Newsletter: Another Incredible Year Planned for 2015!

With the start of a new season, it is time for our annual newsletter!

A few weeks ago we held our AGM and had a very productive brain storming session with those in attendance. Finding that member participation can often be low, we have decided to make amendments to our membership structure by creating an active and inactive membership status. 

We will be working on the structure over the next few month, but some ideas of how this would work are that everyone would be required to attend at least 3 meetings per year and volunteer a certain amount of hours during events to maintain an active membership. Artists who build up hours will benefit from certain perks like being awarded free rental of our workspace at the museum to conduct workshops, lessons or provide lectures. Other benefits would include free ad space on our websites and discounts with various art supply stores. Anyone interested in providing input on this new structure and how to increase member participation, please feel free to join us at our next board meeting.

Our meetings take place the 4th Wednesday of the month at 7pm. In an attempt to make our meetings more accessible we have decided to hold them in the upper studio of the Bread Gallery (7778 Highway 14 in Brooklyn). Going forward members will receive monthly reminders with a copy of the agenda. Members are welcome to submit items for discussion under "New Business" on the agenda.

Since many of us still haven't had the opportunity to meet, let alone get to know each other, a discussion began about the idea of using some of our open studio time at the Bread Gallery to host a "Meet the Members" series. Each week a different member of the council would have the opportunity to share their own personal history in the arts. In the cozy setting of the studio we can sit together and chat freely, learning about each others backgrounds and artistic practices.

We've maintained such a great momentum over the last few years and we hope to see our membership continue to grow and become more involved as we approach our 10th anniversary.

In the meanwhile we have another incredible year planned for 2015! The latest edition of our Arts Digest is being distributed throughout the Annapolis and Avon Valley as I type - and another 2000 copies will be making their way to HRM and beyond next week! Look for advance copies in this week's issue of the Grapevine.

This year's directory is full of important dates and info on all of our 2015 activities, like...

The 17th annual Great Little Art Show

Organized by the Hants County Arts Council, the Great Little Art Show is a major attraction in our community and is a significant fundraiser for the Avon River Heritage Museum and Avon Spirit Shipyard. For 2015 we have extended the length of the show from 3 days to every weekend throughout the month of May.

The opening will take place Friday, May 8th, from 7pm to 9pm with a keynote address from impasto painter Kelly Mitchelmore. During the  reception we will open the silent auction for a rug hooking created by local artists Rose Marie MacDonald and Tacha Reed. Proceeds from the auction of the framed hooking, which depicts the “Old Stone House” in Poplar Grove that was built in 1699 by the early French settlers, will go towards supplies and programming for the arts council’s Artists Landing Gallery. Auction closes May 31st at 5pm.


Artist Landing Studio & Gallery

Last spring we began a collaboration with the ARHS Museum in Newport Landing, which saw them graciously donating to us the use of the majority of the upper area of the museum. We now have an open workspace for our members to gather. In what has become nicknamed the lounge, we are slowly building a collection of art supplies and reference books. Members are welcome to book the space for a low fee to host their own workshops or lectures.

We have also taken over half of the open space, which hosts the Great Little Art Show each May. Here we operate the Artists Landing Gallery June through September, which features artwork by our members.

If you are interested in showing your artwork, contact us at hcacinfo@gmail.com before May 15th, 2015.

 

 Open Studio Days at the Bread Gallery

We are happy to announce the re-launch of our weekly open studio drop-in sessions, a collaboration made possible through support from the ArtsVest program.

Taking place in the upper studio of The Bread Gallery every Tuesday and Thursday between 10am and 2pm, these sessions are open to the public and there is no fee to participate. 

Follow us on Facebook for updates!




Artisans in Action

Our annual summer series Artisans in Action takes place the first Sunday of the Month, June trough October at the Avon River Heritage museum. These live demonstrations provide a great opportunity for local artisans who work in historical trades, crafts, and art forms done in both traditional and contemporary manners, to introduce themselves and their craft to a wider audience.

