Canadian Gothic Exhibit

Local artist Steven Rhude explores Regionalism in "Canadian Gothic". His most recent works are on display at Argyle Fine Art, Halifax. Come meet Steven and see his works on November 16th 1:30-3:30pm.

Visit Steven's analysis on his blog.

Printmaking with Bob Hainstock

INTERMEDIATE PRINTMAKING: (Collography) with Bob Hainstock.

In this 6 week course participants will explore some of the many options for building unique printing plates from fabrics, textured papers, plant materials, metals or wood, as well as printing small varied editions from the plates. A detailed course outline will be available.

Time: Saturdays, 2-4pm, October 26th - November 30th

Fee: 160.00$ gallery members/ 165.00$ non-members

About the Instructor: Bob Hainstock has been teaching printmaking and painting throughout Atlantic Canada for the past 15 years. He is a graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design (NSCAD). His work is represented in private and public collections across Canada and the United States, as well as Asia and Europe. 

Contact: Acadia University Art Gallery

902-585-1373

artgallery@acadiau.ca

AKA at The Georgetown Conference

On October 3rd-5th, Alliance of Kings Artists' Administrator was a delegate at The Georgetown Conference in PEI. This conference endeavoured to harness the spirit that exists in rural communities and arm local leaders with ideas that they can transfer to their own communities. You can learn more about the conference here.

The Advertiser has closely followed The Georgetown Conference and its delegates from the Annapolis Valley, and held a follow-up discussion on October 24th so delegates could share their experiences and how they would like to move forward. There was a lot of passion and enthusiasm in the room, and the discussions centred around positive solutions and innovative ideas for community building. AKA's Administrator, Genevieve Allen Hearn, shared some of her insights from the conference related to arts and culture. This was her statement:


What I learned at the Georgetown Conference

I attended the conference representing AKA, so I had my antenna up for any mention of arts and culture throughout the duration of the conference.

I came across many examples of people doing interesting things in the cultural sector in rural communities across Atlantic Canada.

A few I’d like to share with you are….

Small Halls festival – a music festival in PEI that utilizes all of the small venues across the province, including churches, community halls, small theatres, and cafes. The festival features both established and emerging musicians, and has gained global recognition – now other countries are catching on, and organizing their own small halls festivals, using PEI’s model as a touchstone.

Rising Tides Theatre – a small theatre that has put Bona Vista on the map as a cultural destination. It’s considered a major force in the community.

Artists on Main Street – an artist cooperative that pooled together funds and created a shared gallery space on the town’s Main Street in Montaque PEI. They also organize visual arts events throughout the year.

Kings Playhouse – the venue of the conference was inspirational. The town of 700 people came together when the playhouse burnt down in the early 80s to make sure it got built again. It’s considered an important part of the small community, and is largely what contributed to Georgetown getting the number 1 designation as Maritime’s Cultureville.

What I found even more interesting, however, was the fact that almost every presenter – from the public realm, the private sector, and the nonprofit sector, mentioned the importance of arts and culture in making liveable, healthy, and vibrant communities. Every sector recognized the importance of honoring the unique heritage of our communities, and many presenters alluded to culture being the heartbeat of communities and an economic driver.

My favorite presnter was Zita Cobbs, who developed the Fogo Island Inn, which is a luxury inn that ‘looks to the future, while building on the past’. One thing she said stuck with me, and that was ‘what makes communities worth visiting isn’t their specialness, but rather their specificity’. She talked about finding what you have of value in your community that no other community has (such as the seven seasons of Fogo island) and making it work for you.

I think that Kings County is starting to do this, but there is much more work to be done, particularly in the cultural sector. When I was working on the Cultural Mapping project in Kings County, there were many people that immediately saw the value in cultural development, but I was amazed at how many people, especially those in powerful positions (read: where the money is), did not see culture as a viable or lucrative industry. If you ask me, culture IS Kings County’s industry. The farmers markets, fair trade cafes, open mics, community theatre, performing arts series, wineries, world class cuisine, Slow Food Film Festival, Deep Roots Music Festival, Apple Blossom festival, pumpkin people, ghost walks, galleries, studios, Ross Creek Centre for the Arts, Acadia University, heritage trails and museums, Grand Pre UNESCO site – this is what we have to offer to the world.

