A call for entry has been announced for the 31st Annual Bancroft Art & Craft Guild Summer Show. The event will be held on August 4 and 5, 2012.

For interested artists, the application deadline is May 30. Contact Nancy Brookes for further information at nancybrookes@yahoo.com or call 613.338.5431.

*The Bancroft Art & Craft Guild is a contributing member of the Algonquin Arts Council

As reported by Jerome Lessard of the Belleville Intelligencer, Wendy Wallace  invites residents to share their stories about life in Belleville, during an interactive facts finding mission at the John M. Parrott Art Gallery, located on the third floor at the Belleville Public Library, on Saturday, Jan. 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Those memories will be transformed into an exhibition of large paintings and new media pieces “stitching the community together” that will be featured at the gallery in September.

“Because I stitch metal, plexiglass, paper, and canvas I want to stitch a visual story of the community of Belleville,” Wendy said. “I want to create a visual relationship with the city. That’s why I wanted to open it up to its residents so they can help me identify the history, the present story, and the people of Belleville.”

For further information on Wallace’s Creating a Community Identity, call Susan Holland, gallery curator at John M. Parrott Gallery, at 613-968-6731 ext. 2239, or visit www.bellevillelibrary.com.

Come spend a Canada Day weekend with Derek Wicks as he takes you through 5 educational days on how to paint a painting from start to finish.  His workshops are designed to give the participants the confidence they need through knowledge.  Workshops are designed to break art down to simple elements and teach artists to atack problems with a system.  His workshops are high energy, positive interaction to instill comfort and trust so the participants can achieve their realistic goals.

If you’d like more information, call 1-866-989-4333 or hardyshobbies@xplornet.com

“We are honoured to be recognized as innovators,” states Hastings County Warden Jo-Anne Albert.  “Receiving this prestigious award helps continue to build Hastings County’s reputation as leading edge in terms of online marketing and promotions.”

With funding from the Eastern Ontario Development Program and help from Fine Line Design in Stirling, Hastings County launched the niche website ArtsRoute.ca earlier this year.  As part of the County’s Premier-ranked Tourist Destinations Project, the website offers a clearinghouse of information on professional artisans and businesses selling/making local art across the County.  The website is also “smartphone friendly” to make navigation easier while mobile.  Signage on provincial and municipal roadways has been installed, along with signage at member locations, helping to create a brand and direct traffic to the website. 

“This award is a great honour”, notes Economic Development Manager Andrew Redden who attended the EDAC Conference and received the award on behalf of the County. “Having been selected from more than 200 projects across Canada demonstrates, once again, that we are leading the way with the use of new economic development tools and practices.”

The Economic Developer’s Association of Canada (EDAC) is Canada’s national organization of economic developers pursuing excellence in the field since 1968.  The Association offers its members professional development, networking opportunities and a comprehensive offering of resources, both on and offline. Visit www.edac.ca for more information.

Claire Tremblay published an article in the latest edition of Ottawa Life Magazine that features weekend art getaways in our region of Ontario.  We’re excited to see that our Arts Route was mentioned!  Take a look here.

While Quinn’s of Tweed is a name that’s been around for many years, it’s recently re-opened under new ownership with a new look and feel.  Quinn’s of Tweed is now a fine art gallery on Victoria Street. 

New owner Paul Dederer purchased Quinn’s a short time ago and held a grand opening ceremony on Thursday, August 18, for his new art gallery.

As reported by Scott Pettigrew of EMC News, Paul Dederer noted, “We are the fourth owners and we know that if we change the name from Quinn’s we would likely be in trouble with the local folks. It is a beautiful name, people like the sounds of it and the previous owners were happy to pass the name along to us. The building was a high-end department store and a lot of towns had stores similar to this one with everything from horse feed to tuxedos. We are also very lucky to have Darlene Rowney who has worked here at the store for 15 years, she knows the community very well and has been very helpful introducing us to the local people.”

Paul also reported to Pettigrew, “We have been here for seven weeks and the traffic has been good. The local community has been very supportive, people from Madoc, Tweed and Stirling have all come out and we have also found there is very vibrant local arts community. It has been a great ride so far and it is up to us to keep it going.”

When in Tweed, stop by this fabulous gallery that is now being promoted through advertisements on Classical 96 FM and soon as a member of the Arts Route.  The gallery is home to  historical paintings, some of which are selling for over $10,000.

According to Scott Pettigrew, when Paul was asked if the gallery was interested in artists talking to them about showing work he said, “Absolutely! We would prefer that people send the work by e-mail and then if we want to we will contact them and have them come and show us their work, we actually have two people coming tomorrow. It is not whether the art is good or bad but whether it is good for our gallery.”

During the opening ceremonies, Hastings County Economic Development Manager Andrew Redden stated, “We have established an Arts Route which has only been in operation a couple of months.  We are looking forward to making you part of that route when you are ready. On behalf of the county we are pleased to have you part of the new business landscape.”

You can purchase tickets at the Quinte Arts Council, 36 Bridge Street East in Belleville.  Hurry because they ask that you reserve your place by June 10!  Call 613.962.1232 or visit this website.