Assistant curator Dianne Hughes (left) and curator Sue Whittaker look at one of the “stalls” as volunteers hang the Summer Artisan Market. At left are Whittaker’s watercolours and next to them are walking sticks by John Middleton. (Richard McGuire photo)
Last year’s Summer Artisan Market at the Osoyoos Art Gallery worked so well that it’s being done again this summer.
The multi-artist summer exhibition and market begins Saturday and runs right to Labour Day on Sept. 5.
Sue Whittaker, curator of the gallery, said there was space for about 33 artists to have three-foot “stalls,” but about 45 artists wanted to participate in the show.
Rather than leave anyone out, some artists shared their space.
“We have been able to accommodate them all,” she said. “That means sharing and everybody giving a little bit, but still maintaining the same kind of market feeling about it.”
Whittaker, a painter in watercolours, said she’s sharing her own space with two other artists – one who does wooden walking sticks, which can hang between her paintings, and another who does pottery and can put her pottery below.
The artisan market format was introduced last summer and was used again for the winter show. Rather than limiting artists to a certain number of pieces, they are allocated their own area or “stall.”
The works cover the gamut of artistic media. Of course there will be paintings in oil, acrylic and watercolours. There are woodcarvers, potters, glassworkers, quilters and photographers.
Whittaker also expects many people will sell handmade cards and cards with prints.
“We always sell lots of these because people really get a kick out of coming and getting a one-of-a-kind card,” said Whittaker.
The market draws locals and tourists alike. Because of space limitations, don’t expect to see enormous canvases, which would be hard for a tourist to take home.
Whittaker said many tourists are drawn into the downtown because it is interesting and almost all of them know about such attractions as Osoyoos Home Hardware. Businesses and galleries typically point tourists to other downtown attractions they might be interested in.
The Osoyoos Art Gallery and the Okanagan Art Gallery, at opposite ends of downtown Main Street, often point tourists to each other’s gallery.
“We’re glad to have those people down there,” said Whittaker. “Of course it’s a different price range. That gallery has some more expensive paintings than what you see in our gallery.”
In contrast, Osoyoos Art Gallery’s summer market often draws people looking for bargains.
“We still do our best work,” Whittaker adds, pointing out that Osoyoos Art Gallery doesn’t have the wall space that Okanagan Art Gallery has, so pieces tend to be smaller.
One of the aims of the Summer Artisan Market is to make art more approachable to people who might be intimidated going into an art gallery.
“It just seems to take all the stress out of going in for a lot of people,” said Whittaker.
There will not be an opening reception for the market.
Osoyoos Art Gallery is located at 8713 Main Street, just west of town hall. It is open Tuesday to Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. until July 1, when the show switches to summer hours of daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