This year we kick-off our Artisans in Action series with a special showcase at the Art & Craft in Agriculture Festival taking place May 23rd & 24th at the O’Brien building, Hants County Exhibition Park in Windsor. In honour of Canada’s first agricultural fair held May 21, 1765, the Art & Craft in Agriculture Festival will feature a market, workshops and activities relating to art, craft and agriculture.  A painting by Susan Sweet to commemorate the 250th anniversary will be unveiled at a reception Saturday May 23rd. For more information visit www.hantscountyex.com

 

Paint Avondale

Part of our Artisans in Action series, our 2nd annual Paint Avondale will see visual artists set-up throughout the historic hamlet of Avondale, creating live on-site. Starting at noon on September 6th, 2015,  visitors can begin their tour at the Avon Spirit Shipyard in Newport Landing, located along the scenic shores of the Avon River on the site where Planter sloops, The Lydia and Sally, landed in 1760.

The Avon River area became one of the great square-rigged wooden shipbuilding centers in Nova Scotia in the 19th Century. Where the Avon River Heritage Museum now sits in Newport Landing was once the location of the Harvie and Mosher shipyards. Between them, they built and launched 165 sailing ships during the “Golden Age of Sail”.  Artist locations include many of the original ship builders homes built in the 1860’s.

Artists interested in participating in Paint Avondale should contact us by July 25th, 2015. Open to all visual artists, register online at www.hantscountyartscouncil.com



Annual End of Winter Show

This past winter the Bread Gallery in Brooklyn, Hants County, hosted our 4th annual End of Winter Showcase. Our first ever juried show featured a selection of recent works by members of the Hants County Arts Council, which included a variety of paintings, sculpture, fibre art, carvings and folk art.

Artists interested in participating in our 5th annual End of Winter group showcase should contact us by October 30th, 2015. Register at hantscountyartscouncil.com

 

Festival of Art

Next year will mark the 10th anniversary of our Festival of Art. In these past 10 years our council has evolved a great deal. We have formed many long lasting bonds with other arts and culture groups in the community, which has allowed us to increase our activities and  grow from a membership of just 28 artists to 54 and counting in the past 5 years!

To celebrate our achievements we have decided to take the Festival of Art back to the drawing board. We want to make it a true festival that celebrates local artists working in all mediums. We want to incorporate performances, demonstrations and hands-on workshops. To make this a true success we need your help.

A planning committee for the 10th annual Festival of Art will be formed during our monthly board meeting, taking place at 7pm on Wednesday May 20th in the Upper Studio of the Bread Gallery in Brooklyn. Anyone who is interested in volunteering, performing or organizing a workshop is welcome to join us.


For more information on our regular activities, or to become a member, please visit www.hantscountyartscouncil.com or email us at hcacinfo@gmail.com. You can also reach us by snail mail at P.O. Box 905, Windsor, Hants County, NS, B0N 2T0

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.

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

A Look Back to the 5th Annual Festival of Art!

In the days between September 30th and October 2nd 2011, members of the Hants County Arts Council transformed the the vacant second floor of the Vaughan Shand Centre in Windsor, Nova Scotia into a beautiful and inviting art gallery.  

This year's collection featured a wide variety of paintings, sculpture and fibre pieces by 20 local artists. 

Opening night drew in over 100 people for a lively evening of art appreciation. 

A motivational speech by fellow artist and entrepreneur Kelly Mitchelmore and the awarding of the first ever HCAC's Hall of Fame to artist and volunteer extraordinaire David Howells all added to the evening's excitement. 


We are proud to announce that sales greatly increased from past years,with HCAC newcomer folk artist Jim Tracey kicking things off with the evenings first sale, a wood carving called Big Bird!

Overall the event was a success! The rain may have been working against us Saturday and Sunday, but many folks still manged to brave the elements and take in the show at their leisure. 




Those who made it out for the weekend portion were able to enjoy the live artist demonstration's provided by Flying Cloud Boutique's Tacha Reed and Jaki Durocher.

Now that we have all recovered from this year's Festival of Art the Hants County Arts Council's Board of Directors would like to extend a big thank you to everyone who came out to join us in this annual celebration of our local artistic talent.

Thank you to all of our sponsors who helped make the weekend just a little bit more special! A huge thank you to Yum Bakery for all the tasty treats, especially the carrot cake.

