Art Trek Gala Opening

“HIGH ON THE ARTS”

7-11pm Friday, October 16

Charlotte Street Arts Centre, Fredericton

An evening of music & dance, food & drink, including an auction of fine art.

The evening celebrates Fredericton and its artists and is the launch of ART TREK, a weekend when local artists open their studios to visitors from far and wide, showing us just how art is made!

Organized by the Fredericton Arts Alliance, ART TREK provides a map and addresses of all the studios. The launch includes singers, dancers and instrumentalists. Proceeds of the auction will help sponsor the Art Trek and its promotion.

Take part in a lively auction of works by Fredericton artists including: Judy Blake, Karen Burk, Marjory Donaldson, Lorna Drew, Katie FitzRandolph, Kim Vose Jones, Paula Keppie, Stephen May, Deanna Musgrave, Cynthia Ryder, George Strunz, and others, including a piece by our fabulous guest auctioneer Brigitte Clavette.

Enjoy live music and dance with pianist\Geraldine Mitchell, soprano Cathy LeBlanc, Artemis Dance, tenor Derrick Miller and pianist Diane Roxborough-Brown, poet Andrew Titus, Highland dancers, and more. Conclude your evening by dancing to some wonderful tunes!

Treat yourselves to gourmet nibbles, fine wines, and Picaroons excellent beer. (Your ticket will provide you with a free drink, after which there will be a cash bar.)

Tickets, $35 per person:

Available at Westministers books, from FAA Board members, or at the door. Call 454-1139, 455-8045

Organized by the Fredericton Arts Alliance

Fredericton Arts Alliance 5th Annual Art Trek Oct 17-18
Art Trek is a studio tour open to the public which takes place October 17-18 in Fredericton. Art Trek provides the public with the opportunity to meet artists in their place of work, and to do a little Christmas shopping while enjoying the fall colours. Admission to the Art Trek tour is free.
You can access more information, including a listing of all participating studios and a map, by downloading the Art Trek brochure at: www.frederictonartsalliance.ca Brochures will also be available around the city.
Art Trek hours are Saturday, Oct 17, 10-6 PM and Sunday, Oct 17 from 12-5 PM.


snagged directly from all the FAA promo material. Nothing original today.

Summer Show in Halifax, etc...

I'm getting ready to hit the road again: this time for Halifax.

The Nova Scotia Designer Crafts Council's Summer Market is fast approaching with the opening on Friday at noon. The show returned to its original location at the corners of Spring Garden and Queen last year after being very downtown at the waterfront for a short time and then a year of non-existence. This year the show has grown again and boasts 32 attending artisans.

I have made several new pieces for this show, not that I have photographed them all, have to take the camera and grab snapshots of the pieces on display, just so that there is a visual record of the work before it sells (now there is some optimistic thinking).

My postcard invites went out last week and my email invites went out yesterday. The more inexpensive pre-show promotion that we can do the better. This little bit of work on my part has the potential to add between 40 and 80 visitors to the event that might otherwise not become aware of it. And the moral of this tale boys & girls is that the more artisans that create a client list of thier supporters and interested persons and use it, there are going to be more people aware of the event and in turn, the more there is for all of us. It's a win-win idea. I invite my clients, you invite yours and we share. Not to shabby, eh?

In other news: I am enjoying the social life provided by my partnership in the "Garrison Studio" in the Garrison District on Queen in Fredericton. The sign for the shop was painted and installed yesterday. Big cheer there as that meant that the weather was finally dry enough for the city's summer students to get it done. It also doesn't hurt my feelings that there have been some decent sales from the effort and I've only been brusque with one person so far this summer... "No, I don't make this in Mexico." Sorry dude, I know it's a legit question, but when you add that you are super familiar with the differences in jewellery styles, it strikes me as an odd question and I was obviously in an odd mood. Ooops, now you all know how to get me riled up;)

Went to a meeting for the Fredericton Arts Alliance Art Trek last night. The question is wether or not the open studio tours for 2009 can be pulled together as there was significant decrease in funding for the coordination and operations of this growing event. One brainstorming session later, it is looking a lot more positive, but the committees involved are going to be one very busy bunch for the next short while. As it stands, dates for the event are the 17 & 18 of October with a gala opening on the evening of the 16th.

Anyway, we hit the road on Thursday morning, drive through and find our flop-house in H'fax, check-in and then do the set-up for the show. On our way back after tear-down, we stop in Moncton and deliver some finished work to a colleague at midnight or so. Looking forward to this weekend and then getting back, grabbing a nap and getting ready for company that is arriving mid-week.

Cheers
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Fredericton's Art Trek

In just one more week the Arts Alliance Art Trek will open at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre with a celebration between 7 and 9. Good time to show up and see the CSAC studios and pick up your map for the rest of the open studios and plan your route for the weekend.

The Daily Gleaner reporter Lori Gallagher and photogrpaher James West did a great job of featuring the Trek in yesterdays Live It! section. Always nice to see one's name in print. http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/search/article/442172 to reference the current article page.

To see the poster and print a copy for yourself, there is one on the Arts Aliiance web: http://www.frederictonartsalliance.ca/trekpost.pdf but it is a large file so I don't suggest it for dial-up.

Let's get out there and go for a Trek and show artists that we appreciate their cultural contributions by showing up and saying "Good job".

