Art in the County

New site for premier annual art show

Art in the County launched its thirtieth annual season last Thursday by unveiling its new logo and making a call for submissions, as well as announcing that the show will be held in the Lecture Hall at Base31, opening on June 23 and running until July 2. Founded in 1993 by Paul Adams, June Boddington, Bob Hintz and Estelle Klein, the show has become the premier juried art exhibit in Eastern Ontario. Over its lifetime more than 2,500 works of art have been displayed and the event has resulted in nearly $400,000 in sales, as well as providing regional and national exposure for some of the exhibitors. “Art in the County has become a key moment when our community comes together in celebration of the arts,” said Janna Smith, executive director of the Prince Edward County Arts Council. “And what better way to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary than with a nod to the future and what is yet to come with a new logo.” The logo was designed by Natalie Piper of inkfly Graphics and comprises a number of overlapping rectangles in colours that evoke the natural landscape. “I wanted it to represent pictures and frames, but also have a natural feel, like a fabric design or farmers’ fields where the edges aren’t straight,” she said. “The points on the edges of the different squares are points around the County, like Ameliasburgh or North Marysburgh, and I wanted it to look like a rural community, where the colours represent the County.” Mayor Steve Ferguson attended the launch of Art in the County and said that the arts community here is a vital part of the economy and has drawn countless visitors to the County. “We are so grateful to the people who are so passionate about creating art, displaying art and selling art,” he said.

Tim Jones, CEO of Base31, was thrilled that Art in the County will be located at the site. “Being able to host Art in the County is a great honour and privilege for us and we are really thrilled,” he said. “We are really determined to build a vision for this place from the ground up, and we invited the community to come and help cocreate with us, and the Prince Edward Arts Council has been part of that process, helping with calls to the artistic community and the commissioning of different works of art, and being able to host this exhibit here is an extension of that.” Art in the County co-chairs Amy Shubert and Christophe Doussot announced the three jurors who will choose the artworks for display from among those submitted. They are Lisa Creskey, a ceramic artist and painter based in Chelsea, Quebec; Chung-Im Kim, a textile artist and teacher from Cookstown, Ontario; and Rick Rivet, a painter from Belleville.

(L-R): Art in the County co-chairs Amy Shubert and Christophe Doussot stand with logo designer Natalie Piper, Base31 CEO Tim Jones and County Arts executive director Janna Smith in the Lecture Hall at Base31.

The jurors will choose five works for the Jurors’ Choice Awards, with the winners receiving a cash gift of $250. The jurors will also choose five works for Honourable Mention, with a cash award of $100 each. The Maison Depoivre and Carson Arthur Awards will again be offered this year. The Maison Depoivre Award is given a work that shows risk-taking, originality and skill, with an emphasis on the use of colour. Maison Depoivre Gallery co-owners Christophe Doussot and Vincent Depoivre, who are the curators of this year’s show, will choose three works among those submitted from which the jurors will make the final choice. The winner of the award will be invited to display their work at the Maison Depoivre Gallery for the remainder of the 2023 season. The Carson Arthur Award will be presented to an artist whose work evokes nature in an innovative and original way. The jurors will determine the recipient from Carson Arthur’s selection of three finalists. The winner will receive $500, and $500 will be given to a local non-profit organization advocating for the protection of the environment, as selected by the winner.

There are two new awards this year. The Akasha Art Projects Award will be given to the artist who shows a fresh approach to artistic expression. Kelly Kyle and Sonja Scharf of Akasha Art Projects will choose three finalists from which the jurors will select the winner. The artist will receive a $500 gift certificate redeemable at Akasha Art Projects. The Oeno Gallery Award of Excellence will be presented to an artist demonstrating creativity executed with technical skill and fluency. The winner will be chosen by Carlyn Moulton, owner and curator of Oeno Gallery, and will receive $500. The community will be invited to choose two additional award winners from among the works chosen for display. Visitors to the show, which is free this year, will be provided with ballots to choose the People’s Choice and Children’s Choice award winners. The ballots will be counted on the final day of the show and the winners will receive $250 each.

The Community Arts Builder Award is also returning this year. County residents are invited to nominate a person who has enriched community life through the arts. Previous winners include Sarah Moran, Kato Wake, Hri Neil, Krista Dalby, and Alice and Peter Mennacher. Nomination forms are available at artinthecounty.com, and nominations must be received by June 9. The winner will be announced on June 22 at the opening reception of Art in the County.