Celebrate Culture Days at the Harvest Festival of Art!

 

Now in it’s 8th year the Harvest Festival of Art is the Hants County Arts Council’s biggest show of the year!

Once again we are taking over 69 Cedar Centre to celebrate Culture Days with a pop-up gallery show and live demonstrations.

Join us at 7pm on Friday September 26th for an opening reception and the presentation of this year’s Hall of Fame Award. 

The showcase continues Saturday the 27th from 10am - 5pm and Sunday the 28th, 10am until 3pm and members of the Needles and Hooks fibre group will be on-site working throughout the weekend on their rug hooking of the "Old Stone House".

Built in 1699, this Acadian house located in Poplar Grove is the oldest in Canada, east of Montreal, and once served as a mission.

 

Right now this historic gem, currently owned by photographer Sherman Hines, is listed for sale, and could be yours for 2.195 million dollars!

Needles and Hooks plan to have the rug completed for the next Great Little Art Show scheduled for May 8th - 10th, 2015, and together we will be auctioning the piece off as a fundraiser for the Arts Council and the Museum. For updates on the progress of their rug and all of our many activities, be sure to follow the Hants County Arts Council on facebook!

 

This weekend, while on your Culture Days tour, be sure to stop into 69 Cedar Centre for a chance to see what our members have been up to this past year!

 

 

Call to artists: Paint the Ports

 

 

 

Paint the Ports is a collaborative effort pairing the previously held events Paint the Port (Hantsport) and Paint Windsor with the addition of a third event Paint Avondale. Scheduled to take place this September 7th between 10am and 4pm in the communities of Windsor, Hantsport and the Avondale peninsula, artists will be creating artworks live on site accompanied by a gallery style sale.

 

We will see artists setting up in designated areas such as the Windsor waterfront park, the grounds at  Churchill House, the Avondale Church, Avondale Sky Winery, the Mounce Mansions, and other unique and historic sites and small business throughout each community.

 

Although this is primarily a Paint themed event, registration is open to artists working in all mediums and supports artist at all levels of artistic development. Each town will have a “home base” where the participating artist's work will be on display and for sale for the duration of the event. All participating artists are invited to join us again during our 8th annual "Harvest Festival of Art" Members Group Showcase, which coincides with Culture Days, September 26th -28th, 2014. Here artists are encouraged display the artworks begun during Paint the Ports. All non-HCAC members who participate in Paint the Ports will be eligible to become HCAC members at the discounted rate of $20 per year and take part in all of our other regular activities.

 

As a part of our promotional material we will be putting together a map, which includes the three communities with artist locations clearly labeled. This map will be distributed prior to the event via social media, through local tourist promotional material produced by the Avon Chamber of Commerce and through our community partners such as Avondale Sky Winery, the Bread Gallery, T.A.N. Coffee, Hantsport's Town offices, local tourist bureaus and local motels and inns. We also aim to promote the event via newspaper and radio advertising. Copies of this map will also be given to all participating artists to hand out during the event, this way visitors can begin their tour of the Avon River area at any point.

 

There is a $30 entry fee to participate, snacks and refreshments will be provided by the Hants County Arts Council.

 

Registration forms are available on our website www.hantscountyartscouncil.ca and artists must register by August 16th to be included in promotional material.

 

 

 

Call to Artists: Artisans in Action, Aug 3rd

The Hants County Arts Council is still accepting Pottery, Ceramic and Metal Artists for our Fibre/Textiles/Pottery/Metal Artisan in Action event taking place August 3rd, from noon until 4pm at the Avon River Heritage Society Museum in Newport Landing.


This live demonstration and sale is a part of Avon River Days and we expect it to be well attended.

To register please email arts@avonriver.ca before July 14th at 5pm.

Making ourselves right at home...

Now that we are into June, I wanted to give you a quick update on our recent activities. In May we were happy to begin our community collaboration with the Avon River Heritage Society to produce their 16th annual Great Little Art Show. Brandt Eisner of Swoon Fine Art and Antiques joined us as our guest speaker, opening the show with a few encouraging words about creating art not to suit a perceived audience but because it is meaningful to ourselves, the creator. The show proved to be a successful fund-raiser for the museum, raising over $1100.

