specializing in mixed media designs that incorporate sculptural texture. She works in both the Fine and Decorative Art fields with subjects researched then reinvented with brush and paint.

Andrea Hardy is a mixed media artist combining drawing and painting with a strong use of ink and colour, intending to engage the eye and ask a question.

G.A. Jank's work incorporates iron, stone and sometimes crystal. Each piece carries a message about the mechanics and the power of nature,
where humanity must live in harmony with the things around them. Much of the metal in his work is reclaimed, found strewn about the shores of the Bay of Fundy.

Carol Morrison was born in Leeds, England and immigrated to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to work at the Halifax Laboratory of the Department of
Fisheries and Oceans as a research scientist. In 1997 she attended NSCAD in order to take her passion for painting to a more professional
level. Her interest in investigating the natural world around her, which led her to a career as a biologist, has also led to paintings of landscapes, still life and portraits.

Sharon Ogilvie paints in oils & acrylics with preference in land and seascapes. She is currently exploring still life and semi-abstract arts. Sharon is also a songwriter, vocalist, and bassist who is planning to study art therapy as a future passion.

Tacha Reed is devoted to up-cycling in all its infinite forms. This desire to make what was old new again led to her creation of a line of felted critters and 3-D wall hangings crafted from natural and re-purposed materials. Tacha is also the owner of Flying Cloud Boutique, a Nova Scotian Art and Artisan shop on wheels located in
Ellershouse, Nova Scotia.

Sue Robinson is an artist working in oils, watercolours, coloured pencils and acrylics. Born and educated in Montreal and Switzerland, Sue lives in Bedford, Nova Scotia and continues to improve her art through classes in the Annapolis Valley, Lunenburg, Rhode Island and New York States.  Sue has been painting for over 20 years and enjoys the painting challenges of nature, flowers and maritime scenes.

Pauline Sullivan paints in acrylics in a variety of Subjects. She is a member of the LB Painters group of Windsor. They are a group of six ladies who have painted together on a weekly basis for nearly 20 years, under the mentorship of local artist Ken Spearing. Pauline donates paintings to many local charities including the Hants Community Hospital Auxiliary
Gala and the Rotary Auction.

Jim Tracey has been carving his figures since boyhood.  Now near
retirement, he has decided to offer his work to a larger audience and has found himself being asked to exhibit in more and more venues. From his front yard to markets, from commissions to exhibits, Jim is finding greater demand for his works.The subtle humor and political correctness of his work gives Jim an unending supply of fodder for his creations. 

GREEN THUMBS UP! For Windsor's First Organic Community Garden

New Boundaries in Windsor is a non-profit organization that usually provides learning opportunities for mentally-challenged adults. Now they are opening the garden gates for everyone to participate in their current project and hoping public interest in their new community garden will grow.

Called the "No Boundaries Community Garden", Windsor and county residents are invited to take ownership of one of the 27 raised-bed allotments that will be available this spring on New Boundaries' property. Each space will have wooden boundaries to improve overall garden management, but the project name means there are no restrictions on who can participate. 

Working in conjunction with the West Hants / Uniacke Community Health Board, the group recently invited residents to a planning meeting to explain the project and gauge interest. Half of the spaces are now assigned and three additional spaces are being created specifically for New Boundaries to help improve the centre’s nutrition and local food delivery. 

Milbury says the idea stemmed from some of the Community Health Board members wanting to support a project that would yield a wide range of health and social benefits for participants. "Gardening is obviously a great way to support physical activity and produce cost-effective healthy, local food.  It helps people pay more attention to what they are eating,” says Milbury.

“Participants can share each other’s bounties and knowledge, and also have a great social activity where they are learning as they go.”

It’s also a great opportunity for those who usually engage in solo gardening at home to branch out. “If I am in the garden working by myself sometimes I feel alone and abandon it for some other activity to be with others,” says Milbury.

 
“You can enjoy tending to your garden while being social and reap all the benefits that go with that.”


Project Co-ordinator Jessica Moore adds some residents may not be able to afford to manage a garden alone, or have a brown thumb and want some mentoring to improve without having to fork over a lot of start up cash. “This is a perfect way for them to dig in,” she says.

Moore also hopes to see some school-age children participating in the project to help raise awareness of nutrition and physical 
activity for those children who may not have an interest in sports. “It’s also about helping to grow their confidence.  “Growing your own vegetables gives one an enormous sense of accomplishment that  
usually comes with the temptation to eat them.”

