Rick Stiebel
Sooke News Mirror
Linda Gordon is making the addition of a new element to the ARTiFACTS Art Show something you can truly hang your hat on.
“We try to add something new every year,” said Gordon, who’s been involved in the show since its inception six years ago. That inspired Gordon, president of the Sooke Arts Council, to put a novel spin on some family heirlooms that have been hanging around her house for a long, long time.
“I grew up around here and remember how logging, fishing and hunting are such important parts of our heritage,” she said. “My uncle was an avid hunter and we’ve been storing his antlers for 50 years.”
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The antlers are a family heirloom that have been gathering dust, so Gordon decided to paint and repurpose them for this year’s ARTiFACTS Arts Show.
“They make great hat racks,” Gordon added.
The event features the works of members of the Sooke Arts Council in a variety of mediums, and also provides people with the opportunity to get involved in the local arts scene.
Gordon is pleased this year’s show will include the work of Tanya Darling.
“Tanya’s a lifelong learner and student at the Vancouver Island School of Art,” Gordon said. “She does mostly abstracts, and her work is very vibrant and gorgeous.”
The show also provides an opportunity learn more about or sign up to contribute to Art & Word, a fundraising initiative that highlights how art can inspire stories, and conversely, how the written word often inspires art.
“The book was a great success last year,” Gordon said. “We’ve almost sold out and decided to do another edition this year.”
Admission is free to the ARTiFACTS Arts Show, which runs from March 20 to May 12, Tuesday to Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the second floor of the Sooke Region Museum. There is a Meet the Artists event on March 21 from noon to 4 p.m.
Artists will be on hand throughout the show and people can buy their works right away without having to wait until the show ends, Gordonsaid.
For more on the show, upcoming events or to sign up for Art & Word, visit sookearts.ca.
editor@sookenewsmirror.com
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