END of SUMMER, NOW for FALL

FESTIVAL 2010!
Has come and gone ... it was a great success, and good fun was had by all.

Many thanks to the volunteers that made the Festival happen, the artists who participated, and everyone who came to see what was going on.


NEXT UP

Check this page in the upcoming weeks for news, fall classes, workshops, and upcoming fund raising events...

FESTIVAL 2010 !

So here it is, all the news you need about the 2010 edition of the Chester Art Festival - and it's bigger and better than ever.


Friday, August 6th
We kick off the Festival Friday, August 6th with Kids Create - an art adventure for families. There'll be all sorts of arts and craft projects for ages three and up, along with live performances, play stations, face painting, a story tent, music and snacks. 10 am to 2 pm, $10 per child or $25 per family, and you can pre-register to save a place - call us at 275-5789. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

For the grown-ups, we've got workshops. In the morning, J'anna Jacqulyn will do an outdoor watercolour landscape painting class from 9 to 12, and Simon Copas will introduce you to the spontaneous pleasures of plein air oil painting from 9:30 to 12:30. From 1 to 4 in the afternoon, Shelley Mitchell offers a landscape workshop in oils. All workshops are only $25 per person - call ahead to register.

We also launch this year's summer exhibition on Friday. We're calling it Heads Up and it's an invitation to explore what goes on in an artist's head as the creative juices flow. It's also a challenge to participating artists to translate whatever 'head' means to them into their own medium. Teresa Bergen, Jose Valverde, Dolly Hancock, Sally Warren, Beverley McInnes/Alex McCurdy and Jim Smith are just a few of the artists who've accepted the challenge, and Malcolm Callaway and Dawn Harwood-Jones are working on an interactive piece that lets you get in on the act, too. Heads Up runs daily, 10-4 until August 14th.


Saturday, August 7th
On Saturday, August 7th, a bigger, better Art Fair kicks off at 9:30 a.m. We've spilled out of the big tent and into the back yard as well as the Fiasco parking lot next door so dozens of artists and artisans from Chester and beyond can show and sell their wares. More room, more street ambience, more artists and more art. Be prepared to enjoy a variety of artists such as Kate Church's fabulous sculptural puppetry, Twila Robar-Decosta's finely detailed works in watercolour, acrylics and oils and Allyson Simmie's metal arts, jewellery and sculpture. Meanwhile, under the big top, a wide range of demonstrations - wood carving (Marty Green), ceramic sculpting (Teresa Bergen), framing techniques and hints (Phinney's Frame Place, flower arranging (Sidney Spahr), photo transfer techniques by Bridgewater Photo & Art Supply and more.
You can also drop by the DIY tent for a little collaborative art. We'll have all the stuff you need to be creative, all you need to bring is your imagination. Also in the tent, Lesley's Pantry and The Windjammer will be offering snacks and lunches, and we've lined up a lunchtime concert, too - song stylings from the musical theatre by Jeanne Nash and Cynthia Myers.
New this year is Live Art. Artists such as, David Lacey, Rae Smith, Zehava Power and Jan Shilletto will spread out around the village and create a work of art on the spot. Tune in to the Gary Zwicker, the Town Crier or watch for the signs that point you to the artists and peer over their shoulders as they create. Then hurry back to the Art Fair to join in the fun as we auction off the fabulous results later in the afternoon.


Sunday Aug 8
Sunday, August 8th is devoted to Wayne Cameron's Antiques Show & Share. From 2:00 to 4:30 Sunday afternoon, Wayne will be happy to have a look at your antiques, paintings, china, glass or other collectibles and try to answer any questions you might have about them. He'll also give you an appraisal, too. Only $25 per person for two items to be appraised.


"HEADS UP"
As for exhibitions, we've got a dandy opening August 6th. We're calling it "Heads Up" and it's an invitation to explore what goes on in an artist's head as the creative juices flow. It's also a challenge to participating artists to translate whatever 'head' means to them into their own medium. Theresa Bergen, Jose Valverde, Dolly Hancock, Sally Warren, Jim Smith and Alex McCurdy are just a few of the artists who've accepted the challenge, and Malcolm Callaway and Dawn Harwood-Jones are working on an interactive piece that will get people visiting the exhibit in on the act, too. Interactive like. It's all the rage.

Drop by for a visit, more information, or to register for any of our activities. The Chester Art Centre lives at 60 Queen St., and you can reach us at (902) 275-5789.

See you soon.

May 2010 Newsletter

If the May newsletter is a little late, it's because spring has been busy here at the Art Centre and it's going to be even busier this summer.

We're just wrapping up REEL VOICES, a film-making program for youth led by Gillian Everill. With funding from the Nova Scotia Department of Justice, five teenagers spent five intense sessions this month creating their own short film on crime prevention. And in collaboration with the province's Community Opportunities for Youth fund and the Chester Area Family Resource Centre, we're about to begin our VISUAL ARTS EXCHANGE which will see 14-18 year-olds doing hands-on workshops with three NSCAD interns specializing in textile, prints and ceramics. The kids will also be involved in an open studio with Gillian Everill, mount their own exhibition and do a little teaching at the Resource Centre daycare. This program kicked off May 26th and will continue on into the summer.

