By Community Affairs

Art – A Marvelous Experience

Nov 21, 2011 | 12:56 PM

Since early summer, I have been busy organizing the Evergreen Artisan Market in Prince Albert. Normally, this isn’t column – worthy but there were many reminders for me at this event of how many treasures we have close to home.

The Evergreen Artisan Market had formerly been the Evergreen Artisan Trade Show. Like all other trade shows in Prince Albert, it was at the Exhibition Centre and the exhibitors lined up in rows to display their wares. However, after years of repeating the same formula the trade show and sale had lost its’ specialness, its’ Je ne sais quoi for artists as well as audiences.

So this summer and fall volunteers and I have been busy creating a new event – something to not just bring people through a door to (hopefully) buy local art and craft – but to come through the door and have an experience so marvellous it would change their perspective on the arts as something frivolous – to see the arts as something the enhances the soul.

And – amazingly, we made a good start at it.

What made the difference, was bringing in several types of artists to work together simultaneously in an arts facility rather than a hall. We cannot remember a show like it before in Prince Albert. Evergreen Artisan Market brought together the artisans: potters, painters, glass-makers, wood turners, carpenters, jewellery makers … and mixed them up with musicians and a school drama club – and those who are artists with food (local caterers) and into the mix we threw in demonstrations from the Prince Albert Arts Centre, Kids Crafts and an Mann Art Gallery opening.

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And what happened was kind of magical, really. As a community group that is devoted to working to promote the arts – we thought Evergreen was a great opportunity to give these different genres of artists a setting to perform – and we were hoping to attract a more varied audience.

But then … musicians were talking to artists, artists were thinking of new ways to promote their work, caterers were talking to musicians. At an ARTS EVENT – where people are often hesitant to take their kids – there were children running around with crafts they had just made and painted faces, dancing to the music and encouraged to hold the hand-made cups.

Afterwards, the artists, performers, musicians and caterers are STILL talking about new ideas, new projects, new ways to communicate with each other. Events that lost their gusto years ago – may be re-instated, like Sunday Night Sounds. House Concerts are being explored in conjunction with community groups.

Audiences would look at the art – taste the food – listen to the music and ask, “Where are they from?” with a kind of awe at the quality. I would say, “they are local – they are from here,” and people were shocked.

It goes to show we often don’t appreciate what we have right here. As I have pointed out in other columns – there IS something special about all things local. Local art has an aesthetic that is about us – about where we live and there is a difference in drinking your organic-fair trade coffee from a cup made by a local artist versus a cup from the discount rack. I bought several CD’s from the musicians and there is a difference. The quality is just as good as the big name artists – but there is an indescribable sense of … here … when you listen to music created by your neighbours.

In the next year, don’t be surprised to see many new events that will involve local artists. Enhance your own life by taking part and learning about all the beauty right here at home.