Hants County Arts Council 5th annual Group Showcase

All are welcome to join the Hants County Arts Council on Friday February 5th from 6pm - 8pm at the Bread Gallery in Brooklyn as we celebrate the opening of our 5th Annual Group Showcase, which features work by our members including paintings, metal sculpture, fibre art, leather work and folk art.

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

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 brief days to every Saturday and Sunday 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. A sampling of hors d'oeuvres will be provided by the Flying Apron Cookery, there will be live entertainment from George and Gail Symonds and a cash bar serving the latest from Avondale Sky Winery and Meander River Farm Brewery. Tickets for the opening are $8 for adults; children under 12 get in for free.

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 Studio & Gallery.

 

Viewing times throughout the rest of month are from 10 am to 5pm, every Saturday & Sunday, at a cost of $2 per person.

 

On Saturday May 30th there will be no charge to view the showcase as we welcome author Daphne Greer for the launch of her latest book, Jacob's Landing. Join us between 1pm & 3pm for a reading by the author.

Artists are still being accepted, although late registrations may not make it into the promotional material. Register online at http://hantscountyartscouncil.com/

Support the Arts in Hants County by attending our Annual General Meeting

Are you an artist or crafter living or working in Hants County who would like to contribute more to your local arts community? If so we currently have several seats opening up on our board of directors and we are looking for someone just like you to join our team!

As they say, many hands make light work, and we are specifically looking for volunteers skilled in the areas of event planning, web design, photography, public relations, sponsorship, funding development and/or social media management.

If you happen to have a passion for any of these areas, or simply feel that you have something valuable to contribute, then we'd love to have you on board!

All are welcome to join us on April 22nd at 7pm in the community room of the Windsor Superstore for our Annual General Meeting - come on out and support the arts in your community!

Save the Date: Artisans in Action!

This summer we are happy to once again present Artisans in Action, taking place at the Avon River Heritage Museum and Avon Spirit Shipyard in Newport Landing, nestled along the scenic shores of the Avon River.

 

Located 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 Spirit Shipyard now sits was the location of the Harvie and Mosher shipyards. Between them, they built and launched 165 sailing ships during the “Golden Age of Sail”.  Artisans in Action aims to celebrate the hardworking creative people of past and present whose work shapes our culture.

 

This interactive series provides an opportunity for Nova Scotian artists and artisans who focus on historical trades, crafts, and art forms done in both traditional and contemporary manners to share their skills with a wider audience. This craft centered group of events is an opportunity for artists to present informative and engaging demonstrations of their craft, while offering their products for sale. 

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

 

We are currently accepting artists for this year's series, thanks to the ArtsVest program and support from the Bread Gallery, we are able to lower the entry fee for this year’s series to $20 per person/per event.

 

June 7th, Wood/Leather/Stone



 July 5th, Metal/Glass/Jewellery



August 2nd, Fibre/Pottery/Textiles
 



 September 6th, Paint Avondale

 



 

 October 4th, Traditional Nova Scotian Crafts and Techniques

 

 

Applicants are accepted on a first come first serve basis, with a limit of 3 artists per medium (with the exception of Paint Avondale, which is unlimited). The first 10 artists to reserve a spot before April 15th are also invited to participate in our Artisans in Action showcase at the Hants County Exhibition’s 250th anniversary “Art in Agriculture Festival” taking place May 23rd and 24th in Windsor. There is no additional fee to participate in this special event. Participating artists are encouraged to demonstrate interactive projects so visitors can partake.To book your spot please contact us by Email: infoavonriver@gmail.com
or Telephone: 757-2233

 



Support the Arts in Nova Scotia by Advertising in our 2015 Arts Digest

We are once again seeking local artists, artisans, designers, musicians, galleries, studios and culture & heritage related organizations and businesses to be featured in our 2015 Arts Digest.

We aim for this to be an affordable way to promote cultural activities taking place in our community. Thanks to the ArtsVest program we are now able to lower our advertising rates to better server our members. The Hants County Arts Council is open to all who work in or support the arts and is not exclusive to artists residing in Hants County.
 
As HCAC members your listing will appear for free. Membership runs annually from the date of purchase and costs $25. You may add a square image or logo to your listing for an additional cost of $12.
 
Each listing includes your name, phone/email and website, as well as your civic address if you have a business or studio. Also included is space for a 40-word write-up to describe your artistic practice or business.
 
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   www.hantscountyartscouncil.ca
 
This year we are collaborating with the Grapevine, an independent community and culture related publication, to help spread the word about the council and our talented members. Over 5000 copies of our directory of members, events and arts related businesses will be delivered to homes, businesses, galleries, studios, museums, tourist bureaus, hotels, the airport and other local attractions in the Annapolis Valley, Hants County and throughout HRM.
 
If you have an event planned for 2015 or 2016 that you would like included in our Calendar of Events, then 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. Please include event name, date, location and a brief description.
 
You may also choose to increase your visibility by purchasing an advertisement. Ad space is limited and will be filled on a first come first serve basis.

 
Please mail payments to Hants County Arts Council, Box 905, Windsor, NS, B0N 2T0
 
Up to date contact information, biographies and any artwork, ads or event listings may be emailed to hcacartsdigest@gmail.com
 

Please contact us by March 30th to book your space; all ads must be received by 5pm on April 3rd.

Now Accepting artists for the 17th annual Great Little Art Show

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

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

The opening will take place Friday, May 8th, from7pm to 9pm with a wine and cheese reception where we will open the silent auction for a rug hooking depicting the “Old Stone House” in Poplar Grove, which was built in 1699 by the early french settlers. Proceeds from the auction will go towards supplies and programming for the arts council's Artists Landing Studio & Gallery.

Viewing times throughout the rest of month are from 10 am to 5pm, every Saturday & Sunday.

Visit hantscountyartscouncil.ca to download a copy of the 2015 EntryGuidelines and an Entry Form.