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! 

Heritage Artisans in Action: Tradtional Mi'kmaq and Acadian Crafts!

Heritage Artisans in Action; Jewellery

All are invited to join the Avon River Heritage Society Museum (ARHS) and the Hants County Arts Council (HCAC) in welcoming jewellers Mary Lou Bennett, Emilie Butler and Al Carter for the seventh instalment of Heritage Artisan in Action, taking place throughout the ARHS museum in Newport Landing on Sunday August 25^th from 10am – 5pm.

Mary Lou Bennett

Mary Lou enjoys the creative process of designing and creating, taking her inspiration from nature and the landscape that surrounds her, her palette often reflects the colours of the land, sea and sky. 

In her designs she often incorporates glass, wood, pearls and semi-precious stones with brightly coloured beads. 

For over ten years Mary Lou has been designing her limited edition and one of a kind line of jewellery and accessories called "Damselfly Gifts" 

Working from her home studio in Windsor, N.S., Mary Lou's line includes earrings, bracelets, necklaces, brooches and hand painted silk scarves.

Emilie Butler

Inspired by her desire to preserve moments, objects, and places, Emilie creates tangible memories as wearable art. Through in-depth exploration of pattern, texture, contrast, shape, material and colour, her designs capture the essence of these retrospections, combining these various qualities into stylish and unique pieces of jewellery.

A graduate of NSCAD University’s Jewellery Design & Metalsmithing program, Emilie has long been a creator of art, particularly as adornment. Through metal, jewellery in particular, she’s discovered a powerful and challenging medium to serve as an outlet to further develop her skills in technique and design.

Emilie currently runs Ophelia Jewellery Design from her home studio in St. Margaret’s Bay, N.S.

Alfred Carter

Al is what you might call a Jack-of-all-trades. He has worked as a gold miner, carpenter, bartender, minister, ship carver, counsellor, teacher and entrepreneur, among other things. 

His greatest passion is possibly learning; he eagerly absorbs information about new and interesting subjects. 

His Native, Black, English, and Swedish background naturally led to an interest into the traditions and histories of these different nationalities, and eventually he was able to add Mi’kmaq jewellery maker to his long list of trades and talents.

Using traditional designs, patterns and materials, Al designs authentic M’ikmaq beaded jewellery and accessories.

For our full summer schedule of these free live demonstrations and sales please visit www.avonriver.ca or follow us on Facebook.

Avon River Heritage Society Museum,

17 Belmont Road, Newport Landing, NS.

(902) 757-1718

Heritage Artisans in Action: Leather!

All our welcome to join us for our 4^th installment of Heritage Artisans in Action 

devoted to celebrating those who work with leather! 

 

 

 

Call to Artists: Heritage Artisans in Action

On behalf of the Avon River Heritage Society (ARHS) Board Of Directors and the Hants County Arts Council (HCAC), we are pleased to extend an invitation to you to participate in the revival of a popular annual heritage art event called Heritage Artisans in Action (HAiA).

HAiA was last held at the ARHS Museum in Newport Landing on weekends throughout the summer of 2003. It is an opportunity for local artisans to focus on historical trades, crafts, and art forms done in both traditional and contemporary manners.

Our aim is to have a show opening on June 15 followed by a series of themed HAiA Sundays over the course of the summer. Participating artisans will have opportunities to display their skills and present informative demonstrations. We also invite all artisans to contribute their creations to the Museum's gift shop for the duration of the season.

Art forms represented by the group have included wood-carving, painting, weaving, gourd art, leatherwork, ironwork, handspun and dyed yarns, hooking and felting, embroidery, knitting, quilting, fabric painting, jewellery, and glass work.

Themed weekends will be organized based on interest and availability, some mediums may be combined to best suit artists’ availability.  

If you are interested, or know of any other artisans who may be, please contact us at email: arts@avonriver.ca or by telephone: 757-1718 before June 1^st to book your spot.

Best regards,

Ken Greer,                                                        Tacha Reed

ARHS President                                                HCAC President

Heritage Artisans in Action Schedule

June 15^th – HAiA kick-off (all artisans are invited to participate)

June 23^rd – Full Circle Festival, ARHS Boathouse http://www.fullcirclefestival.ca/

June 30^th – HAiA Fibre Arts (Hooking, Weaving, Knitting & Spinning, Felting)

July 7^th – HAiA Wood Carving

Jul 14^th – HAiA Leather Work

July 21^sh – HAiA Needle Work (Embroidery, Quilting)

July 28^th – HAiA Glass Work (Stained Glass, Blown Glass, Mosaic)

Aug 4^th - HAiA Metal Work

Aug 11^th - HAiA Painting

Aug 18^th – HAiA Pottery

Aug 25^th - HAiA Carvings & Sculpture

Sept 1st - HAiA Traditional Mi'kmaq Crafts (basket weaving, drum making, beading, leatherwork, painting)

Sept 8th - HAiA Traditional Acadian Crafts (Spinning, Weaving & Rug hooking)

Sept 15^th – Last Day of Season

* Scheduling may change to accommodate availability.

Please find us on Facebook: Avon River Heritage Society Museum • on Twitter @AvonRiver

* A consignment contract will be made available upon request at info@avonriver.ca

Home is where the Art is!

The Avon River Heritage Society (ARHS) invites you once again to attend this year’s Great Little Art Show in Newport Landing.

For their 15^th year, the ARHS is expanding the show’s organization to include the Hants County Arts Council. We are thrilled to work together with one of our long-standing community partners. We’ve adopted a theme for this year’s show, “Home is where the ART is”.

The Great Little Art Show is a major attraction in the community and is a significant fundraiser for the Avon River Heritage Museum. 

It is known as the area’s flagship show fostering local art talent of all ages, right here at home. This year this will truly be the case with the début of our children’s art show, The Great Little Youth Show showcasing art from local youth under the age of 16, giving rise to a new generation of artists.

Newport Landing resident Jenny Mitson runs Little Pumpkins Daycare and is a pediatric nurse at the IWK. “I am so happy the museum is taking an opportunity to showcase local children's art work,” says Mitson. ”I feel very passionate about encouraging children to express themselves through art using what ever medium they choose allowing them to expose their individual uniqueness. Art is a huge self-esteem builder in a world that can be constricting for our children.”

The opening is Friday, April 26, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. with a wine and cheese reception.
 

Viewing times throughout the weekend are: 

  

Saturday, April 27 10 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Sunday, April 28 11 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

The café will be open to provide refreshments.

Artist registration is open until April 12th and you can enter online at www.avonriver.ca

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

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