Thanks to Just Us! coffee roasters for providing the hot beverages, Mason's for the tangy apple cider, Blossom Shop for the lovely flower arrangements, Flying Cloud Boutique for designing and donating all the posters and brochures and thanks to the Grapevine, The Hants Journal and What's Going On! for helping to spread the word.

A thank you should also go out to Kelly Mitchelmore for her moving speech on the importance of self promotion; I hope everyone was left with the inspiration to become their own biggest fan!

Last, but not least, a big thank you to our membership, volunteers and the local community for coming together to help make this annual event something special. We appreciate your ongoing support and look forward to seeing you all at our next event!


In the meanwhile, here is a trip down memory lane :)

Photographs courtesy of John Webb and Tacha Reed

Festival of Art: Our Creative Community

Pure chance brought the Hants County Arts Council to the Vaughn Shand Centre as a venue to host this year’s Festival of Art. This historically rich building, known better as the former Hawboldt’s, is being rejuvenated thanks to the inspiration and determination of one Matthias Jaepel.

In the Spring, while researching sites to open her own business, current President of the HCAC Tacha Reed met with the Vaughn Shand Centre’s April Griffin and got a firsthand peek at the plans for their transformation of the space into a wellness centre. After exploring the building and learning of Dr Jaepel’s great passion for community, the arts, architecture, fitness and health, April and Tacha were both certain that this setting was perfectly suited for the HCAC’s next Festival of Art!

The Council’s increase in interest over the last year meant we were going to need much more room for this year’s event, and we’ve certainly found it with the open and welcoming space that is the Vaughn Shand Centre. We are delighted to be working along with April and Matthias who believe that by including all aspects of health, healing, community and culture we all will become happier, healthier individuals.

Being new to the community herself Tacha inquired about the naming of the soon to be opening community centre, which it seems has quite the history:

Dr Matthias Jaepel

In the midst of "trying on" names for the Centre we felt a strong desire to pay homage to the local Shand family, knowing that Mr. Andrew P. Shand was part owner of the original Windsor Furniture Factory (Vaughn Shand Centre, 69 Cedar St).  As we started to research a bit deeper we found more than one of the family members contributed to the community in ways that support our Vision. In honour of the feminine side of the family (Henri Vaughn Shand) we decided to join the two names to create "Vaughn Shand Centre”.

Andrew Shand was known as being an "idea man". His son Clifford Shand was a local businessman and an early bicycle enthusiast during the bicycle craze of the 1890's. It is said that Clifford practiced riding in the empty upper floor of the building. 

Henri Vaughn Shand, wife of Clifford studied Art at the Boston Conservatory and later at the Ladies Seminary in Wolfville (Acadia University).  She painted at a Studio at her former Vaughn home.   Pieces of her work can be viewed at the Shand House Museum, Windsor.

Gwendolyn Vaughn Shand, daughter of Clifford and Henri achieved degrees from Acadia University, McGill University and later on studied Anthropology at the London School of Economics in England.  She worked for various welfare and charitable organizations and was a pioneer in the establishment of the Maritime School of Social Work and Charity as well as a published author.  The ladies echo our concern and commitment to community and the arts. 

Commitment to community and paying homage to the past seems to be a running theme with this year’s event, something that is echoed again with the welcoming aboard of local winery Avondale Sky, who too has its own story of transformation and rejuvenation.

By adopting a farm on the Avon Peninsula , the owners of Avondale Sky have been able to follow their hearts and create their own dream job as producers of fabulous wine:

The vineyard is one of the oldest in the province but our winery is among the newest. The evolution from vineyard to winery has been a journey. Rather than construct a new winery, the decision was made to salvage an old barn which was looking forlorn on a dike along the St. Croix River ten kilometers from the vineyard. While it was being dismantled to be transported to its new home, offers to rescue other barns began to trickle in. Then churches. Then the trickle picked up momentum.

Of the buildings we had an opportunity to purchase, St. Matthews Church from Walton, was the one for us. The simple, elegant structure exuded a calm strength. We couldn’t stand to know that if we couldn’t give it a new home, it would be destroyed. Moving it wouldn’t be easy, but we were confident it would be worth the effort.

LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE ENTRERPRENEUR!