With a variety of ages participating, the opportunities to share traditional gardening methods rooted in Hants County also increase. “Historically local families are growers. They have a lot of farming and harvesting expertise in their families that would benefit future generations and promote local food security,” said Moore.

The community gardens will be organic, which means no use of any synthetic additive in a raised-bed soil in favour of organic 
fertilizers, leaf mould, compost and compost teas to feed the soil.  Non-pressure treated lumber will also be used to create the beds and a shed will be constructed to securely store garden tools.

And, yes, the project’s tart-up funding did originate from a Community Development Grant (SEED  funds)  provided by the community ealth board.  A group in Hantsport also got some funding from the board to help establish a community garden near Churchill House.  Milbury anticipates the funding will cover a third of the Windsor garden's expected costs so the Centre will be hoping for an influx of financial “green” to cover the rest.  The project committee will soon begin consulting with local landscaping companies and suppliers to assess resources and donations in kind. Members of the community are also encouraged to donate materials and garden tools they  no longer have a need for.

Contact Sandra Milbury, West Hants/Uniacke Health Board or Jessica Moore  at 798-2210 for more information.


Submitted by Heather Desveaux



Do you have a creative story to share about our local community? Reviews of art shows, plays or cultural events? If so please send your article and any photos along to hcacfestivalofart@gmail.com and we will help to spread the word!

The Smell of Art is in the Air!

Many of us artists and artisans are relieved by winters arrival because it means a break from the constant back and forth between production and sales. This time allows us a chance to relax and experiment again, taking us down new paths, creating brand new work. After several months of a slightly more relaxed schedule I know that I suddenly have the spring itch to get out there and show the world what I've been making during my hibernation.

This spring there are a lot of local great shows scheduled and many have application deadlines coming up quickly.

With only 1 day left to apply, interested young folks should get themselves in motion for a chance to take part in a Gifted Young Artist Retreat hosted by Ross Creek Centre for the Arts. The centre is inviting talented high school students to apply for a unique opportunity for young Nova Scotian artists to collaborate across the arts. Nova Scotia educators (including the Department of Education and the NS Teachers Union) will be holding a Summit on Gifted Education and Talent Development at Mount St. Vincent University on May 23–25. Ross Creek Centre for the Arts is inviting NS high school aged arts students to apply for a week-long experience to collaborate with their peers under professional guidance, culminating in a presentation at the Summit. This is an amazing opportunity for young creative individuals! If this sounds like a perfect fit for you, then quick, ask a teacher and and an artist for their endorsement so you can take advantage of this amazing experience! DEADLINE MARCH 9th

One event that has been creating a great deal of excitement locally is the Avondale Art Fair. This juried show will be accepting 100 artists for their one day outdoor event being held in pastoral Newport Landing, overlooking the Avon River and its spectacular tidal bore. On Saturday, June 16th this charming little village will burgeon into the best art fair venue around! The organizers are looking to showcase exceptional artwork that will include paintings, jewelry, pottery, glass, sculpture, fiber, leather, photography and more! DEADLINE MARCH 15th

Another event I'm personally really looking forward to is the 2nd Annual Art vs Craft, taking place in Halifax July 21st & 22nd at the Forum. This show is for the more quirky creative folks, like myself, who might be a little bit out there with our creations. Since this show is held in such a large space it has the ability to feature a wide variety of artists and there will definitely be an emphasis placed on including really unique creations. DEADLINE MARCH 23

Another wonderful local show, now in it's 14th year, is The Great Little Art Show. This 3 day show running April 27th-April 29th has proven itself an important means for promoting visual arts in West Hants, creating a venue for both professional and novice artists to display and sell their work in a semi-formal environment. Sales of the exhibits provide the Avon River Heritage Society with the needed capital it requires to keep the museum operating from year to year. DEADLINE APRIL 10th

So, those of you, like myself who have enjoyed a winter of creating - it is now time to photograph all that work and start applying so that you too can share your creations with everyone else this spring!

Good luck!

Submitted by Tacha Reed, originally posted on www.pistaciapages.blogspot.com

Local Artistic Opportunities on the Rise

Just in case you missed this article in the last issue of What's Going On? here it is again!

Local Artistic Opportunities on the Rise
BROOKLYN BAKERY TO Host 6-Week ART Show

by Heather Desveaux


It almost goes without saying that artists thrive on opportunities to create, so it is not surprising to learn they also encourage new ways to promote what they produce.  Art shows increase opportunities for artists to sell works but also motivate them to create more, according to the President of the Hants County Arts Council, Tacha Reed. "Regular shows give me access to other artists, who in turn provide me with inspiration and a sense of belonging. Both are essential ingredients to my creative process," she says.


