Fine art

(L-R): Award winning County artists Dianne Kehoe (Maison Depoivre Award), Jennifer Topaz Bruce (Honourable Mention) and Dayna Law (Honourable Mention) at the opening reception for Art in the County.

County’s premier art show opens at the Armoury

The site of this year’s Art in the County is in the newly renovated event space in the Armoury called The Mess Hall. It is a visually compelling space, even without the artworks. A high white ceiling and a bank of tall windows give it a light and airy feel, and the gymnasium- style wooden floor adds a welcome touch of warmth. With the artworks installed, this gallery could hold its own in any major city. Last Thursday evening, hundreds of artists and art lovers gathered at The Mess Hall for an opening reception for the 26th annual Art in the County (AITC) exhibition. It was a night to recognize the artists whose works were on display, as well as to acknowledge the community members who contribute to the County’s vibrant arts scene. Vanessa Pandos was the emcee for the evening and praised the quality and the diverse range of works on display. Sandy Murray was the presenting sponsor for the show, and this is the 17th year that he has been involved with AITC. “The show has continued to get bigger and better every year, and I’m awed by the diverse talent and high quality of the exhibits,” he said. “There have been many studies of what makes a community vibrant and thriving, and the one keystone is a dynamic and creative artistic community within, and that is what I see before me.”

The show featured 107 works from 75 artists, and the artwork on display was selected by a panel of three jurors, painter Rebecca Last, gallery curator Fynn Leitch and glass artist Cheryl Wilson-Smith. The chosen artworks were curated for display by Vincent Depoivre and Christophe Doussot. The jurors chose five pieces for Honourable Mention, and another five for the Jurors’ Choice Award. Honourable Mentions were awarded to Jennifer Topaz Bruce, Graham Davies, Dayna Law, Laura Morris and Sam Serrano. The jurors commented that Serrano’s photograph, Primary, had “…beautiful graphic work of colours… flat versus three-dimensional is compelling.” The Juror’s Choice Awards went to Mehdi Agahi, Pat Busscher, Marion Casson, Claudia McCabe and Shani Mootoo. Of Casson’s nuno felted throw, County Sunrise, the jurors said “Beautiful handling of material, texture and design … play of light is phenomenal.”

A new award this year was the Maison Depoivre Award, given to the artist whose work shows “technical skill, originality and is thoughtprovoking.” Dianne Kehoe was the inaugural winner for work Wake Up!, a large and energetic abstract work. As a winner of the award, Kehoe will have her work displayed at the Maison Depoivre Gallery for the remainder of 2019. Kehoe took the leap from realism to abstract about two years ago, and last year won an Honourable Mention at AITC. “It’s such an honour, and I so respect what Maison Depoivre does in our community,” said Kehoe.

Marion Casson (L) received a Jurors’ Choice Award for her felted fabric piece County Sunrise presented by Rami Majid (R).

“I’m thrilled to be shown at their gallery. I made a very big leap from working realistically, and I’ve migrated from watercolours to acrylic, from small canvas to large canvas. For me, I felt it was time to look inside and express the inside pushing out, and let the viewer take it in, and hopefully feel the energy that I have.”

A second major award this year is the Community Arts Builder Award. This is awarded to an individual who has enriched community life through the arts. It is sponsored by Sam Simone, Laurie Gruer and Monica Klingenberg, and comes with a $250 monetary gift. This year’s winner was Krista Dalby, whom Sarah Moran describes as “having an immense ocean of creativity, a high level of professional standard and a huge heart that means she gives all of this to all of us.” Dalby has been the driving force behind many events, including the Firelight Lantern Festival, Ice Box Festival, Scarecrow Festival, Adventure PEC, and is one of the organizers of Creative Rural Minds. Many of these events are run on a shoestring budget and offered at little or no cost. “This feels really wonderful, and a little overwhelming, and I feel very emotional,” said Dalby after being presented with the award. “It feels really great to be acknowledged by my community that I work hard to serve. The arts can really benefit people, even if they don’t identify as an artist. It is a great place to come together to meet people and build community.”

This year’s Art in the County is dedicated to Otto Rogers, who died on April 28. He initiated the Otto Rogers Award of Excellence five years ago, given to a work that met high pictorial standards and demonstrated a mastery of the craft. “Otto wanted to encourage County artists to strive for the expression in their works of the universal principles of fine art, and to recognize the work of an artist that exemplifies those,” said Annik Després, who won the award in 2018. “Prince Edward County has lost a generous and masterful teacher. His passing is a great loss to us, but his teachings continue to live on in our individual and collective memory.”

The show continues until July 7, when the final award will be presented. Visitors to the show will be given a ballot for the People’s Choice Award. Admission is $3, and is free for children under age 12. There is free admission for everyone on Canada Day. For more information, please visit artinthecounty.com.