The folks at Avondale Sky and Matthias won’t be our only ambitious entrepreneurs on hand for opening night, another soul always finding creative ways to follow her dreams is our guest speaker for the evening Kelly Mitchelmore.

Successful artists are the ultimate entrepreneurs, and Kelly certainly lives her life by example, making use of her many talents, combining them for a very unique and fulfilling lifestyle.  

Kelly’s mantra is “You paint because it feels good, so swing easy kid” a simple statement passed on by her grandmother and teacher Jean Mosher. From a life in the Canadian Navy to running a B&B Kelly has toured the world, celebrated diversity, painting all along the way:

Kelly Mitchelmore

I moved to Windsor in the Fall of 2007 and hit the ground running; renovating the house to open as the Phoenix Hollow B&B and then becoming an active part of the arts community. I made over 20 easels and canvassed supporters and sponsors to host the first annual Paint Windsor in 2009. This show created a venue for artists to show their works, paint around the community and also help out the Hants Community Hospital Auxiliary Society as part of the proceeds from the sales went to that organization. I am very interested in the arts and cultural vitality in Windsor and will continue to promote it in any way I can.

I have often been asked about my style since it changes so much between works. Being self taught, I am still experimenting and I simply paint for the moment and what feels good.

Speaking of feeling good, Yum Bakery has ensured that we will be feeling good opening night thanks to a selection of tasty treats from their newly renovated bakery, housed just across the street from the Vaughn Shand Centre. 

Another inspirational local entrepreneurial story, the bakery which produces a variety of baked products including breads, bagels, muffins, cookies, squares, granolas and nut butters, has been successfully operating since 1975: 

For 36 years Yum Foods Limited has been making local food with local ingredients; supporting local producers is just something we do naturally. Over the years Yum Foods has shown growth. We started in a small space on Front Street in Wolfville and only hoped that all these years later we would still be growing, baking and providing employment for Valley families.

 



Bakery owner Dave Browning believes that being a local producer means being loyal to the agri producers in Nova Scotia. He continues to demonstrate that buying local is not only a viable business decision, but a way to say thank you to the community at large for their long standing support.

In keeping with Yum Bakery’s dedication to the support of agri based business in Nova Scotia, the Yum Foods’ retail store carries only Nova Scotia produced items which includes art by Members of the Hants County Arts Council.

Supporting the local community is one of the driving forces behind the Hants County Arts Council and we are happy to welcome along Flying Cloud Boutique as one of our Event sponsors. Showcasing the works of nearly 30 Nova Scotian artists and artisans in her renovated antique airstream camper turned shop on wheels, artist, business owner and President of the HCAC Tacha Reed will be revealing her mini “cloud” kiosk during the weekend portion of the festival.

Flying Cloud carries a variety of local handmade jewellery and accessories, house wares, clothing, toys, bath products, gardening and party decorations, art prints and more! Tacha along with fellow Flying Cloud Artist and HCAC member Jaki Durocher will be on hand Saturday and Sunday providing demonstrations on techniques such as needle felting and creating “cut-up” portraits:

I believe that as artists we should always be growing, exploring and sharing; whether that is trying out new techniques, materials or looking for alternate sources of inspiration; we are all creative beings and we should do our best to support each other. I find it hard to not promote all the wonderful talent that Hants County and Nova Scotia has to offer, if I could I’d announce it from the roof tops so that the whole world can know we are here!




With over 40 artists and artisans represented, this year’s Festival of art is shaping up to be an excellent display of our local arts and culture; we hope that you all can find a moment over the 3 day event to make your way over to the Vaughn Shand Centre and take in a little of what our local creative community has to offer!

Festival of Art: Our Artists

Featuring the works of

Nova Scotian Artists

Karen Harvie

Cheryl Rutledge

David Howells

Carlos DaRosa

Sharol Ogilvie

Tacha Reed

Liz Robinson

Carol Morrison

Kelly Mitchelmore

Audrey Goucher-Millet

Dora Warren Davis

Terrie Greencorn

Gerald Jank

Al Simm

Avery Vaughan

Jim Tracey

June Brown

Jaki Durocher

Pauline Sulivan

Kristie Sheehy

There are still a few remaining spots open for interested Artists, Artisans, Independent studios, galleries, businesses and not-for-profit organizations wanting to participate in this Culture Days event. For more information please contact us at hcacfestivalofart@gmail.com or visit www.hantscountyartscouncil.ca

5th Annual Festival of Art

The board of directors for the Hants County Arts Council is thrilled to announce that this year's Festival of Art will be held in the soon to be opening Vaughn Shand Centre.