 

In May we officially took over the front room upstairs in the museum in Newport Landing, which now serves as a drop-in studio space for our members and guests. Thanks to donations from our members, including a great deal of reference books from Dr Avery Vaughan, we have the beginnings of a cozy resource centre/communal studio space.

Every Wednesday we now host a fibre circle for those who felt, knit, hook, spin or weave, and every Thursday we host a painting circle. Stop in between 2 and 5 to take part, these circles are open to the public and there is no charge to participate! This space is also available to rent out at a low cost for our members looking to host workshops and lectures. Please contact us if you have an idea for a course or talk that you would like to lead.

We are continually looking for more donations of supplies and reference material for our drop-in space, so if you are looking to destash, then we will be more than happy to take those art supplies off your hands!

 On the first of June the museum officially opened for the season and we kicked off our first event in our Artisans in Action series, which was devoted to Wood and Leather. We were very happy with the attendance and we are looking forward to our next event in the series on July 6th, devoted to Metal and Glass. We are still accepting artists for this and all other upcoming Artisans in Action events. If you or anyone you know is interested in participating please contact us at HCACinfo@gmail.com or arts@avonriver.ca to register.



Ellen Murphy of Mule Mother Books









Tim Connolly of Back Home Woodcarving

Every second and fourth Saturday wood carver and heritage gardener Alfred Carter has been joining us on location as our Artist in Residence, cultivating a M'ikmaq, Acadian and New England Planter inspired garden. Now that the soil has been prepared he will begin transplanting local edible and medicinal plants this Saturday between noon and 4pm, and he will be back again next weekend for the Full Circle Music Festival, June 20th -22nd, to help promote his project.

Alfred Carter carving his marker for one
of the edible plants in the new garden

In addition to our studio space we have also taken over the majority of the main room upstairs at the museum, which is now known as the HCAC's Artist's Landing Gallery. We currently have artwork on display by a handful of our members, but we are still looking to add more work. Art is sold on a consignment basis with a small portion of the sales going back to the museum. If you are interested in showing your work please contact us at HCACinfo@gmail.com.

Artist's Landing Gallery

If anyone was wondering "just how do I get to the Avon River Heritage Society Museum?" well then visit their website www.avonriver.ca and enter your address on their "Find Us" page, Google will do the rest! There is so much to see along the shoreline of the Avon River, I guarantee it will be worth the drive. When you get near the Avondale Peninsula keep an eye out for one of ours or the museum's many signs... just follow the arrows, you're almost there!



Save the Date! Artisans in Action Wood and Leather!

Save the date! Next Saturday the Avon River Heritage Society Museum and Artist's Landing officially open for the season and we are celebrating by hosting our first Artisans in Action event of the year!

Taking place the first Sunday of the month until October, June 1st kicks off the season with a demonstration and sale featuring Ellen Murphy of Mule Mother Books and our Artist in Residence for the summer, Alfred Carter! See you next weekend!

Call to Artists! Heritage Artisans in Action!

 

Heritage Artisans in Action provides an opportunity for Nova Scotian artists and artisans whose focus is on historical trades, crafts, and art forms done in both traditional and contemporary manners.

Participants will have a chance to present informative and engaging demonstrations, displaying their skills and a selection of their products for sale.

Heritage Artisans in Action takes place the first Sunday of the month, June – October, Noon until 4 p.m.

June 1st, Wood and Leather

July 6th,  Metal and Glass

August 3rd,  Fibre and Pottery

September 7th,  Paint Avondale (a collaboration with Paint Windsor and Paint Hantsport)

October 5th,  Traditional Mi’kmaq, Acadian and Planter Crafts & Techniques

These events have a limit of 5 artists per medium and we will be accepting applicants on a first come first serve basis. If you are interested in participating, or know of any other artists or artisans who may be, please contact us at least 3-4 weeks prior to the event to book your spot.

There is a $30 entry fee to participate, snacks and refreshments will be provided to participants by the Lydia and Sally Cafe.

Last year's revival of the popular event proved to be a valuable networking experience for the participating artists and we hope to continue to grow the series into an annual tradition. This year's series is partially funded through the department of Communities, Culture and Heritage through Support4Culture and is being heavily promoted locally. In the weeks and days leading up to the event we will profile each artist individually as well as providing live coverage the day of via social media.

