KLAC NEWS
Don’t miss a single update with our e-newsletter, The Kawartha Lakes Cultural Connection. As the voice of culture in Kawartha Lakes, we aim to provide news, information, and updates — connecting relevant stories, current events, and all people and influencers involved in the cultural scene in Kawartha Lakes. Contributions and feedback are always welcome.
Archive (By Month)
Member Showcase - Gridley’s Herbs and Aromatherapy
Michelle was inspired by her ornamental herb garden in the backyard of her home to begin making tea. She then branched out to essential oils and soap making. When she first started making soap there was very little information available, so she read a variety of books and began experimenting.
Downeyville – A record of traditional music and oral stories of the Irish
I am often asked why “culture” and “heritage” are combined in telling history. A short five-minute drive west of Lindsay to Downeyville, answers this question completely.
Commentary on Music During the Pandemic
As a member of the Kawartha Lakes music community, I recently took “Music Therapy Month” as an opportunity to touch base with some local musicians to see how life has changed for them due to COVID-19. This handful of folks included teachers, performers, and of course, a music therapist.
What do you love about your arts community?
Local Artist Quotes
"Most artists I know are introverts and work alone, so it can be difficult for us to connect with kindred souls. Working with fellow artists in my local arts community over the years, planning and participating in studio tours, fundraisers and cultural events, having fun at workshops, and volunteering on arts councils, has helped me to connect with wonderful, like-minded folk. I love that we understand each other and wholeheartedly cheer each other on and am grateful for the lasting friendships these activities have fostered."
By Karen Richardson
Selling Your ARt on Marketplace
“Buy Local”! KLAC Members who are painters, sculptors, photographers, woodworkers, authors, and artisans of all stripes can sell their creative works on our new e-commerce platform, Marketplace. It is an easy system facilitated by the Kawartha Lakes Arts Council’s new website. First, you join KLAC as an Artist Member for an annual fee of $40.00. This entitles you to create your Member Page in our gallery, with up to 10 images of your work, three paragraphs of text and a link to your website, if you have one. These images are sent to KLAC’s email account: kawarthalakesartscouncil@gmail.com. Our digital provider, Barton Creative Co., creates the Member Page usually within 2-3 days of submission.
Artist Couples Make it Work… together.
Celebrating 50 years of married life in October 2021, Paul and Beverley look back on their creative adventure together. They met in 1969, at Black Creek Pioneer Village, while Paul was working in the Harness Makers shop and Beverley, an OCA Material Arts graduate, was demonstrating spinning and weaving. They soon discovered they both appreciated the fine workmanship of previous generations. The crafts movement was just underway and together they enjoyed creating unique leather and textile products to sell at new marketplaces like one of a kind shows.
Words While We Wait - Call For Submissions
With National Poetry Month approaching this April, Kawartha Lakes is excited to launch a temporary public art project to help build a sense of place and a shared understanding of experiences during these unprecedented times. “Words While We Wait” is a project all residents can take part in, by submitting poems and verses related to the pandemic for a chance to have their words turned into public art.
Kawartha Lakes Arts Council launches new way to support arts community
As a result of COVID-19, the Board of Kawartha Lakes Arts Council was forced to cancel the 4th annual two-day Made in Kawartha Lakes Art Show & Sale (MIKL) held in November. The annual show was missed by many who benefited from the exposure, sales and collaboration. As reflected by James Lukow of Your Dreams in Wood, “The show was missed for many reasons. I always look forward to checking in with fellow artisans and Arts & Heritage Trail members. Having attended for the last number of years I've noticed that people have specifically looked for me.”
Arts Achievement Award Winners Recognized
In October 2020 the first ever Kawartha Lakes Youth Awards were presented including two Arts Achievement Awards in partnership with the Kawartha Lakes Arts Council. The winners have received an honourary one year artist membership and we are pleased to profile them.
