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/

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

 



Call to Artists: Artisans in Action, Aug 3rd

The Hants County Arts Council is still accepting Pottery, Ceramic and Metal Artists for our Fibre/Textiles/Pottery/Metal Artisan in Action event taking place August 3rd, from noon until 4pm at the Avon River Heritage Society Museum in Newport Landing.


This live demonstration and sale is a part of Avon River Days and we expect it to be well attended.

To register please email arts@avonriver.ca before July 14th at 5pm.

Making ourselves right at home...

Now that we are into June, I wanted to give you a quick update on our recent activities. In May we were happy to begin our community collaboration with the Avon River Heritage Society to produce their 16th annual Great Little Art Show. Brandt Eisner of Swoon Fine Art and Antiques joined us as our guest speaker, opening the show with a few encouraging words about creating art not to suit a perceived audience but because it is meaningful to ourselves, the creator. The show proved to be a successful fund-raiser for the museum, raising over $1100.

 

In May we officially took over the front room upstairs in the museum in Newport Landing, which now serves as a drop-in studio space for our members and guests. Thanks to donations from our members, including a great deal of reference books from Dr Avery Vaughan, we have the beginnings of a cozy resource centre/communal studio space.

Every Wednesday we now host a fibre circle for those who felt, knit, hook, spin or weave, and every Thursday we host a painting circle. Stop in between 2 and 5 to take part, these circles are open to the public and there is no charge to participate! This space is also available to rent out at a low cost for our members looking to host workshops and lectures. Please contact us if you have an idea for a course or talk that you would like to lead.

We are continually looking for more donations of supplies and reference material for our drop-in space, so if you are looking to destash, then we will be more than happy to take those art supplies off your hands!

 On the first of June the museum officially opened for the season and we kicked off our first event in our Artisans in Action series, which was devoted to Wood and Leather. We were very happy with the attendance and we are looking forward to our next event in the series on July 6th, devoted to Metal and Glass. We are still accepting artists for this and all other upcoming Artisans in Action events. If you or anyone you know is interested in participating please contact us at HCACinfo@gmail.com or arts@avonriver.ca to register.



Ellen Murphy of Mule Mother Books









Tim Connolly of Back Home Woodcarving

Every second and fourth Saturday wood carver and heritage gardener Alfred Carter has been joining us on location as our Artist in Residence, cultivating a M'ikmaq, Acadian and New England Planter inspired garden. Now that the soil has been prepared he will begin transplanting local edible and medicinal plants this Saturday between noon and 4pm, and he will be back again next weekend for the Full Circle Music Festival, June 20th -22nd, to help promote his project.

Alfred Carter carving his marker for one
of the edible plants in the new garden

In addition to our studio space we have also taken over the majority of the main room upstairs at the museum, which is now known as the HCAC's Artist's Landing Gallery. We currently have artwork on display by a handful of our members, but we are still looking to add more work. Art is sold on a consignment basis with a small portion of the sales going back to the museum. If you are interested in showing your work please contact us at HCACinfo@gmail.com.

Artist's Landing Gallery

If anyone was wondering "just how do I get to the Avon River Heritage Society Museum?" well then visit their website www.avonriver.ca and enter your address on their "Find Us" page, Google will do the rest! There is so much to see along the shoreline of the Avon River, I guarantee it will be worth the drive. When you get near the Avondale Peninsula keep an eye out for one of ours or the museum's many signs... just follow the arrows, you're almost there!



A Look Back at the 16th Annual Great Little Art Show!

On May 9th through 11th of 2014, the Avon River Heritage Society hosted this year’s Great Little Art Show in Newport Landing; a major attraction in the community and a significant fundraiser for the museum.

This year's reception was introduced by Brandt Eisner, owner and director of Swoon Fine Art and Antiques. Brandt gave an inspirational talk encouraging artist to place less emphasis on the anticipation of the sale and comparing our success against our peers. He suggested that instead we should really delve into our passion to create and express ourselves visually, creating to satisfy our own selves instead of a perceived customer. Many artists commented that his talk really spoke to them and was exactly the encouragement they were needing!

We had a great menu for the evening including refreshments by Avondale Sky Winery, sweets from the Bread Gallery and wonderful hors d'eouvres from the Flying Apron Cookery Inn.


                              2014 Participating Artists:

                                Sandra Aucoin
                                Mary Lou Bennett
                                David Brooks
                                Barbara Cain
                                Andrew Fisher
                                Brian Fraser
                                Terrie Greencorn
                                Ken Greer
                                G.A. Jank
                                Lynn Johnson
                                Robin Jones
                                Rose Marie MacDonald
                                Angela MacKay
                                Alison F. MacNeil
                                Ian MacNeil
                                Kelly Mitchelmore
                                Jeannine Meehan
                                Raymond Meehan
                                Sumaya Moore
                                Carol Morrison
                                Tacha Reed
                                Mary Ritchie
                                Liz Robinson
                                Sue Robinson
                                Jo-Ann Shaw
                                Al Simm
                                Jim Tracey
                                Avery Vaughan


 

 

Fibre art by Tacha Reed

Clockwise L-R Carol Morrison, Tacha Reed, Lynn Johnson, Kelly Mitchelmore, Angela MacKay



 

Metal Sculpture by Al Simm

Clockwise L-R Angela MacKay, Avery Vaughan, Barbara Cain, Liz Robinson, Mary Ritchie, Carol Morrison

Sculpture by Alison F. MacNeil

Clockwise L-R Sue Robinson, Lynn Johnson Kelly Mitchelmore,, Tacha Reed,
Lynn Johnson, Barbara Cain, Kelly Mitchelmore, Barbara Cain