Known locally as the former Hawboldt's Furniture store, this site is a blank canvas just screaming to be brought to life with local art and culture!


The high ceilings and natural light combined with the rustic wood and brick walls create a cozy atmosphere perfect for experiencing great art. The speckling of the various nooks and crannies throughout have our planners just itching in anticipation to get started on decorating this space with art!


This year's Festival of Art committee is working hard to create an all inclusive event, inviting artists in various mediums including painters, sculptors, print makers, photographers, carvers, musicians and performers - all coming together to help us celebrate the magnificent arts and culture of Nova Scotia, and in particular Hants County.




Applications are available on the website www.hantscountyartscouncil.ca and the deadline for entry is September 1^st 2011. 

The entry fee is $45.00, payable to the Hants County Arts Council. Since the space is much larger than our previous venue we are upping the total amount of entries per person to 8 and if you would like to display more pieces (or less) you can do so at $10 per piece.

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

Since this is a fundraising event for the Hants County Arts Council a commission of 25% will be deducted from the retail sale 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!

HCAC Summer Newsletter

Greetings fellow artist and art enthusiasts! Hopefully you are all enjoying these lovely days of summer.

Guest speaker Evan Maxwell and Vice President Andrew Harvie

There has been much going on lately with the HCAC these last few months. This past spring we began a series of speaker's nights, held on the 3rd Wednesday of each month in the Flying Officer's Mess of the Spitfire Pub.  

So far, Evan Maxwell has shared valuable tips on how to market your art, Laurie Dalton has told us about the work and holdings of the Acadia University Art Gallery, and Twila Robar DeCoste (juried and elected to the Society of Canadian Artists) shared many of her secrets for composition and design.

The series will continue this Fall.  We're still lining up speakers so stay tuned for announcements.  Besides being informative, the pub nights are a wonderful chance to share conversation and a cheerful glass in the company of interesting folk who share your passion for art.

In other news, this past June we applied for a grant from Heritage and Culture to fund the printing of an updated version of our Arts Digest. Over the next month we will be asking for your help with this publication.

If each of you could please reference the website www.hantscountyartscouncil.ca and make sure that your individual information is up to date and accurate. Please send any revisions or additions to  hcacartsdigest@gmail.com  by August 3oth.

Inclusion is free for members who renew for 2012, $20 for non-members. This provides you with a 1/8th page write-up, providing your contact information and a brief description of your art.

If you have an event planned for 2012 that you would like included in the “Calendar of Events” please send along all relevant information and we will include it at no extra cost.

You may also choose to increase your visibility by purchasing an advertisement. Rates are as follows:

• $45 1/8 pg. ad (1.75" H x 1.75 W)
• $75 1/4 pg. ad (1.75" H x 3.5" W)
• $150 1/2 pg. ad (3.75" H x 3.5" W)
• $300 Full pg. ad (8" H x 3.5" W)

We will be following up with courtesy phone calls in August for those of you who may not be as active with emails.

Another big project we are getting ready to start planning is the 5^th annual Festival of Art, which will be held September 30 – October 2^nd. This event will coincide with our participation in Culture Days, a national event www.culturedays.ca

Guests enjoying the 4th Annual Festival of Art

We are still negotiating the location and are considering moving the festivities from the canoe club to the former Hawboldt’s building. We will keep you updated on the venue as we progress.

Applications are available on the website www.hantscountyartscouncil.ca and the deadline for entry is September 1^st 2011. Late entries will not be accepted. 

The entry fee is $45.00, payable to the Hants County Arts Council. Exhibiting artists must be members of the HCAC; memberships may be purchased at the time of entry at a cost of $15.00. Payment is to accompany the entry form. Please email entry forms to hcacfestivalofart@gmail.com 

Artists are permitted up to 5 pieces each, space permitting. Artists’ work may be displayed for sale or not for sale. A commission of 25% will be deducted from the retail sale price of works for sale. The commission is payable to the HCAC.

