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

Join our Creative Team!

Calling all fellow Artists and HCAC Members!

Our annual general meeting will be held on April 24th, 7pm in the Community Room of the Windsor Market Superstore. 


We fully realize that it's a tradition at most organizations for the membership and other members of the community to skip the AGM, but before you stop reading, let us give you a few reasons why you might attend this one:


Since it was formed nearly seven years ago, the HCAC has managed to keep up quite the momentum, hosting regular lectures, organizing annual art shows (now two each year!) and producing Arts Digests to promote your work. Our board of directors would like to keep this momentum going but we are going to need your help to do so.

Volunteering for a arts-based organization can be very rewarding and it doesn't have to be especially time consuming if there are several of us coming together to share our time and skills. We'd love to have a few more board members, but if you feel that you can't do more than volunteer for the occasional project we can use your help too! 


We have several opportunities opening up to do more shows, more promotion, and more education. You'll hear some of the details at the AGM, and trust us, they're really exciting. But, to do it, we need you. Ideally, we need a team of at least a dozen people - board members and volunteers - with a wide variety of skills.
We are looking for people with experience running a small business, teaching, doing fund-raising, graphic design (that should be easy to find in an Arts Council!) and those who are interested or experienced in marketing, promotion and social media.


We're also looking for:
* A secretary. This is a board position and involves taking the minutes at meetings and sending the occasional bit of correspondence.
* A treasurer. Karen has done a great job over the past few years, but is ready to step aside to let someone else have a turn. Some book-keeping experience would be helpful.
* Website help. This could be on a volunteer basis rather than a board position. Our website is currently being maintained by someone who knows how to write code, but nothing about visual style. If you know CSS and can supply the V in MVC, then we can collaborate to pull together a great website.


So, what will you get out of it? Well... The fun of working with a team of creative types (definitely more fun than the average 9-5 job experience!) New opportunities to network and develop your skill set. There is also the satisfaction that comes with knowing that you're pulling your share of the weight in an organization that's thriving. You can take pride in knowing that you are helping to sustain Nova Scotia's culture and that the time and effort you contribute is greatly appreciated by your fellow members.



AGM Agenda

Minutes
Treasury Report
Membership
Website/Social Media
Shows/Events
Collaborations; ARHS & HARC
Arts Digest
Funding Development/Programming
Election of New Board of Directors 


For more information please visit www.hantscountyartscouncil.ca or email us at hcacartsdigest@gmail.com

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

HCAC 2nd Annual Spring Showcase

All are welcome to join the Hants County Arts Council next Friday March 15th from 6-8pm at the Bread Gallery in Brooklyn as we celebrate the opening of our 2nd Annual Spring Showcase and the launch of our 2013 Arts Digest. 

Show continues until April 28th.


This year's participating artists are:

Sandra Aucoin, Pastels

Mary Lou Bennet, Jewellery

Jaki Durocher, Pottery

Sylvia Fullerton, Painted Furniture

Susan Geddes, Paintings

Terrie Greencorn, Paintings

Karen Harvie, Paintings

G.A. Jank, Metal Sculpture

Kelly Mitchelmore, Paintings

Tacha Reed, Feltscapes

Elizabeth Robinson, Paintings

Sue Robinson, Paintings
Naomi Slater, Photography

Jim Tracey, Folk Art

Dora Warren Davis, Paintings

Bread Gallery
7778 Hwy #14
Brooklyn, Hants County

Call to Artists: Spring Group Show at the Bread Gallery

Now that production of the Arts Digest is in full swing, it is time to start pulling together for our next event; our second annual spring show at the Bread Gallery in Brooklyn which will take place March 15th to April 28th.

Last year a dozen artists participated in our very successful inaugural event, so it was no surprise when we started receiving letters of interest from several members looking to take part this time around. A big welcome to newcomers Naomi Slater and Sylvia Fullerton. Naomi will be displaying examples of her photography and Sylvia will have a selection of her painted, reclaimed furniture. 