Top row: Robin Jones, Sue Robinson, Avery Vaughan, Liz Robinson
Bottom row: Rose Marie MacDonald, Sandra Aucoin, Terrie Greencorn (x2), Andrew Fisher

L-R Sue Robinson, Mary Ritchie, Kelly Mitchelmore, Brian Fraser, Mary Ritchie

Folk art by Jim Tracey

Painted silk scarf by Mary Lou Bennett

Jewellery by Mary Lou Bennett

Metal work by G.A. Jank

Metal work by Al Simm

Folk art by Jim Tracey

Meta work by G.A. Jank

Bronze sculpture by Jo-Ann Shaw

Jewellery by Ian MacNeil

Soapstone Sculpture by David J. Brooks

Bronze sculpture by Jo-Ann Shaw

Wood wok by Raymond Meehan

 For more information visit www.avonriver.ca


Avon River Heritage Museum, 17 Belmont Road, Newport Landing, Hants Co., NS

Spring Newsletter, 2014

Spring is in the air and the Hants County Arts Council is itching to get growing!

2013 proved itself to be an incredibly exciting year for our group, seeing us participate in the most events to date; 14 if anyone is counting!

2nd Annual HCAC Group Show at Bread Gallery,  March - April,  2013

We kicked off the year with our second annual, end of winter show at the Bread Gallery in Brooklyn. In April we joined forces with the Avon River Heritage Society to bring you the 15th annual Great Little Art Show in Newport Landing, which turned out to be the first of many collaborations with this group throughout the summer.

15th Annual Great Little Art show,  April 26th - 28th, 2013

Together we applied for funding from the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage to revive the museum’s Heritage Artisans in Action, extending the event into a series of themed demonstrations.  

Heritage Artisans in Action: Metal,  July 28th with G.A. Jank and Steve Veinot

In July we were invited by the Hantsport Area Revitalization Committee to help revive the town's event, Paint the Port, a plein air painting event. 

Carol Morrison on location at Paint the Port in Hantsport on July 20th, 2013

In September, many members came out again to create art on-site in Windsor in support of the 6th annual, Paint Windsor.

Jessica Uhlman onsite at the Spitfire Arms pub as a part of Paint Windsor,  Sept 8th, 2013

October saw our 7th annual Harvest Festival of Art and the awarding of the 2013 Hall of Fame award to Pat Gould-Thorpe, presented by Dr. Avery Vaughan. Sponsor T.A.N. Coffee in Windsor also invited our members to participate in a month-long exhibition held in their Water Street location as an additional means of promoting the weekend-long festival at 69 Cedar St.

Hall of Fame Awards at the Harvest Festival of Art, Oct 11th,  2013 

We were barely into the new year before we began planning for our 3rd annual group showcase at the Bread Gallery which opened on February 15th and continued until March 30th. This highly anticipated show welcomed over 20 artists to participate, showcasing a wide variety of mediums and styles. The end result was a very lively and colourful showcase, introducing many new artists from our ever-growing membership.

Opening night at the HCAC's 3rd annual end of winter group show at the Bread Gallery,  Feb 15th,  2014

Thanks to the continuing surge of local support, we have decided to devote this year to building on our community collaborations. We recently received approval for funding through Support4Culture to facilitate a creative cultural collaboration with the Avon River Heritage Society, who will in turn be providing the council with a permanent home, which will act as a venue to host cultural events and activities.

We will be kicking off this collaboration on May 9th with the opening of the 16th annual Great Little Art Show, which will also coincide with the reveal of our communal studio space and the launch of our Artist in Residence program.

We will once again be presenting the Heritage Artisans in Action series by hosting five themed events throughout the summer, which will focus on artists and artisans who work in traditional and contemporary styles.

This September we will officially be adding Paint Windsor to our event roster. This annual passion project, now in it’s 6th year, has previously been organized by beloved local painter Kelly Mitchelmore. With Kelly’s upcoming departure from the community, our group hopes to continue on in her footsteps. We plan to build on the strong foundation she has created with this annual celebration of our artistic community and the people who together make it a unique and special place to both live and visit. We wish Kelly the best of luck in Montreal and we will definitely miss her valuable contribution to the local arts community.

We have once again aligned our Harvest Festival of Art to take place during Culture Days, September 26th - 28th,  and this year we are inviting our members to devise creative ways to interact with the viewing public throughout the weekend-long event. 

For example, a group of local fibre artists will be on site, creating a hooked rug depicting a local historic building. Visitors will learn the basics of rug hooking and they will be encouraged to join in and contribute to the creation of the piece. Artists with ideas for other interactive activities are encouraged to contact us.

The Avon River Heritage Society and The Hants County Arts Council recognize the support of the Province of Nova Scotia through the Department of Communities, Culture & Heritage. We recognize funding from the Support4Culture, a designated lottery program of the Nova Scotia Provincial Lotteries and Casino Corporation. We are pleased to work in partnership with the Culture Division to develop and promote our cultural resources for all Nova Scotians.

It is through the support of our members, community and volunteers that we are able to provide this ongoing programming and we are grateful for everyone’s time and effort to make our events so successful!

In 2015 we hope to be able to continue building on our collaborations and events, creating annual traditions that we as a community can depend on. 

If you would like to play a part in the ongoing growth of the HCAC then please join us at our Annual General Meeting on April 30th at 7pm at  the Superstore at 11 Cole Drive in Windsor or contact us by email at: tacha.reed@gmail.com

    

www.hantscountyartscouncil.ca