Nonobjective collage artist Elayne Windsor – in her own words
As a nonobjective collage artist, I work with found and new paper to create collages on paper, canvas, birch panel or plywood. My Art pieces explore many possibilities that collage has to offer. I am inspired by the qualities of paper. I don’t necessarily focus on the images on the paper, rather I might pick up tissue paper and create a piece that reflects the light, airy nature of the paper. I am inspired by the simplicity of paper, how new life can be rendered out of things that people discard. People swoon over animals or flowers, I swoon over paper!
KLAC Member Benefits Expand
The year 2020 posed challenges for all members of our community – in particular, across Canada, the arts and cultural sector has been hard hit by the pandemic. For KLAC, we had to figure out how a grassroots, volunteer-run arts council could invest in new ways to deliver benefits to our Members, and help sustain our local creative community.
An Update from Ray Marshall
Hello Everyone! Happy Summer! I thought it would be an idea to check in with KLAC members on behalf of the KLAC Board. I hope you’re all doing well, adjusting to your new routines, and keeping busy with projects and pieces of work. Our challenges take up a very long list, as do some of our disappointments.
Local Artist, Lucya Almeida, cashes in with Canadian mint
Jewelry Artist Lucya Almeida, who works from her home studio in Bethany under the company name The TIMA Collection, has been designing jewelry for over 30 years but has just recently landed a unique opportunity to design pieces for The Canadian Mint.
Patrons and the arts
I consider myself fortunate to have grown up in a family and living in communities that valued arts and culture. My grandfather, Philip Patrick Murphy, was a musician and music educator, settling post-WWII in Windsor, Ontario. My brother and I, as boys, spent many summers on his coat tails, as he went from rehearsals, to concerts, with the many bands that he directed, both in Windsor and Detroit.
Christina Dedes - An Emerging Young Artist
Emerging young artist Christina Dedes found a passion for art while attending I.E. Weldon Secondary School in Lindsay. High school art teachers Lesley Drummond (KLAC board member), and Paul Marshall were instrumental in nurturing Christina’s interest in artistic expression. Christina enjoyed the atmosphere in the classroom where she spent four years in high school concentrating and developing her practice.
Little Red Canoes - A Creative Idea Turns Sentimental And Heartwarming
It’s been just over two months since I started the "lil red canoe" Project. What started as a simple idea of carving a canoe and sending it down the river has quickly turned into something much more. In the beginning, I set a goal of 99 little canoes for 99 days, committed to traditional environmentally friendly dying colour methods. Hence the "lil red canoe" Project was born on the Miskwaa Ziibi River (Ojibwa for Red River).
Member Showcase - Gamiing Nature Centre
As a not-for-profit charitable organization, Gamiing Nature Centre and its amazing team are dedicated to share and promote the importance and joy of living in harmony with nature by balancing human needs with nature. From the shores of Pigeon Lake, the organization’s goal has always been to work together towards sustainable ecosystems, stewardship of our natural resources and heritage for our future generations.
Member Showcase - James Lukow
James Lukow is a renowned local fine craftsman who truly respects his chosen material, natural wood. And he thoroughly enjoys working closely with each individual client when creating that special 'dream' piece for each appreciative customer.
Member Showcase - Kawartha Art Gallery
The Kawartha Art Gallery has been making connections in the community since its inception, when it was known in the late 1960s as the Kawartha Arts & Crafts Association. The Lindsay Art Gallery was then incorporated as a non-profit charitable organization in 1983. In the early 1990s, the Gallery moved to its current home on the second floor of the Lindsay Public Library. Four years ago, it changed its name to the Kawartha Art Gallery to reflect the talent and reach across the municipality. It remains Kawartha Lakes’ only public art gallery.
The Dry Stone Wall Experience
If dry stone walls could tell stories, they would have many to share. Since the 1600s, these wisely built dry stone walls have been a major feature of the rural British Isles landscape. Protecting their herds, cattlemen cleared the land stones for better grazing and crop growing. The stones were piled up around the property boundaries to contain the livestock.