Please see our facebook page for a look back at the 2013 season. www.facebook.com/pages/Avon-River-Heritage-Society-Museum/127599430612690


In addition, this year we will also be recording interviews with interested artist. These "mini documentaries" will be added to an online "Heritage Artisans in Acton" archive on both the www.avonriver.ca site and www.hantscountyartscouncil.ca, and each listing will link back to the artist own person page/site. This will provide each artists with a marketing tool that lives on after the initial event.


We are currently still accepting artists for all themed events, contact us ASAP at arts@avonriver.ca. to book your spot! 

A Look Back at the 16th Annual Great Little Art Show!

On May 9th through 11th of 2014, the Avon River Heritage Society hosted this year’s Great Little Art Show in Newport Landing; a major attraction in the community and a significant fundraiser for the museum.

This year's reception was introduced by Brandt Eisner, owner and director of Swoon Fine Art and Antiques. Brandt gave an inspirational talk encouraging artist to place less emphasis on the anticipation of the sale and comparing our success against our peers. He suggested that instead we should really delve into our passion to create and express ourselves visually, creating to satisfy our own selves instead of a perceived customer. Many artists commented that his talk really spoke to them and was exactly the encouragement they were needing!

We had a great menu for the evening including refreshments by Avondale Sky Winery, sweets from the Bread Gallery and wonderful hors d'eouvres from the Flying Apron Cookery Inn.


                              2014 Participating Artists:

                                Sandra Aucoin
                                Mary Lou Bennett
                                David Brooks
                                Barbara Cain
                                Andrew Fisher
                                Brian Fraser
                                Terrie Greencorn
                                Ken Greer
                                G.A. Jank
                                Lynn Johnson
                                Robin Jones
                                Rose Marie MacDonald
                                Angela MacKay
                                Alison F. MacNeil
                                Ian MacNeil
                                Kelly Mitchelmore
                                Jeannine Meehan
                                Raymond Meehan
                                Sumaya Moore
                                Carol Morrison
                                Tacha Reed
                                Mary Ritchie
                                Liz Robinson
                                Sue Robinson
                                Jo-Ann Shaw
                                Al Simm
                                Jim Tracey
                                Avery Vaughan


 

 

Fibre art by Tacha Reed

Clockwise L-R Carol Morrison, Tacha Reed, Lynn Johnson, Kelly Mitchelmore, Angela MacKay



 

Metal Sculpture by Al Simm

Clockwise L-R Angela MacKay, Avery Vaughan, Barbara Cain, Liz Robinson, Mary Ritchie, Carol Morrison

Sculpture by Alison F. MacNeil

Clockwise L-R Sue Robinson, Lynn Johnson Kelly Mitchelmore,, Tacha Reed,
Lynn Johnson, Barbara Cain, Kelly Mitchelmore, Barbara Cain

Top row: Robin Jones, Sue Robinson, Avery Vaughan, Liz Robinson
Bottom row: Rose Marie MacDonald, Sandra Aucoin, Terrie Greencorn (x2), Andrew Fisher

L-R Sue Robinson, Mary Ritchie, Kelly Mitchelmore, Brian Fraser, Mary Ritchie

Folk art by Jim Tracey

Painted silk scarf by Mary Lou Bennett

Jewellery by Mary Lou Bennett

Metal work by G.A. Jank

Metal work by Al Simm

Folk art by Jim Tracey

Meta work by G.A. Jank

Bronze sculpture by Jo-Ann Shaw

Jewellery by Ian MacNeil

Soapstone Sculpture by David J. Brooks

Bronze sculpture by Jo-Ann Shaw

Wood wok by Raymond Meehan

 For more information visit www.avonriver.ca


Avon River Heritage Museum, 17 Belmont Road, Newport Landing, Hants Co., NS

Spring Newsletter, 2014

Spring is in the air and the Hants County Arts Council is itching to get growing!

2013 proved itself to be an incredibly exciting year for our group, seeing us participate in the most events to date; 14 if anyone is counting!

