IMAGE FILE: Clockwise from top left: Pottery Lane Studio & Gallery (clay), Red Thread Design (fashion) , Opal Wing Creations (jewellery), Box Boy (wood), Cori Lee Marvin (watercolour)

WHEN: Friday July 23 noon – 7 pm
Saturday July 24 10 am – 6 pm
Sunday July 25 10 am – 4 pm
Admission. $2, children under 12 free

Wow. So this celebration has been going on my whole life. I remember it going back to young childhood and it seems it started at the perfect age for me–when I was four.
This year we traveled back to Maryland to see my folks then took this week “off” (euphemism for madly tried to catch up) so we can leave later this weekend for Maple Lake. So again I’m missing the Art & Craft show though I know that I’ll still be able to enjoy some of the featured attractions individually during the few weeks I’m at the Lake.

And remember: Admission is good for all three days, just be sure to have your hand stamped at the gates for readmission.

Webcam shot from Southern Ontario Today:

Chapleau River, Ontario - 7.22.10

WHERE: Head Lake Park, Haliburton Village
MORE info/directions www.railsendgallery.com

705-457-2330

July 23,24,25 Haliburton Art & Craft Festival – Make it part of your Haliburton Highlands Summer
More to see and do at the 2010 Festival

There’s more to see, do, and hear this year with Buskers throughout the park, afternoon Kids Art Attack, a Lakeside Lions Club BBQ and the Rails End beer tent (a family friendly spot), Artist demos, Brigitte’s Picks of the Show and the Library in A Box. Make a day of it, or make it a weekend. Admission is good for all three days, just be sure to have your hand stamped at the gates for readmission.

Visit www.railsendgallery.com

for a list of participating artists and daily events schedules.

The Haliburton Art & Craft Festival is presented by Rails End Gallery & Arts Centre.

Rails End Gallery & Arts Centre is a registered Canadian charity devoted to bringing art to life in Haliburton and a member of the Ontario Association of Art Galleries (OAAG), the Ontario Crafts Council (OCC) and Arts Council ~ Haliburton Highlands.

Info thanks to the County of Haliburton, Department of Economic Development, Tourism & Marketing.

"Maman" by Louise Bourgeois (1912- 2010) National Gallery Ottawa

I realized today that I should read more often as I happened upon several interesting news items including that the creator of the piece above, Louise Bourgeois died on May 31 at the age of 98. One of the more intriguing things about Ms. Bourgeois besides the daring in her creations (“Maman” means mother) is that she did not “break out” in the art world until she was in her 70′s. Bourgeois was both an innovative Surrealist and a feminist pioneer having been the first woman to have a retrospective at MoMA in NYC in the early 1980′s. It’s pretty cool that one of her most well-known pieces having been exhibited around the globe, is residing in a prominent place in Ottawa.

Have a great weekend!

Happy Victoria Day and official first weekend for cottaging!

If you had a chance to see a weather forecast or read my post  about  the Haliburton Highlands Holiday Weekend & Long Range Weather Forecast for 5.21 – 5.28 you already do know that the weather this entire week is going to be near-perfect for year-rounders, cottagers and visitors alike.

Today (Saturday) will be nicer than yesterday and tomorrow nicer than today and it keeps going in that pattern for about 5 days straight!

I so wish I could be there!

Regardless, I’ve copied many goings-on in the Haliburton Highlands this weekend and beyond into the album below. There are some fantastically fun things going on all the time. Plus, there is community information from when and where to sign up for swimming lessons to the homeowners association. There are some charitable and community causes that need support. All you need to do is grab the family, show up and be thoroughly entertained. There is plenty more, including talent up from Toronto as well as well-known area entertainment. I encourage you to thumb through and simply click to full size if a page looks interesting. Enjoy!

Haliburton County - A year-round destination

I’ve blogged about some of the many resources and activities on this blog throughout what some people might think of as the Haliburton “off-season” but there really is no off season in Haliburton County any longer.

Since the area was settled, there has of course been “year-rounders”–those folks that took up permanent residence while the rest of us returned to our city or suburban lives. No so anymore.

There is a plethora of activities indoor and out throughout the year in Haliburton County–just skim back through my winter months posts to get an idea (though I documented but a small portion due to time constraints).  The car racing on ice was an activity that really tickled my fancy having never seen such a thing but the creative and crafty goings on at the Rails End Gallery and The Art Hive are two destinations that I could and would appreciate year-round.

But the fact is there is plenty of room for more business in Haliburton–and Haliburton has the resources to help businesses, especially smaller or start -up businesses take root. Both the year-rounders and the permanent residents can benefit by taking part in new and exciting endeavors or become patrons of new businesses that have found their way to Haliburton County. Here’s a short, informative, nicely-written article from the Haliburton County Echo on just how crucial efforts like this and others can be to the livelihood of Haliburton County.