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Open Your Eyes- Art Trek 2008 - October 18 &19

Maria, who looks after all of us with the FAA just sent over the final line-up and studio locations for the Trek. Here it is:

Images Studio: Katie FitzRandolph (Oil and watercolourist), Chris Harding (Surface Designer) Guest artist: Lynda Rae Burke (Painting), Location: CSAC, 732 Charlotte Street Phone: 454-6952

Studio 202: Laurie Winter,(Painting), Line Lagacé-Basque, (Painting), Margaret Bannister(painting), Guy Vezina(Painting), Location: CSAC, 732 Charlotte Street, Phone: 454-6952

“Loominations” Studio : Karen LeBlanc\Loominations (Weaving) Guest artists: Jan Ashton(Weaving), Kathy Tidswell, (fibre artist), Cynthia andDavid Ryder (Jewellery Design), Location: 94 Grasse Circle, Phone: 457-1443

studio4ward: WhiteFeather (fibre artist), Deanna Musgrave , Marie Fox, Ian Miller,(Painting) Guest artist: Joyce Ripley (Painting) Location: 384 Queen Street, Suite 7 (top floor), Phone: 455-8932

161 Victoria St. Artist: Stephen May (Painting), Guest artist: Derek Davidson (Painting) Location: 161 Victoria St, Phone: 459-7379

23 Southhall Court: Rita Sassani (Scultpure and Painting) Guest artist: Sandi McKessock(Painting) Location: 23 Southhall Court, Phone number: 206-0898

22 Grey Street: Jane Geurts (Painting)Paula Keppie- Mixed Media, Harriet Taylor- Mixed Media, Gillian McLean- Painting, Peter Gross- Photo, Linda Brine- Fiber Art, Location: 22 Grey Street, Phone: 455-1467

239 George Street: Sarah Petite (painting), Location: 239 George Street, Phone: 454 3285

This looks like it should make for a fun weekend for everyone that has an interest in art and fine craft. Many of the particpants are well recognized by their peers, award winners and members of various arts groups including juried craft council members.

The Art Trek opening will be on 17 October, Friday evening at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre. So mark your calendars.
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Show wrap-up & Art Trek

Thank you to everyone that supported us this weekend at the NBCC show. Your compliments are always appreciated.

Overall, the weekend was a bit slower than usual for a lot of the craftspeople in attendance. The weather on Friday didn't help but Saturday and most of Sunday were pretty nice until the wind picked up on Sunday afternoon, which means for some, "the flight of the mugs", as various pieces of handcraft get blown off shelves which is never a good way to end a show.

On the up-side, we now know our location for the upcoming Fredericton Arts Alliance Art Trek, on the 18 & 19 of October. We will be a Karen LeBlanc's weaving studio Loominations, on Grasse Circle off Clements Drive on the northside. I'll post more info on this as I get it in. That will be our next and last Fredericton appearance for this year, unless something different happens.

Cheers.

Get Out of the Studio

This is a note for all of us that private studios: i.e. we do not share space in a building with other artisans or share a studio with room with other artists.

Nothing can be created in a vacuum. I'm sure that you have heard that before and I know that it is true.

Without social interaction with other artists we have a tendency to forget what it is that is good about our work and I say this because we just had the opportunity to spend two and a half wonderful days in one of Fredericton's landmark artists' buildings. The upstairs houses a record store (yes, with real vinyl LP's), a photo studio, a wonderful "pop-art" artist and 2 more visual artists and a mixed media fabric artist. It's not a lot of artists by some standards but it is more than I see on a daily bases.

The joy of this interaction, including going to the Art Trek opening on Friday night is that for the first time in ages, we had a real social time with other artists, not a show where we are all concentrating on prices and money and customer service and mailing lists and unpacking and setting-up and tearing down and packing-up... but just concentrating on the art and the person who made it. What a change. I know that visitors to show concentrate on the art and the artists but as artists, it just seems that we never have much time for that. It feels good.

It feels good to discuss line, and colour and uses of negative space and to see how other artists react to each others' work and how they apply 'art-speak' to the work. I know that for me, it brought me back around to the more subtle aspects of what we do, not just the technical aspects of construction or the business side of it but the real artistry of well made and wearable jewelry as art, or at least fine craft for those that argue the art/craft thing that could take days.

I love having the private studio now, I can work anytime of night or day, as necessary or as the spirit moves me, I have few interruptions, except what I allow, I do not have to explain what I am doing at that moment to anyone who walks in the door, as hardly anyone ever visits without calling first to make sure that 1) I'm actually in and 2) that I am not wearing my PJ's to work. BUT I love getting out of it too.

I love meeting new people, especially like-minded. I love hearing the critical reviews of the works being shown by myself and by other artists which keeps me on my toes and keeps me thinking about how to better use space and colour and line. I get another person's opinion of what works and what doesn't in our jewelry. And besides, most artists are really great and only tell you what they really like and why and that tells you everything you need to know by omission.

So, when you are feeling isolated and unsure of the work, get out of the studio, go to an opening, find an art group, just do something social that relates to your chosen art. It's like blowing a hole in the side of a dungeon to let in the light and fresh air and provide a way in and out. Just make sure that when you leave the studio that you are carrying your business cards and that you are willing to talk to people that you meet. The opportunities to make good useful connections with your fellow artisans abound at these events.

If you don't normally do this at least once a month, try it this month and see what happens, you might like it.

-C