Saturday, January 8, 2011

Call to Artists

Call to Artists - Details below 


Art Ex: MultiDay Visual Arts Experience Exploits Valley Region, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada: Call to Artists, Deadline January 31, 2010

Call for Artists – Art Ex: MultiDay Visual Arts Experience Exploits Valley Region, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
About Art Ex: Art Ex is an annual multi‐day celebration of visual art which takes place in the Exploits Valley region of central Newfoundland, July 7‐10, 2011. Art Ex provides a unique venue for exhibitions, introductory and advanced workshops, panel discussions, artist talks, interactive art interventions, public artworks and collaborative community based art events. The activities occur concurrently in a number of municipalities within the region. The objective is to offer innovative and diverse experiences for all age groups and skill levels in a number of culturally and geographically diverse locations along the Exploits River watershed. Art Ex takes a thematic approach to each year’s event.  This year’s theme is:

“River as Source”. Artists are encouraged to consider the following when planning proposals for Art Ex:
The river as “source” or “wellspring”
Revitalization, renewal
Human interaction with the natural environment/each other
Concepts of memory/time/history in
The river as continuum: a continuous sequence which adjacent elements are not perceptibly different from each other, although the extremes are quite distinct
Fragility/transience vs. Strength/permanence
Specific historical events pertaining to the river/region

About the Region:
Geographically, the region is defined by a river. Ostensibly dividing the island portion of the province in half, the Exploits River flows from its headwaters near the southwest corner of the island, 246 kilometers northeast to the sea, draining an area of 1,100 square kilometers. The Exploits is one of the largest rivers in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is truly a natural wonder, and is tied closely to the history of this place. It has provided refuge, transportation, power, and sustenance; it has been the lifeblood of the region from prehistory to present‐day. The River connects 19 communities from its headwaters at Red Indian Lake to the Bay of Exploits, which opens onto the North Atlantic. The geographic diversity of these locations should be explored and utilized when considering a proposal.

Submission Guidelines:

Art Ex will be accepting submissions for the following activities for 2011:
1. Exhibitions ‐ Art Ex has one main gallery space of approximately 1300 square feet, with 1100 linear feet of wall space (for technical details and floor plan contact Robert Lodge 292‐4520). Artists are also actively encouraged to submit exhibition and activity proposals that take advantage of other natural and built environments throughout the region. Specify any special requirements or technical considerations in your detailed proposal. Other projects which can be accommodated include interactive art interventions, public artworks, collaborative community based art events, environmentally sensitive installations, performance art, sculpture, interactive projects or site specific work incorporating any number of disciplines.
2.Dinner & Art talk series (a venue for all manner of art talks and critical discourse)
3. Introductory and advanced art workshops (for arts professionals and/or the public)
4.Professional development opportunities for visual artists
5. Art on the Water ‐ Centered on the riverfront in Grand Falls‐Windsor, Art on the Water represents the highlight of the Art Ex activities, and invites artists to explore the cultural, historic, social and environmental legacy of the Exploits River. The event will facilitate the creation of, and provide a venue for, a series of temporary, floating public artworks that will attract visitors to the riverbanks and invite them to interact with the environment throug h the creations of the participating artists.
The concept behind Art on the Water is: by bringing art to the river’s edge viewers and artists will be asked to contextualize the human (creative) experience within the natural environment. Through these exchanges with their surroundings, artists, residents and visitors will come to a better understanding of complex historical relationships between the unique geography of the Exploits Valley region and its inhabitants, while gaining insight into the way all people interact with the physical environment.
These projects could include (but are not limited to) environmentally sensitive installation, performance art, sculpture, interactive projects, or site‐specific work incorporating any number of these disciplines. While anchored floating platforms and designated areas of the shore will provide the exhibition space for the artworks, artists are encouraged to consider the entire river and region as a whole when planning proposals for Art on the Water.

Submission Procedure:

Submissions for Art Ex 2011 must be postmarked no later than Jan. 31, 2011. Submissions are reviewed and evaluated by the Art Ex steering committee. If submitting more than one application, please forward separately. Art Ex does not accept email submissions.
Proposals will be selected based on consideration of the following criteria: artistic merit of theproposed project, thematic appropriateness, feasibility of the proposed project, and the ability of Art Ex to accommodate the project. CARFAC  fees will be paid.