Works accepted for the show can be in the following categories:

Painting, Illustration, Photography, Pottery, Sculpture, Textile, Glass, Stone

If you have something else in mind, please contact us. All art work must be originals, no reproductions. All work must be mounted and ready to hang.

Please supply a biography with your application; these will be on display during the show.

Art work is to be dropped off at the venue Thursday September 29^th between 10 am and 8pm.

*Insurance: We do not carry insurance to cover the value of your work. If this is a concern please contact your insurance agent to make arrangements.

Work must be removed following the festival on Sunday October 2^nd after 3pm and no later than 5pm. Artists will be paid for their sales by cheque no later than October 31^st, 2011.

If you would like more information on the Arts Digest or the Festival of Art then we welcome you to join us at our next meeting Wednesday July 27^th at 7pm at the Inspire Art School on Stannus Street in Windsor.

In the meanwhile have a great summer and happy creating!

Mark your Calendar!

The countdown to the next AGM is on and we whole-heartedly invite you to join us in shaping the next year for the Hants County Arts Council. Scheduled for Thursday April 28th at 7pm at Inspire Art School on Stannus Street, Windsor, just a few doors down from Pharmasave; we hope you will come out and offer your input and support.

One item up for discussion during the evening will be the planning of this year’s Festival of Art occurring in the fall during Culture Days. We will be putting a call out for volunteers to head the organization and execution of the event. With a little time and effort this year's festival could really be something special!

We are currently working on a grant application to produce an updated Arts Digest for 2012 and we are looking to assemble a team to aid in its production over the next few months. We will be looking for volunteers with talents in design, layout and marketing to help put together a publication people are really going to want to pick up and share.

There are several positions opening up on the board of directors such as President, Vice President, Membership and Secretary. We are also looking for someone to take on the role of composing our newsletter, as well we are planning to collectively define a few new specific roles; we invite you to step forward and share your particular skills and help contribute to the growth of our local Arts community.

Perhaps you’re a communication junkie and just can’t get enough of the ever-advancing social network – well then we’d love for you to join on perhaps as our Public Relations representative. Or maybe you have a great knack for documentary photography and would like to wear the hat of the HCAC resident paparazzo? Always fancied yourself a fair and honest Art critic? Dare to put pen to paper… or rather, finger to the key? Well if so – congratulations, we have a job for you reviewing local cultural events! Maybe you’re an amazing chef and would like to share your scrumptious goodies at openings… really the list could go on and on! So bring what you know and love and we’ll find a job for you!

In order for the HCAC to grow we need your support, realizing that the majority of our membership resides in Windsor and it’s nearby surrounding communities we recently relocated our monthly meeting site. As of March the Inspire Art School became our new home; hopefully making the meetings more accessible to members will encourage future participation.

Also relocating over the spring is our member’s gallery. We are very grateful to Jeff Redden and Home Furniture for the opportunity to share the work of our many talented artists, however the limited response from membership made us wonder if perhaps we should find a more suitable venue that is more directly focused towards the arts? This is a question that we hope will entice you to come out on the 28th and play a role in mapping out the rest of 2011 and 2012 for the Hants County Arts Council.

Just in case you can’t wait until the 28th to share your ideas on how you can give back to the local Arts community, well then we invite you to join us this evening for the first in a series of public lectures at the Spitfire Pub in Windsor. Tonight’s topic will be marketing your art with guest speaker Evan Maxwell http://www.evanmaxwell.ca/

As I see it, my purpose as an artist is a simple one: to take any ability I have been given and use it, and then share what I've gained with others. Art can open our eyes & ears and hopefully our hearts to the world around us. It provokes, stimulates, inspires; it's the child that stands and says, "Look at me, see what I can do!"    Evan Maxwell

Program:

6:30 - 7:00 Arrive at the Spitfire and make your way upstairs. A server will be on hand, or you may want to buy a beverage on your way in.

7:00 - 8:00 (give or take 15 minutes) - Evan Maxwell

8:00 - ?:00 Questions and discussion.

Hope to see you there!