Now for the details of the Haliburton Creative Business Incubator–a great opportunity for the many types of businesses in the creative business arena.

An announcement forwarded by the County of Haliburton, Department of Economic Development, Tourism & Marketing:

Four spaces will soon be available to emerging entrepreneurial businesses in the Haliburton Creative Business Incubator, located in one of Ontario’s most beautiful and vibrant locations. Renovations to the former Haliburton Public Library building are now underway and we anticipate that we will be ready for clients to move in by mid June.

Our application package provides

* Information on our program
* Details of work spaces available and costs
* Steps for selection and the selection process
* Minimum qualifications for eligibility
* Evaluation criteria
* Application form

Get your applications in as soon as possible. Applications received by April 30th, 2010, will receive priority consideration. Successful Candidates will be contacted in early May and invited to come to Haliburton for a personal interview.

This is a wonderful opportunity for young businesses looking to establish in a location that offers a beautiful natural environment, a vibrant community and a “relaxed” business style.
Our low monthly costs include a dedicated space for each business, broadband services, access to training seminars and a mentoring program which will provide experienced business people to our clients as advisors. We will also assist clients in their search for suitable living space.

We invite you to do business with the world while enjoying the wonders of the Haliburton Highlands. Contact us right away for your ticket to a “business life with lifestyle”.
If you’re not a candidate for the Creative Business Incubator but know of a creative business that might be the right fit, please pass this news to them. It just might be one of the best recommendations you make.

Important Dates:

*
April 30th, 2010 for applications to receive priority consideration
*
Early May contact for successful candidates
*
Personal interviews in May
*
Facility availability mid to late June

Examples of Creative Businesses:

* Arts administration and education – development and curation, visual art appraisal.
* Architecture design and planning – commercial, residential, landscape architecture and landscape planning, environmental planner, land use planner, community and urban planner.
* Business service consultant – human resources, business management, research, marketing.
* Communications – advertising, public relations, media relations, publicist, promotions, fundraising, consultant, photo journalist.
* Craft – artisans working in: clay, fibre, glass, leather, metal, paper, wood, decorative painting, mixed media
* Culinary – work in the styling and presentation of food
* Cultural Heritage – restoration, conservation, preservation, research, presentation of artifacts, information and buildings of cultural and/or historical significance, archiving, archeology
* Dance – choreography design
* Design Arts – interior and kitchen design, landscape, graphic design, furniture design, fabric design, fashion design, jewelry design, pattern design.
* Illustration – commercial or medical illustrator.
* Information Technology – IT consultant, computer/informatics consultant, management information systems, geomatics.
* Writing, Editing and Publishing for the Performing Arts, Literature & Business – in any medium, including advertising, and technical writing.
* Media Arts – video, film, web, and multi-media development including animation, and illustration – Web and application programmer, computer game developer, computer programmer, e-business software, developer, interactive media developer, software developer/programmer
* Music – composing, performing, recording
* Photography – commercial, industrial, portrait or as a fine art, also framing and restoration.
* Research – in any area including, but not limited to business, the arts, culture and heritage
* Theatre – teaching, directing, producing, coaching
* Visual Art – those involved with painting, sculpture, drawing, or creation of visual art in any medium.
* Defies Description – is a combination of any disciplines above.

Mail Your Application To:
Haliburton Creative Business Incubator
P.O. Box 210
c/o Haliburton County Development Corporation
49 Maple Ave, Unit 4
Haliburton, ON. K0M 1S0

Or Contact: Mike Jaycock, Project Consultant
Email: hcbi@bell.net
Phone: (705) 754-9996
Blog: http://hcbi.wordpress.com

As we ease into spring, outdoor activities seem to pop up just about everywhere in the Haliburton Highlands. ‘Free’ and ‘family’ activities are two kinds that I especially enjoy so “Sunday Rambles” really fits the bill. They are also dog-friendly so the whole family can join in!

Sunday Rambles: FREE family and dog-friendly outings explore rail trail history and nature.
11:00am Ramble, followed by restaurant or brown-bag lunch social.
Map/Brochure available.

Different location each Sunday through April and May throughout Haliburton County.

Friends of the Rail Trail

Contact: Pamela Marsales, Chair,

Tel: 705-457-4767
Email: wildwoodpaths@yahoo.ca

Though free family activities are awesome I’m inclined to also pursue endeavors with creative attributes.

‘Around the Frayed Edges‘ which is on display from March 18 through May 29, sounds fascinating.

‘Around the Frayed Edges’ delves into the outer edges of fibre arts. Fibre arts is a style of fine arts made with textiles and is more concerned with creativity and skill in the end product than functionality. In ‘Around the Frayed Edges’ a narration will be spun through work that pushes the confines as to what an artist can do with fibre today. Twenty-seven fibre artists from across North America have created works for this exhibition. From sculptural to painterly to installations, this leading-edge exhibition addresses all of the visual arts elements – all in fibre. Curated by Laurie Carmount

Where: Agnes Jamieson Gallery
176 Bobcaygeon Road

When: March 18 through May 29

Contact: Laurie Carmount

Tel: 705-286-3763
Email: gallery@mindenhills.ca

Hearty thanks to the Haliburton County Dept. Of Tourism for their great weekly newsletter!