My goal, moving forward, is to encourage Kings County to develop a cultural strategy that supports innovative thinking and creative community development. This needs to involve the municipalities, the schools, the cultural organizations and facilities, and the arts council. I will take inspiration from those small towns that think big. If Georgetown, a town of 700 people, can support a 300 seat world-class theatre, then surely Kings County can make steps towards becoming a world-class cultural destination.

Paint the Port - July 20th, 2013

WHAT: A 'Paint-In', a gathering of local Artists with a Gallery Showing & Sale of their work for the general public. A chance to meet and view the artists while they work is an added bonus!

WHEN: July 20th, 2013 from 9:00am – 4:00pm
WHERE : Hantsport, Nova Scotia 

WHO : A variety of Artists from our region and the general public.
WHY : To view a wide range of original art and artists, mediums, and styles. To find a new piece of art for your home or that special gift. You will also be encouraging and supporting the development of art and culture in our area. It may inspire you to give it a try! Try the silent auction on wet paintings during the day.

1. Only original art work will be displayed and sold.
2. All paintings will be registered/priced and signed in/out upon arrival/departure; for view and sale at our gallery area, at Churchill House.
3. A 20% commission on sales will be used to cover expenses incurred by the planning committee. Sales will be handled at our display gallery, and payment forwarded within the next week. (Cash or Cheques only)
4. Sign-Ins will start at 9am on Sat. July 20th, with an Artist's supper at Churchill House at 6:00pm to end the day.
5. Wet paintings will be added to the Gallery as the day progresses for a silent auction.(artist to set minimum bid and take home price)
6. Artists are expected to paint on site. We will have some local gardens, historic buildings, and the waterfront for designated locations, and the public will be invited to view the artists at work.
7. Pre-registration MUST be received by July 5th, 2013 to confirm your participation.

Life Drawing Sessions

Life drawing sessions are back in action! This time there will be 3 life drawing and 3 costume drawing sessions. The schedule is as follows:

-February 24th Life Drawng with Model Devon Koeller
-March 3rd Costume Drawng with Model Margaret Forsey 
-March 10th Life Drawing with Model Margaret Forsey 
-March 17th Costume Drawing with Model Margaret Forsey 
-March24th Life Drawing with Model Devon Koeller 
-March 31st Costume Drawing with Model Devon Koeller

Sessions take place at the Acadia University Gallery Studio in the BAC, room 131 at 1pm-3pm. The fee is $10 per person.

Upcoming AGM & Cultural Map Launch

Dear friends of Culture in Kings County,

We are very excited to announce the launch of the Kings County Cultural Map, which will be held on the evening of February 6th!

Important details...

When: Wednesday, February 6th 6:30pm

Where: Kingstec, room 2101 (238 Belcher Street, Kentville)

Who: Open to the public!

What: The launch will include an explanation and demonstration of the map, viewings of selected digital stories, and an opportunity to ask questions about the project.

The Alliance of Kings Artists will be holding their AGM directly following the map launch (with a few minutes in between for snacks and mingling!)

The Kings County Cultural Map represents culture in the area on an interactive, open-sourced, and community-driven map. The map includes places, groups, businesses, and stories that connect us to our cultural landscape.

Culture in Kings County plays an important role in defining and enhancing our quality of life as well as developing economic sustainability in the region. The cultural map offers a ‘one-stop-shop’ for a full range of local cultural assets in every corner of the County. While the map gives the physical lay of cultural assets in Kings County, it also makes visible ‘intangible’ cultural assets such as stories and histories. These intangibles are captured through a multimedia process of digital storytelling, whereby first-person narratives of local residents have been recorded and embedded into the map. These stories focus on the impact of local arts practices and cultural activities, and look at the role local residents play in creating a vibrant cultural milieu.

We hope to see you there!

Genevieve Allen

Project Manager