Catching the Scent by Andamiyo Chihota, Zimbabwean artist-in-residence for Rice Lake VII

In the news....

March 23 - May3, 2009 - Trent Hills & District Idol Contest

The Blu Note Cafe & Lounge is running a Trenthills & District Idol Contest. The only stipulation is that the participant does not have a music contract. It is open to all ages. The winner recieves a prize, recording time and a performance at the Ferris Music Festival. Read the details. For more information contact Annette Rivera.

July 25 - Northumberland Arts Survey Attracts 40 Artists, Galleries

Northumberland County’s Tourism Department, assisted by a committee including the ACN, has been conducting a survey of local visual artists. The goal is to develop a brochure, listing an inventory and map of galleries and studios in the county. To date 40 artists and galleries have responded to the survey.

A little background here! In 2005, the County adopted the results of a study by McSweeney & Ass. called “Navigating our Future Prosperity” proposing that the County concentrate on developing manufacturing, agriculture and tourism. In the area of tourism the report recommended that “tourism should partner in ventures with the agricultural community.” Northumberland’s “cultural industries” got a nod as contributing to the quality of life, but little else.

Unlike Northumberland, towns and cities all across Ontario have begun identifying themselves as distinctive, even unique, based on strong cultural industries or arts initiatives and festivals. Creative cities are emerging as urban centres with a high concentration of economically profitable, creative industries and an innovative and creative labour force. Upper-tier municipalities have adopted a ‘Cultural Policy’ and in doing so, highlighted the importance of local governments' involvement in supporting culture in their communities.

Instead, Northumberland County had opted to boost “farm-fresh programs and agri-tourism/agri-tainment venues” as the major thrust of the plan to grow tourism. This included the development of a database of existing agritourism businesses and, as a by product, the County also decided to do an visual artists/studios the database.

The ACN is welcomes the artists/studio survey, especially since neighbouring Prince Edward County Tourism publications have been aggressively promoting their creative industries.

Artists all across the county are looking forward to a well-designed brochure and map to guide day trippers and overnight visitors. The ACN is hoping that other brochures dealing with the many facets of Northumberland’s cultural scene will follow.

June 2007 - ACN Membership Drive

The ACN has launched their membership drive for 2007.

We are looking for all visual artists, musicians, craftspeople, writers, and other creative individuals in Northumberland to join the Arts Council and take advantage of a special membership deal.

Arts, culture and heritage organizations as well as new friends and supporters can also take advantage of this special offer.
For only $20 annually, artists will be listed on the Individual Members page on the Arts Council website. In addition, at no extra cost, the Arts Council will provide a free additional web page for each individual member, where they can include information about themselves and their approach to their art, a link to their own external website (if they have one), and also several photos, either of themselves or of their work. The Arts Council website is very popular, and has proven to be an excellent showcase for artists, getting visitors from across the country and the world. Plus members will be supporting their local arts and cultural community, a win-win situation for everyone in the County.

This year the Arts Council will be concentrating on gaining publicity and support for the arts across Northumberland, not just through promotion of events as they continue to do through their website and weekly newsletter, but also by gathering a large enough group of individual artists that they can approach municipal, regional and provincial government representatives with the strength of the Northumberland artistic community behind them.
For more information, to view the calendar of events, or to subscribe to the Northumberland Arts newsletter, visit the website at www.northumberlandarts.ca. If you as an individual artist or your organization would like to be a part of this vibrant, cultural initiative, or you would like to be a Friend of the Arts, you can go to the website to access the new online membership form, send an email to artsinfo@northumberlandarts.ca, contact the Art Gallery of Northumberland at 905-372-0333, or call Tony Prinzen at 905-376-4843 for further information.

ACN Works With County Tourism On The Northumberland Arts Survey 2007

The ACN has been working with Northumberland County’s Tourism Department on a survey of commercial artists. The goal is to develop a brochure with an inventory and map of galleries and studios to be distributed to visitors.

At the urging of the ACN and members of the advisory committee, the requirements for a business licence/registration and for firm, published hours (not by appointment only) have been dropped. As a result, artists will find it easier to qualify for inclusion in the brochure.

ACN Discusses Role Of The Park Theatre With Owner

The ACN has been talking to Rockford Varcoe, owner of the former Park theatre, who stated that the former Park will definitely not be a dinner theatre like his Class Act venue in Whitby. Varcoe confirmed that he hopes to open the re-furbished theatre with 420 new seats by the end of September. Future plans may include a balcony with another 100 or more seats.

Mr. Varcoe has said he will bring in some bigger-name entertainers but he will also provide one night a week so that local organizations can raise funds. He is also on record as intending to form an advisory board to work with the local artistic community and people "who really care" about the arts. He will hire an artistic director, production manager and other staff as required.

The ACN is in negotiations to ensure that local arts organizations will have access at reasonable costs. But Varcoe is above all else a businessman, in fact, Whitby’s ‘Business Person Of Year, 2005’. "I will pay my actors, so it will be different than other (amateur) groups operating in this community. There is a different mentality when dealing with for-profit," he has told the Cobourg Star recently.

December 12, 2006 - Representatives of Northumberland’s major arts organizations, artists and friends of the arts gathered for the first ACN Annual Meeting at the Lawless Gallery in Grafton last week.

After a brief welcome, Aengus Finnan reviewed the history and goals of the ACN. The mission statement of the ‘arts umbrella’ organization says that “the Arts Council of Northumberland will be the premier promoter, facilitator, and advocate of the arts for the public, municipalities, arts organizations and individual artists in Northumberland County.

The ACN began in the fall of 2004 as an initiative of the Art Gallery of Northumberland, funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. In the beginning, the Council was governed by a broad membership consensus in a cooperative, grassroots fashion; but it became apparent to the members who took part regularly in the meetings that a tighter executive structure was needed to carry on. As a result, an interim executive has taken the initiative to build an effective Arts Council.

The Annual General Meeting proceeded under the gavel of acting Chair Tony Prinzen.

Dorette Carter had acquired Letters Patent and a constitution from the previous group who had applied for the name “Arts Council of Northumberland”.

The constitution and the Letters Patent of the ACN were accepted by those assembled.

The newly elected Board of Directors consists of Fran Fearnley, Aengus Finnan, Tony Prinzen, Louise Weldon, Sheila McCoy, Dorette Carter, Isabel Fraser, Nina Keogh, Walter Luedtke, Pat Stanley, and John Draper.

July 31, 2006 - The first run of ACN bookmarks is ready for distribution. In the coming weeks, eleven hundred bookmarks will be sent to ACN member organizations for distribution throughout the county.

July 18, 2006 - A constitution has been written and will be presented for approval at the ACN annual general meeting scheduled for the Fall. Details of the meeting will be sent to ACN members in the coming month.

July 1, 2006 - The Arts Council of Northumberland is very pleased to welcome its first sponsor, Watershed Magazine.