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!