One year strong

County Arts Lab celebrates its first year of operation

Over the past year the County Arts Lab has provided a venue for hundreds of County residents of all ages to express their artistic abilities and to learn new skills. The concept for the Arts Lab began four years ago with County Arts Executive Director Janna Smith, as a way for residents to come together around the arts. “I was inspired by a small space at the Art Gallery of Ontario called The Nook that was focused on the creative process rather than the finished product, a space that offers flexibility and the opportunity to learn, create and present work collectively,” she said. She approached the County Arts Board with this vision, and they agreed to support the proposal. “I wish to thank Walter Thompson, Sarah Moran and Sarah Crawford, who were leading the Board at that time, for their belief in this vision, especially as the pandemic posed challenges that we could not have predicted. But we persevered, and I believe that took a lot of courage on all our parts,” added Smith. Some of the fruits of this vision were on display in the inaugural County Arts Lab exhibit that took place last week, with an opening reception on Thursday evening. Dozens of artworks created by participants in the children’s, youth and adult programming were on display in the County Arts Lab space in The Armoury.

(L-R): County Arts programs manager Stacey Sproule, executive director Janna Smith, MPP Todd Smith, Mayor Steve Ferguson, CA special initiatives manager Andrea Dawes, and County Foundation executive director Dominique Jones with her son Cameron stand in front of some of the artwork created by participants in the County Arts Lab programs.

At the opening reception, Janna Smith said that the County Arts Lab is an extension of the work that the Prince Edward Arts Council is doing in the community to support artists and residents. She thanked the owners of The Armoury for their support in providing an affordable space, which enabled the programming to be offered on a sliding scale that made it accessible to all County residents. She thanked community supporters such as Peter and Celia Sage as well as Christophe Doussot and Vincent Depoivre, and she said the County Arts Lab was grateful for funding from the Parrott Foundation that covered the start-up costs, as well as funding from the Huff Family Fund and the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

MPP Todd Smith noted that the Arts Lab received $33,700 from the Resilient Communities Fund. “I know that money has been put to good use for this studio, for artists to pop in and work, and the Ontario Trillium Foundation has been a lifeline for arts organizations through the pandemic.”

Mayor Steve Ferguson also extended his congratulations on behalf of Council. He said the pandemic threw up unexpected challenges to the whole community, and many people struggled to cope. “Art is crucially important to mental health, and the Well-Being program that was offered, together with the affordability of the sliding scale, and the central location of the Armoury in Picton, allowed people to participate in creating art,” he said. Dominique Jones, Executive Director of The County Foundation, also congratulated the Arts Lab on a successful first year. “Art contributes to the well-being of our community, creating a place where everyone can belong and thrive, and the County Arts Lab plays a significant role in that,” she said.

County Arts Programs Manager Stacey Sproule said that the variety of programming was crucial to the success of the Arts Lab. In addition to painting and drawing there was also music, drama and dance, as well as a memoir writing course. She said that the sliding scale of fees for participation was also a big help in making the programming accessible. “For something that started as a way to emerge out of the pandemic, The Arts Lab feels like it’s grown into this really beautiful thing where I’m seeing a lot of returning participants and I’m seeing a lot of benefit in the community from people who are really enjoying using our space,” she said. “I think I’ve learned so much in the past year, especially about how children make art. I think that as an adult you forget the immediacy of being a child, and it’s so invigorating as an artist to see children not really thinking about making artwork but just going for it.” She said there will be more programming and an exciting line-up for the fall, with details to come later. Please visit countyarts.ca for more information.