Submit your artwork before January 4
The St. Andrews Heritage Centre is hosting its annual Community Art Show in February and is looking for local artists to submit their work to be hung among the historical displays at the museum.
“The Community Art Show is basically a place for any local artists to come in and submit their artwork and have it shown to a wider audience. And we accept any form of media, as long as it is able to be hung and presented. So, the only media that we aren’t going to be accepting is anything digital unless it is printed,” said Sarah LeBlanc, museum coordinator for the St. Andrews Heritage Centre.
This is the Heritage Centre’s sixth time hosting this event.
“The idea was just to bring in a wider audience to the rectory and get more people in to check everything out. We do really love art here, and we see a lot of our artifacts as art in the museum. We just are really into appreciating art as well,” said LeBlanc.
She says that the museum can even be viewed as art in its own right with the architect and stonemason and other people who were directly involved in its creation putting their own touches onto the historically significant space.
LeBlanc explained that the cross-section of local history and local art’s culture just seems to meld together to create a great exhibit.
“A lot of the local people that come in and bring in their art, a lot of them are actually from the community. They bring their experiences into their art, and we bring that (as well with) the museum. A lot of people submitting are from the Métis nation, and we do have a big part of that here in our museum that we like to talk about as well,” she said.
If people are interested in submitting their artwork to be part of the show they should reach out to the Heritage Centre before Jan. 4, 2025.
To submit your artwork to the show, residents should go to the Heritage Centre’s website at www.standrewsrectory.ca. From there, you can click the Programs/Events tab at the top of the screen, which will allow you to see a drop-down menu with an Art option. Hovering over it will lead you to the Community Art Show link. Once there, the page has information about submission guidelines, how to apply and the Google application form.
LeBlanc explained that the submission is not very complex but there are a few things people should know going in.
“There is a $15 submission fee, and that includes all art pieces submitted (up to three per artist). Then when the art show is hosted at the Rectory, there will be also a community vote that allows three artists to take home a cash prize. The cash prizes include the first prize of overall excellence of $100, the second prize which includes the best use of colour is $75, and the third prize includes the best 3D representation. And then, following the cash prizes, there will be honourable mentions. We will also be advertising the artists and their artwork on our social media, so we’ll be able to bring attention to the artists (online), as well as during the art show,” said LeBlanc.
She also mentioned that the artists will be able to use this as an opportunity to personally sell their work but that artwork that is sold will stay at the museum until the end of the show so that everyone has a chance to enjoy it.
LeBlanc explained that the show prioritizes local artists though it is open to all. She also wants residents to know that they are hoping to get as many submissions as possible.
“We encourage all artists of any experience level to hurry and submit their artwork, because, we are here to just help you guys out. Especially if they want to focus on an art career and get themselves out into the public. It is a great experience to put themselves into,” she said.
