Art in the County

New artist award added for the County’s premier art show

The thirty-second edition of the County’s premier juried art show and sale will be presented at the County Arts Lab, located in the Picton Armoury, between June 27 and July 13. Entries for the show can be submitted until June 13, and they will be judged by a panel of three jurors, Jim Bravo, Nicole Collins and Michelle LaVallee. Mr. Bravo is a Toronto-based oil painter and muralist, and is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art & Design University (OCADU). His vibrant public artworks can be seen across Ontario. He was the recipient of the 2023 Kingston Prize for Contemporary Canadian Portraiture. Ms. Collins is an interdisciplinary artist and educator, and has a material-driven practise that spans over three decades. She has had solo exhibits at the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Bakuroyokoyama Gallery in Tokyo. She is currently Associate Professor of Material and Visual Culture at OCADU and for the past year she has been researching local natural pigment sources and their application to art practises. Ms. LaVallee is Anishinaabe and a member of the Neyashiingamiing Chippewas. She holds the inaugural position as Director of Indigenous Ways and Decolonization Department at the National Gallery of Canada. Her career is dedicated to championing Indigenous arts and artists, and working towards new ways of engaging with people, space, and the land. “We are honoured to welcome these incredible artists to the County and eager to connect them to the broader community in our second annual art symposium, with details to be announced in the coming weeks,” said Janna Smith, executive director of the Prince Edward County Arts Council. Art entries accepted by the panel of jurors will once again be curated by Jim Turner, Sonja Scharf and Kelly Kyle.

The jurors will choose one artist for a Jurors’ Choice Award, as well as three Honourable Mentions. The People’s Choice Award and Children’s Choice Award will be determined by visitor ballots and will be presented at the close of the exhibition.

A new award for this year is the Don Watson and Andrew Innes Award presented to a realist painter whose work is visually arresting in terms of colour, composition and subject matter, and also shows creative struggle and tension evidenced in the work. The donors will choose three finalists, with the winner to be determined by the jurors. The Carson Arthur Award will be presented to an artist whose works represents or evokes Nature in an innovative way. The jurors will choose the winner from Mr. Arthur’s selection of three finalists. The winner will receive $500, and an additional $500 will be donated to a non-profit organization advocating for the protection of the environment, as chosen by the winning artist. The Akasha Art Projects Award will be presented to an artist whose work represents a fresh and original approach to their artistic expression. Kelly Kyle and Sonja Scharf, founders of Akasha Art Projects, will choose three finalists, and the jurors will select the winner. The Oeno Gallery Award of Excellence will be presented by Carlyn Moulton to the creator of an exceptional work demonstrating creativity and originality. The Community Arts Builder Award will be presented to an individual from nominees chosen by County residents. This award recognizes an individual who has enriched community life through the arts. Previous recipients include Sarah Moran, Bruce Dowdell, Hri Neil, Krista Dalby, and inaugural winners Alice and Peter Mennacher of Blizzmax Gallery. This year’s Award will now include a $500 monetary gift.

Sarah Fox, executive director of Visit the County, spoke about the importance of the arts community at the launch of this year’s Art in the County last Wednesday. She said the event not only celebrates creativity, but it also defines the cultural spirit of the County. She noted that since its inception, Art in the County has showcased nearly 2,500 pieces of art, attracted over 63,000 visitors and generated over $400,000 in art sales. “You’ve shown that art is not only a vital force for community connection and expression, but also an essential economic driver that continues to shape the fabric of the County. At Visit the County, we believe strongly that the arts are not a niche, they’re an attraction. Whether it’s a live performance, an authors festival, the Studio Tour or the soon-to-be reinvented Arts Trail, visitors are coming here because of the creative energy that flows through this place,” she said. Ms. Fox said that the County has the highest concentration of artists in Ontario, and the seventh highest in all of Canada, ranking up there with luminaries such as Stratford and Niagara- on-the-Lake. “Prince Edward County is a noted cultural destination. Our artists are creating extraordinary things in spite of the challenges that they face. Many work as self-employed creatives, often making financial sacrifices to pursue their craft. Their contributions, whether as painters, sculptors, musicians, writers or performers, deserve to be recognized and supported and celebrated,” she said. She added that Visit the County is proud to stand alongside County Arts to build a stronger and more sustainable creative economy that honours the value of artistic work and elevates the County as a destination where creativity is seen and felt. “We want to connect the dots between tourism and the arts, between economic development and creative expression. We want to ensure Art in the County remains not just a highlight on the calendar, but an essential part of regional identity.”

The awards presentation and opening night reception will take place on June 26. The show opens the following day and runs until July 13. For more information, please visit artinthecounty.com, or call the Arts Council at 613.476.8767, or email artinthecounty@countyarts.ca.