2nd Annual HCAC Group Show at Bread Gallery,  March - April,  2013

We kicked off the year with our second annual, end of winter show at the Bread Gallery in Brooklyn. In April we joined forces with the Avon River Heritage Society to bring you the 15th annual Great Little Art Show in Newport Landing, which turned out to be the first of many collaborations with this group throughout the summer.

15th Annual Great Little Art show,  April 26th - 28th, 2013

Together we applied for funding from the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage to revive the museum’s Heritage Artisans in Action, extending the event into a series of themed demonstrations.  

Heritage Artisans in Action: Metal,  July 28th with G.A. Jank and Steve Veinot

In July we were invited by the Hantsport Area Revitalization Committee to help revive the town's event, Paint the Port, a plein air painting event. 

Carol Morrison on location at Paint the Port in Hantsport on July 20th, 2013

In September, many members came out again to create art on-site in Windsor in support of the 6th annual, Paint Windsor.

Jessica Uhlman onsite at the Spitfire Arms pub as a part of Paint Windsor,  Sept 8th, 2013

October saw our 7th annual Harvest Festival of Art and the awarding of the 2013 Hall of Fame award to Pat Gould-Thorpe, presented by Dr. Avery Vaughan. Sponsor T.A.N. Coffee in Windsor also invited our members to participate in a month-long exhibition held in their Water Street location as an additional means of promoting the weekend-long festival at 69 Cedar St.

Hall of Fame Awards at the Harvest Festival of Art, Oct 11th,  2013 

We were barely into the new year before we began planning for our 3rd annual group showcase at the Bread Gallery which opened on February 15th and continued until March 30th. This highly anticipated show welcomed over 20 artists to participate, showcasing a wide variety of mediums and styles. The end result was a very lively and colourful showcase, introducing many new artists from our ever-growing membership.

Opening night at the HCAC's 3rd annual end of winter group show at the Bread Gallery,  Feb 15th,  2014

Thanks to the continuing surge of local support, we have decided to devote this year to building on our community collaborations. We recently received approval for funding through Support4Culture to facilitate a creative cultural collaboration with the Avon River Heritage Society, who will in turn be providing the council with a permanent home, which will act as a venue to host cultural events and activities.

We will be kicking off this collaboration on May 9th with the opening of the 16th annual Great Little Art Show, which will also coincide with the reveal of our communal studio space and the launch of our Artist in Residence program.

We will once again be presenting the Heritage Artisans in Action series by hosting five themed events throughout the summer, which will focus on artists and artisans who work in traditional and contemporary styles.

This September we will officially be adding Paint Windsor to our event roster. This annual passion project, now in it’s 6th year, has previously been organized by beloved local painter Kelly Mitchelmore. With Kelly’s upcoming departure from the community, our group hopes to continue on in her footsteps. We plan to build on the strong foundation she has created with this annual celebration of our artistic community and the people who together make it a unique and special place to both live and visit. We wish Kelly the best of luck in Montreal and we will definitely miss her valuable contribution to the local arts community.

We have once again aligned our Harvest Festival of Art to take place during Culture Days, September 26th - 28th,  and this year we are inviting our members to devise creative ways to interact with the viewing public throughout the weekend-long event. 

For example, a group of local fibre artists will be on site, creating a hooked rug depicting a local historic building. Visitors will learn the basics of rug hooking and they will be encouraged to join in and contribute to the creation of the piece. Artists with ideas for other interactive activities are encouraged to contact us.

The Avon River Heritage Society and The Hants County Arts Council recognize the support of the Province of Nova Scotia through the Department of Communities, Culture & Heritage. We recognize funding from the Support4Culture, a designated lottery program of the Nova Scotia Provincial Lotteries and Casino Corporation. We are pleased to work in partnership with the Culture Division to develop and promote our cultural resources for all Nova Scotians.

It is through the support of our members, community and volunteers that we are able to provide this ongoing programming and we are grateful for everyone’s time and effort to make our events so successful!

In 2015 we hope to be able to continue building on our collaborations and events, creating annual traditions that we as a community can depend on. 

If you would like to play a part in the ongoing growth of the HCAC then please join us at our Annual General Meeting on April 30th at 7pm at  the Superstore at 11 Cole Drive in Windsor or contact us by email at: tacha.reed@gmail.com

    

www.hantscountyartscouncil.ca