Our summer programs launch in early July with a Children's Art Camp led by Gillian Everill - a rollicking adventure into the world of Creatures Great and Small via paper, pencil, crayon, paints, brushes, paper mache and a great big jolt of creativity. Mornings are reserved for little ones aged 4-6, and the afternoons are for 7-10 year-olds. The camp runs from July 5-9 and costs $75 per child, all art supplies provided. Call the Art Centre (275-5789) or check the website for details and registration.

Gillian will be back August 16-20 with two more Children's Art Camps, one focused on our Ocean Playground (for 4-6 year-olds) while the other camp takes 7-10 year olds Around the World. The little folks will delve into the world of pirates and mermaids, sand and sea while the older kids will explore art inspired by cultures around the world - African masks, Japanese tea cups, Haida totem poles and Chinese dragons. Again, $75 per child for the week-long camp with details available at 275-5789 or via chesterartcentre.ca.

As for the adults, we'll be offering nine summer programs in July and August ranging from pastels to portrait photography and coloured pencils to print-making - with stops along the way for a little interior decorating, plein air oil painting, furniture decoration as well as landscape drawing and watercolours. Instructors include Michelle Pasquin, Rosi Robinson, Rae Smith, Deborah Housser, Charlotte Marble, Jennie Carton, Link Nicoll, Gerrie Masters and Simon Copas. Low, low prices too, with classes ranging from as little as $30 to a maximum of $110.

Look for the Chester Art Centre summer program brochure that will be appearing in your mail box shortly for more details on all our summer activities, and feel free to pin it to the kitchen bulletin board as a reminder of the great programs we're offering. For those of you out of range of the Chester Post Office, registration and program details will be available on the website or at the Chester Art Centre itself, 60 Queen St. Madison Page will once again be manning (womanning?) the office as our full-time summer staffer starting June 5th, and we're thrilled to have her back. Give her a call at 275-5789 if you need information.

And to cap it all off, we offer the 5th annual Chester Art Festival and Fair, August 6-8. Three days where Chester becomes the centre of the Nova Scotia art world - under the big top and out in the street - with a Kid's Day on Friday, the Art Fair on Saturday and a Know-Your-Antiques workshop on Sunday. It's a hands-on experience with lots of opportunities for you and your family to make your own art, buy some of the best Nova Scotia has to offer and learn a little along the way. Save the dates - August 6-8 - and stand by for details, coming soon in the June newsletter.

What's New At The Chester Art Centre?

Well, new board member Bunch Fraser has spruced up the website a little. Our home page now features the latest information on upcoming events at the Art Centre, and the calendar is a little more up-to-date than it has been. We may even freshen up the pictures from time to time. Let us know if there are any features you'd like to see added to the website.

Meanwhile, back at 60 Queen St., the Don Curley Sunday Series got off to a roaring start Feb. 28th with a sell-out at Jane Reardon's talk about the life, times and many controversies surrounding Paul Gauguin, the French painter most famous for idealizing life in French Polynesia. But as Jane showed us, there was much, much more to him, not all of it pleasant, but certainly fascinating in its complexity.

Despite brilliant sunshine and temperatures more suited to yard work than things legal, we sold out once again on March 7th as Brian Crocker walked us through some of the great art thefts of the last 100 years (including the so-called 'take-out Rembrandt', a painting that's been stolen four times from the same museum), and then went on to detail the biggest crime of the 20th century, the astonishing scope of the art looting done by Hitler, Goering and others in the upper echelons of Nazi Germany.

We're expecting the sell-out trend to continue through March as Malcolm Callaway tells us all about Frescos Seccos on Sunday, March 14 while Michael Collins takes us through the fine art of high fashion on March 21st. Call 275-3490 to reserve your seats now. Only $15 per person.

Looking ahead to summer, Sandra Matthews and her programming committee are very close to finalizing a summer program that promises to offer a most amazing array of classes and workshops. We'll have all the details for you in the April newsletter, but consider this a heads-up for a busy July and August at the Chester Arts Centre.

Speaking of August, Paula Booher and her Festival committee are close to locking in details of the Art Festival, to be held this year Aug. 6th-8th. Highlights include another blockbuster exhibition, a family day on Friday with lots of art and entertainment for youngsters of all ages, while Saturday will see a bigger and better version of our traditional Art Fair. A little street, a little tent, and a smattering of art activities all around the village. Sunday we're adding a little antique action. Board member Wayne Cameron will give a workshop on how to evaluate the family heirlooms, be they tchotkes, sentimental treasures or masterworks. More details on the Festival coming soon.

Enjoy your spring, wherever you are.

Back by Popular Demand!

Chester Art Centres Sunday Series is Back

Highly successful in 09, the Chester Art Centres Sunday Series of talks and lectures returns for 2010 - this year in honour of Donald Curley, who gave so much to Chester and its artistic life before his untimely death last year.