Reed credits the annual Great Little Art Show, organized by artist Andrew Fisher, hosted by the Avon River Heritage Society and now in its 14th year, for providing a drawing board for the Arts Council to organize its own annual group show, Festival of Art, now held in October. Reed says the frequency of art shows is very important to artists in rural areas such as Hants County.  "In the city it is so easy to go out and make contact with other artists, and living here we are naturally limited to a handful of the art-related functions so the more of these functions we are able to participate in, the better." She adds, "I personally would love to have a hand in creating a constant space for artists to be able to come together to exchange ideas and create."


Reed isn't the only one. In recent memory,  the Utata Gallery and Inspire Art School, both artist-run facilities in Windsor, have unfortunately had to close their doors. It's left local artists feeling a little frustrated, but more determined to have a permanent home.  After Utata closed, HCAC members tried to find places that would "fit",  like the upper level of the Avon Spirit Museum during its summer season, the Fort Edward Gallery, and HCAC member Jaki Durocher's Inspire Art School, where the group held its meetings until it recently closed.


Enter Brooklyn business owner Joan McKenzie. McKenzie, a dairy farmer turned real estate contractor who sought to have a building for community-use when she was planning her bakery business.  Located in the former Brooklyn Home Hardware, the turn of the twentieth-century building she purchased features a unique space that needed to be used for something equally appropriate.



McKenzie aptly named her business the Bread Gallery.  "I've dabbled in artsy things, but I mostly come from a family of art collectors and admirers," says
McKenzie. "So I thought it would be neat to mix the two together and it seems to be working out so far," she said. 


McKenzie intended to start hosting art shows when she opened the bakery last May, but opted to not bite off more than she could chew. The Bread Gallery hosted its first small show in December with two local artists. A larger HCAC show featuring twelve members' works will open on March 9 and run until the last week of April. This way, participating artists can also be in the Great Little Art Show at the ARHS Museum in Newport Landing: a traditional, key fundraiser for the museum being held April 27-29.


Reed says the partnership with the Bread Gallery makes sense because
artists are also entrepreneurs. "Thanks to other local entrepreneurs, like Joan
opening the gallery, Kelly Mitchelmore hosting fundraising events like Paint Windsor, and Kathy Monroe planning the Avondale Art Fair, Hants County
artists now have several opportunities to show and sell their work locally," she says. "Over the last year the HCAC has received a great deal of support from the local community and many other arts and culture-based business have stepped forward to join as members."  Last year the group changed the venue for the Festival of Art to the historic Vaughan Shand Centre, another recently renovated historic building intending to promote its own unique blend of personal and community awareness.


With her 1950s Airstream housing her mobile art boutique currently
located in Ellershouse, Reed has her own plans to renovate her garage to an open studio where she will be joined by folk artist Jim Tracey when she re-opens in the spring.  "I can't take the Airstream everywhere so it would be nice if we didn't always have to travel such long distances to share our work with the public."  - §

Participating artists at The Bread Gallery are:

HCAC Group Show opening March 9th at The Bread Gallery

June Brown
Carlos DaRosa
Dora Davis
Terri Greencorn
Andrea Hardy
Gerald Jank
Carol Morrison
Sharon Olgilvie
Tacha Reed
Sue Robinson
Pauline Sullivan
Jim Tracey

Group Show at the Bread Gallery: March 9th - April 25th

 

Members of the HCAC will be displaying a selection of work March 9th - April 25th at the Bread Gallery in Brooklyn, Hants County.

Please join us for the opening Friday March 9th from 6 - 8pm for a chance to meet the artists.

Winter 2012 Newsletter

The past year witnessed significant changes for the Hants County Arts Council, and with change brings more opportunities to be both creative and innovative!

In April we saw a large turnover in our board of directors. Long-standing President Sandra MacDonald stepped down to spend more time with her family and to devote herself to her new role as manager of the Winding River Art Gallery in Stewiacke.



David Howells, Kristie Sheehy, Al Bergin with Stewart
Creaser and Lorraine Vasslo from Avondale Sky Winery.

Vice President David Howells, and past Festival of Art Organizer Kristie Sheehy, stepped down to organize their show Three Faces of Realism along with painter Al Bergin.

This show ran throughout October at the Public Archives in Halifax and was a destination during Nocturne.

