How you see it

Young County artists at Arts on Main

Artworks created by youth from the ROC will be on display in the Backroom Gallery at Arts on Main (AoM) in Picton until the end of the month. The collaboration began when the Arts on Main collective realized they had an open slot in the Backroom Gallery schedule and they decided it would be a great opportunity to showcase some young talent in the community. “We approached the ROC to find out if they would be interested, and they certainly were. There were a couple of artists from the gallery who went to the ROC and did presentations with the students talking about art and framing and hanging,” said Laurie McLachlan, a member of the AoM collective. “We thought this would be a great way to bring the community downtown in what is a slow time of the year and it would be a way of getting people together through art.”

Whitney Shantz, academic support coordinator at the ROC, was grateful for the opportunity to show some of the youths’ artwork at AoM. “We started to discuss the details around Christmastime, and it was not difficult to convince any of the artists we have here at the ROC to participate in this show. It’s been an incredible ride so far and I think it has turned out really well,” she said. AoM provided a good supply of canvases to the ROC, and one of the members of the collective made a significant monetary donation to purchase additional supplies of paint. The Department of Illumination also provided a couple of workshops led by Krista Dalby and Nella Casson. Charlotte Miller, youth programming coordinator at the ROC, said that all the artworks created by the students ended up on display, so there was no need for a jurying process. “However it worked out, it was just the right number to fit into the space in the gallery, so every youth has their art on display,” she said. Ms. Shantz said that some of the youth stepped way outside their comfort zone to have their art on public display. “It’s incredibly liberating to see our youth be comfortable enough with themselves to show their work,” she said. There is a wide variety of art on display, including collages, paintings and clay figures. All of the art is for sale, which will provide an income for the participating youth as well as funds for the ROC.

Ms. McLachlan said it was important to encourage younger people to show their art. “I feel there’s a great importance for young people to have an outlet. There’s a lot of stress in the world and I believe that young people are holding a lot of it on their shoulders, and art— whatever kind of art—encourages self-expression, and that’s what art is about. I think this show is a great experience in self-confidence for a young person,” she said. Arts on Main Gallery is located at 223 Main Street in Picton. For more information about the ROC, please visit theroc.ca