The series will run Sunday afternoons at the Art Centre, 60 Queen St. in Chester from 2-4 p.m. starting February 28th and running through April 25th.

The series kicks off on the last day of February with another mystery from the world of art history. Jane Reardon delves into the life of a famous controversial 19th century painter (no clues, it is a mystery) and explores the issues that led him to a life of art and travel.

On March 7th, Brian Crocker takes us deep into the seamy world of Art Theft, exploring its many forms - including wartime looting and some of the famous thefts from institutions and individuals - and why we find it so fascinating.

Artist and playwright Malcolm Callaway will take us into a world he has been exploring in his recent work on March 14th. Frescos Seccos is the title of his talk, and he will show us how it is done and explain why he finds this oldest of techniques so modern and exciting.

You don not have to wear a little black dress to hear Michael Collins explain haute couture and its role in sustaining the identity of the purchasing class on March 21st, but he will reveal why the ubiquitous LBD is so important, and why -alligator can be thought of as tacky- to fashionistas as well as the rest of us.

Art and antique expert Wayne Cameron will explain What Makes Fine Art Fine. In the first session, April 11th, Wayne will walk you through the different attributes of Canadian art, explaining the difference between investment and decorator art. In session two, April 18th, bring along a work of art that is near and dear to you for group discussion and Wayne will provide a free, verbal appraisal of your treasure. Who knows? Maybe Wayne will unearth a hidden masterwork, right here in Chester.

To wrap up the Sunday Series, -Instinctive gardener- Stewart McInnes makes his first appearance at the Art Centre on April 25th to talk about Tulips and More. Stewarts garden in Halifax is legendary and he will take us through a series of artful images that demonstrate why thousands of people over the years have gone out of their way to have a peek at one of the most gorgeous gardens in Nova Scotia.

Tickets are $15 per individual lecture, or if you sign up for the complete
Sunday Series of 7 talks you will receive a $15.00 discount. Call 275-3490 to register. All lectures will be held at the Chester Art Centre, 60 Queen St. Chester, N.S.

New news for a New Year

The winter of '09-'10 has been cold and snowy so far, but it hasn't kept us out of action. Here's an update on what we've been up to lately, and what we plan for the next month or two.

In late December we organized an exhibition of gingerbread houses, a last hurrah in Chester’s 250th birthday party. Artist Christina Wentzell outdid herself with a series of painstakingly detailed and sugared recreations of Chester landmarks such as the Train Station, the Playhouse, the Yacht Club and the Rope Loft. The Village Merchant Group joined in the celebration offering to showcase Christina’s works of art in their store windows and invite auction bids. We got great press, including a piece in the Halifax Herald, raised a little money in the auction at the Playhouse, but more importantly, we created an event which we hope to make an annual celebration of the Christmas season and a focus for holiday celebrations in Chester.

We saw the New Year in with lobsterman Blaine Bond and website ChesterNS.ca once again auctioning off an outsized crustacean to benefit Chester area non-profits. Last year it was the 7-pound Chester the Lobster; this year it was a slightly smaller female dubbed Ms. Chester. Again the bidding was ferocious, and again the Art Centre benefited. A total of $450 was raised with $350 going to the Chester Area Family Resource Centre and $100 to us. Thanks to Phil Elwood and the anonymous second-place bidder who left his/her bid in the pot, winning bid or not.

February sees the return of our highly popular Sunday Series of talks and lectures, this year in honour of Don Curley who gave so much to the artistic life of Chester before his untimely death last year. The series will run Sunday afternoons at the Art Centre, (60 Queen St.) from 2-4 p.m. February 28th through April 18th. Topics include Art Theft (Brian Crocker), Frescoes (Malcolm Callaway), another Art History Mystery (Jane Reardon), Fashion (Michael Collins), Tulips and More (Stewart McInnes) and a two-parter from Wayne Cameron entitled What Makes Fine Art Fine. Tickets are $15 per lecture, but buy the whole series, and we’ll give you a $15 discount.

Coming up in March, Barbara MacLean is back with another series of her highly popular Abstraction classes. Every Wednesday, 1-4 p.m. March 3rd through 31st, Barbara guides her class through the often mystifying process of how to begin and develop non-representational paintings.

Call 275-3490 to book a spot in any of our activities!

WE HAVE A WINNER!!

November 15th was Draw Day for the Chester Art Centre's Draw 350. Martin Karlsen, President and CEO of Polar Star Expeditions was on hand to pick the winning ticket, as were a good number of CAC board members and supporters from the community. (Don't worry, photos to come.)

The prize was an expedition for two aboard the MV Polar Star. Nineteen days and 19 nights exploring the ice, the islands and the wildlife of the Antarctic peninsula and the South Antarctic Islands - the South Orkneys, the Falklands and the South Georgias. The value of the cruise? A cool $27,000 U.S.

And the winner is - Mike Ryan, of Halifax, Nova Scotia. He'll be off to Ushuaia, Argentina at the end of February to claim his cruise.

Thanks to everyone who bought tickets. The money raised will be put to good use in the various programs and activities offered by the Chester Art Centre. Your support is very much appreciated.