An example of "pocket art." There are many ways to approach creating artist trading cards. This example is from 'How to Paint Sparkling Ocean'.

March Break: Artist Trading Cards Afternoon Drop In
March 17-19 2010

You and your family can become part of a world wide trading card phenomenon! Tomorrow Wednesday, March 17 as well as Thursday & Friday from 1-3 p.m., we’ll be making and trading artist trading cards at the Rails End. Just like baseball cards in size, these individually made works of art are being collected all over the planet by young and old. Catch the creative wave as Gallery staff introduce you to techniques using pen/ink, watercolour and collage to create and embellish your cards. Fun for the whole family. Plan to spend some time at the Rails End on your March Break. All materials supplied. FREE

Email: info@railsendgallery.com

www.railsendgallery.com

Rails End Gallery & Arts Centre

23 York Street Haliburton
Contact: Laurie Jones

Tel: 705-457-2330

Thanks to “What’s Happening in the Haliburton Highlands for the great, informative newsletter!”

An example of “pocket art.” Image above is from ‘How to Paint Sparkling Ocean.’

'Linked'

Rails End Gallery & Arts Centre presents “Linked”, an exhibition of work by students in the Fleming College Visual and Creative Arts Diploma Class.

“Linked” gives insight into the progressive nature of student work that is at turns playful, pensive and sometimes challenging to get a handle on — and that’s ok! This is the second year in a row the Rails End has presented a peek at the inner world of VCAD.

The show runs from February 27 until March 17. You can meet the artists at a reception on Thurday, March 11 from 5-7 or stop by the Gallery Wednesday through Saturday from 11-5. For upcoming events at the Rails End visit www.railsendgallery.com.

The Dorset Recreation Centre has announced a new day for it’s FREE Moms & Tots Playgroup.

The Moms and Tots Playgroup is now meeting on Tuesdays from 10am to 12pm.

All infants, toddlers and preschool-aged children and their caregivers are welcome to to participate in this free weekly program.
Playgroup is a time for some fun and socializing with other kids & adults. Toys, books, crafts and more are provided free of charge by the Dorset Recreation Centre. The Moms and Tots Playgroup is self run so please bring your own beverages and snacks.

For more information, call Cheryl at 705-766-0874.

Dorset Recreation Centre
1051 Main Street, Box 99 Dorset

Email: drc@algonquinhighlands.ca

This is a non-sponsored post done as a community service for the Haliburton Highlands.
Special thanks to the fine folks who author the What’s Happening This Week! newsletter.

Noelia Marziali - 'Berries and Such'

On Saturday, December 5 through Sunday, December 6, The Art Hive and the Maple Lake Artisans Collective will host the Annual Holiday “Bee-Zar.”  I have heard that this event is quite a lot of fun. At the “Bee Zar” you’ll have the opportunity to discover completely unique gifts, holiday food delights, spirited, festive activities, winter seasonal decor –and more!

Please calll 705-754-2294 for more deets!

Visit The Hive Website: www.thearthive.com
The Art Hive, 10239 Hwy 118, Carnarvon
Phone: 705-754-2294

This post is a community service in support of the Haliburton Highlands area artisans.

Again using the wonderful free community resource, “What’s Happening This Week In The Haliburton Highlands,” I’ve found yet another interesting artistic presentation that I would attend, absolutely. The name of the exhibition is is Sandra Hawkins: Ecology of Narrative Space, which is a sort of mysterious and intriguing-sounding topic, I think. Want to know what it is? I did, so I’m going to  give you my interpretation (I looked up “in situ” to make sure I was understanding it correctly). The title of this artistic endeavor refers to what the exhibition is composed of — 30 photo montage prints (there is a thumbnail example of one of them above). Taken all together, the photo montage prints have been named Arctic Crisis Project, Parts 1 & 2. In addition there is an in situ installation (in situ, within this context, means “in the original or natural place or site”) titled, Water Leak involving an aerial video projection.

Through aesthetic poetics of composition, light and sound, the artist “repositions” personal and public experiences in the Arctic thirty years ago, into a “contemporary aesthetic and socio-environmental discussion on identity.” That sounds absolutely mesmerizing! I would love to attend. I must editorialize further and say just how thrilling it is to read of the continued blossoming of the artistic community in the Highlands. It’s such a beautiful environment–so very inspirational! I know that for me as an amateur photographer it is endlessly inspiring.

Ms. Sandra Hawkins, the presenter of Ecology of Narrative Space is an in-demand workshop presenter as well as the author of “The Business of Art.”