Submissions must include the following:

Detailed Proposal: clearly outline the work you are proposing; provide details about any special requirements (including any equipment needed).
Artist Statement
Curriculum Vitae
Images/Support Material: 15‐20 JPEG images with name and title; image list detailing medium and size. Video artists may submit a video no longer than 5 minutes.
Self addressed, stamped envelope with sufficient postage for return of support materials

Please mail submissions to:

Art Ex 2011 Submissions
Exploits Valley Economic Development Corp.
5B Bayley Street
Grand Falls – Windsor, NL
Canada, A2A 2T5

  The website is currently under construction, for further information please call 709.489.8700 or email artex@exploitsvalley.nf.ca

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Week One - My 2011 in Pictures











Annis Lake with the ice starting to form. One of my favourite views, always changing



Annis Lake


 Breakfast

 Memory of a trip for our 20th anniversary in 1989

 Sunset in  our neck of the woods...well in the woods anyway

Cold and crisp ... beautiful day 


 January 4, 2011

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Flash Fiction Contest

Frightmares! Flash Fiction Contest - No Entry Fee


Frightmares! Flash Fiction Anthology Contest is open to all writers, published or not. The story style does not matter as long as it is a horror tale and does not exceed 500 words. Submissions for Frightmares! will be accepted until the volume has been filled, with an estimated release date of Fall 2011 which means a closing date of approximately July 2011. Five authors will be awarded cash prizes. Story must be unpublished. Copyrights remain with the author. Submit all entries via e-mail to Frightmares2011@gmail.com as an attachment in either Word (.doc) or rich text format. Please use “Frightmares Anthology Submission” in your subject line. Include your name, address, phone number and e-mail address on the first page of your submission and in your e-mail. Use a serif type to format your short story. (i.e. Times Roman, Georgia, Garamond, Courier). Do not use headers or footers.



1st Place - $100

2nd Place - $50

3rd Place - $25

4th Place - $15

Random Drawing - $50

Thanks to C Hope Clark for posting the above info on her blog at

http://hopeclark.blogspot.com/2011/01/frightmares-flash-fiction-contest-no.html

Monday, December 27, 2010

My 2011 Project

Each week in pictures. A recap, if you will, of the events of the week, every week in 2011. I did consider doing daily posts but after a bit of thought I realized that might be a bit ambitious for me, so I have decided to post weekly. Stay tuned to see my boring life unfold in 2011.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Crafts and Art everywhere

This is the season when all the beautiful homemade creations appear in shops and shows. Some of the work is precise and truly a work of art, other pieces show less precision and though maybe they are labours of love they don't have the finished beauty. Juried shows, trade shows, crafts sales, arts and craft shows. This can be confusing for the buyer. What level of quality can be expected?

A juried show is just what is sounds like. There is a jury made up of artists and crafters and they will review and approve all entries in the show. If the artist doesn't meet the requirements their work will not be accepted for exhibit.

A trade show is usually a wholesale show open to buyers from resellers only.

Crafts sales held at the local farmer's market or Christmas tea usually display items that are made on a one of basis by local crafters. There is no selection process unless the organizers wish to limit the number of knitters to a certain number etc. You may find many hidden jems and the prices at these types of sales will be more economical that they will be in the juried shows.

Enjoy the season and look at all the wonderful items that are available. Gather names and contact information so that you can reach the artists year around.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Summer and Festivals Everywhere






Hope everyone is getting a chance to get out and enjoy the summer weather. There are so many festivals and exhibits in our area it is difficult to decide which to see.

And of course just being outside and enjoying the sights and sounds is good too.

Monday, May 24, 2010

One Hundred Year Old Building


The Post Office on King Street in Bridgewater opened over 100 years ago in this red brick building. The Post Office has now moved to a new building on North Street. While the move will make the mail delivery in the area more efficient and improve the working conditions for the staff, hopefully, our town fathers will see fit to perserve/save the old building. So many of the original buildings have been lost through human error and of course fire.