We are also very happy to have Sandra Aucoin back with more of her remarkable pastel portraits and Mary Lou Bennet with her gorgeous line of  jewellery. We are hoping to put together a very diverse show this year and we would love to have as many of our members participate as possible.


Here are the details:


* The cost is $20 per member to participate. This fee goes towards advertising costs, including an ad in the 2013 Arts Digest (15 000 copies distributed locally), an ad in The Grapevine (distributed throughout the Annapolis Valley) and posters distributed throughout Windsor and nearby communities. (Handbills will be provided by the Bread Gallery)

* Each member may display between 5-7 pieces depending on the size (5 larger pieces or 7 smaller pieces). We also have 3 shelves available for artists displaying smaller items like pottery or jewellery (one shelf per artist/artisan)
* Each artists is asked to provide a high resolution photograph of a piece that they plan to display. This image will be used for advertising purposes. Please email images to tacha.reed@gmail.com by February 20th.
* The Bread Gallery receives 35% of the sales, keep this in mind when pricing your work. A consignment contract will be provided.

Artwork may be dropped off at the Bread Gallery the weekend of March 9th & 10th during business hours; Saturday 8am - 5pm and Sunday 10am - 4pm.

Take-down will be the afternoon of April the 28th. Please contact us if you need to make alternate arrangements for drop off or pick-up.

An opening reception will be hosted by the Bread Gallery on Friday March 15th from 6-8pm


For those interested in taking part please contact Tacha before February 20th at tacha.reed@gmail.com  to book your spot!

2013 Arts Digest; Call to Artists, Artisans and Advertisers!

For 2013 the Hants County Arts Council is once again pairing up with our community paper “What’s Going On?” to promote artists, artisans and local businesses with the latest edition of our arts digest.

We were very pleased with the success of our 2012 publication, a compact folded 17”x22” newspaper style format, which allowed us to include not only a detailed catalogue of our members but also a labelled map of studio and gallery locations, samples of artwork, a HCAC Newsletter, a Calendar of Events and a list of other Nova Scotian Art Societies,  while leaving plenty of room for additional advertising.

This year’s edition of the HCAC Arts Digest will once again be delivered directly to 14, 000 homes in Hants County with an additional 1000 being distributed locally at art centres, studios, galleries, boutiques, small businesses, bed and breakfasts, tourist bureaus and the Stanfield Airport. Each member and advertiser will receive a sizable number of copies to distribute as they wish.  Additional copies will be also made available for those who are willing to distribute at their place of businesses and at craft and trade shows.

We are again seeking additional local artists, artisans, designers, musicians, galleries, studios and culture related business who want to be included or to advertise.  With such a broad reach, our digest is a very affordable way to show your support for our local arts community and at the same time promote your business.

Inclusion is free for HCAC members and $20 for non-members. Each listing includes your name, address, phone/email and website address. 

Also included is a space for a 40 word write-up to describe your artistic practice or business. The Hants County Arts Council is open to all and is not exclusive to artists residing in Hants County. 

If you know of someone who you think would benefit by becoming a member then please feel free to forward this information. Membership forms and details on the perks of being a member are available on our website hantscountyartscouncil.ca

Each member may include a l.75” x 1” full color logo or photograph of their work for an additional $15!

If you have an event planned for 2013 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. This is a great opportunity to help spread the word about your event, performance or festival.

You may also choose to increase your visibility by purchasing an advertisement. Please contact us for rates.

We are also putting a call out to artists for images to be included on the cover of the digest. If you are interested in having your work seen by 15,000 people, then please send two or three high-resolution photographs of your work to us for consideration at hcacartsdigest@gmail.com

Please mail any payments to Hants County Arts Council Box 905 Winsdor, NS, B0N 2T0 

Up to date contact information, biographies and any artwork, ads or event listings may be emailed to hcacartsdigest@gmail.com  

Deadline for inclusion is Monday February 11th.

Thank you,

Hants County Arts Council Board of Directors

Welcome Winter!

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

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

 

Dr Avery Vaughan receiving his "Hall of Fame" award

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

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

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

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

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

 

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