Jaki Durocher also stepped down from the board to devote more time to her work. In April, she and Dawn Josey held a show at the Public Archives in Halifax called HERSTORY; a tribute to the influential women in their lives.



Carlos Da Rosa, Jaki Durocher and Dora Davis

Joining the board as our new president was Tacha Reed. Since moving to the area Tacha has opened Flying Cloud Boutique; a mobile shop featuring the works of nearly 30 Nova Scotian artists and artisans.



Several members of the HCAC including Dora Davis, Carlos Da Rosa and Jaki Durocher joined Tacha and musician Christina Martin to celebrate the shop’s grand opening in July by creating a mural of Blomidon. 

We also welcomed a few new faces to the board this past spring, names I’m sure you will recognize from their work being featured at the Festival of Art in previous years – painters June Brown, Liz Robinson and Sharon Ogilvie.

Andrew Harvie, our web master and membership coordinator, took on the role of Vice President and began our monthly Pub Night / Lecture Series held at the Flying Officer’s Mess at the Spitfire Pub. Open to members and guests of the HCAC, this series has featured informative sessions with artists and members of the creative community including Twila Robar-DeCoste, Evan Maxwell, Ron Hayes, Carol Morrison, artisan Pamela Kinsman of Signature Glass, and Laurie Daulton, manager of the Acadia University Art Gallery. Andrew is currently putting together the roster for the autumn of 2012 (winter and spring are booked!), so if you have a story or technique to share, or if you would know of anyone who would be a good speaker, then please feel free to contact him.

Windsor’s art community thrived in 2011 combining craft and charity through various local events. The Hants Community Hospital Auxiliary Society (HCHAS) hosted their 5th annual gala at the Cocoa Pesto featuring many of our HCAC members. Once again it was a huge success promoting art while raising funds for the Hospital!

Last September HCAC member and owner of Phoenix Hollow, Kelly Mitchelmore, hosted the 3rd annual Paint Windsor. Featuring local visual and performing artists, Paint Windsor has evolved into a celebration of trade and community, involving everyone from iron welders and painters to musicians and cake decorators all creating works on site throughout Windsor! This years 4th Annual Paint Windsor promises to be even better – held once again at Phoenix Hollow on September 9th 2012. 

This past year we found that we had outgrown the canoe club as a venue for the Festival of Art, so in October we held our 5th annual event at the newly renovated Vaughan Shand Centre. The event was a great success and we are already planning for the 6th annual event which will coincide with this year’s Pumpkin Festival, October 12th -14th 2012.

In the meanwhile we have also had the great fortune of being invited to host a group show at The Bread Gallery in Brooklyn this March. Any members interested in participating please contact Tacha at tacha.reed@gmail.com before February 15th for more information and to book a space.

Over the next year we plan to continue growing the council, collaborating with local groups and providing even more art-related events, workshops, information and opportunities to you, our members. To that help achieve that goal, we would like to add 5 to 7 new members to the board of directors this year. We are looking for a variety of skill-sets, so that we can expand what we do as a society. Opportunities include: art director, director of marketing, public relations, fund developer, web designer, sales and workshop coordinator. We are looking for team players who are willing to devote an hour or so a week to growing the HCAC so that we can better serve our membership.

On January 19th the second edition of our Arts Digest was delivered to 17 000 homes in Hants County. Before we can distribute the remaining 2000 copies to local business, galleries, boutiques, tourist bureaus and the airport the digests must be folded and packaged.

On February 18th Liz Robinson will be hosting a get together at her home in Garlands Crossing so that we can meet as a group and package the digests while also brainstorming on where we would like to take the HCAC over the next few years. Members are encouraged to bring a list of ideas along with a snack to share while we sit down and plan for our future. The gathering commences at 1pm at 150 Underwood Road, all members and potential members are welcome!

2012 really does present a world of opportunities for the HCAC and we hope that you will all join us on this wonderful ride as we grow!

Over the last few years the HCAC has taken that first giant leap into the 21st century by joining the world of Social Networking and beginning our blog to promote our artists and the events that we host. Our blog has become the home for our seasonal newsletters and we would love to see our members contributing content. Whether that is coverage of local events, promotion for upcoming shows, art reviews – anything art-related is welcome! You can also keep up to date by following us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hantscountyartscouncil or on Twitter @hantscountyarts

Don't forget that our website also has room to display YOUR events. All you need to do is let us know the details and we'll be happy to do what we can to help publicize your arts-related events.