Studio Fair starts today
After Halloween but before Christmas comes Studio Fair which, after 41 consecutive years, has become like a holiday of its own in Prince George.
The Community Arts Council (CAC) has made Studio Fair their No. 1 critically important fundraiser event.
The income the CAC makes at this annual extravaganza sustains most of their operations year-round and since they are celebrating their golden anniversary this year, it is clearly an important mark on the city’s calendar.
The CAC is an umbrella advocacy organization for dozens of guilds and arts groups, dozens more individual artists and artisans, and a go-to, get-it-done agency that is now celebrating its 50th year of promoting all-local culture. It provides studio space, offices, storage, administration, galleries, point-of-sales and many other functions for their scores of members.
Studio Fair is not just this city’s premier show and sale for art but one of the best in northern Canada.
Artists and artisans from all over the province and beyond apply each year to have a booth inside the Civic Centre where they can market their creative wares. The fact a dominant number from Prince George are selected by the admissions jury is testament to the strength of the local arts scene, ac- cording to organizers.
For many of the artists that get to set up inside those walls for the three-day event, Studio Fair is the pinnacle of their sales year, and the best opportunity to meet the public.
Christina Watts is a veteran professional artist in Prince George and is also the proprietor of Ridge Side Art with its downtown showroom and online art brokerage. It is a space she shares with Groop Gallery artist Melanie Desjardines and commercial photographer Philomena Hughes.
All three are working together at Studio Fair as well, this year, having arranged with the CAC for a sizable space on the second deck of the Civic Centre.
“For me it’s all about bringing art/artisan goods alongside supplies,” said Watts.
“Then there’s a few other artists I brought in.”
One is Sandee Bartsch of Altered Life Jewelry. Another is textile artist Catherine Ruddell. A third in the shared space is Diane Levesque, whom Watts described as “a mixed media queen” and also the sister of professional artist Shirley Babcock who has a Studio Fair market booth of her own.
This is the second year at Studio Fair for Prince George company K9 Kelp.
The boutique manufacturer of healthy pet food and other seaweed-based products (for humans, too) fits into the artisan arts component of the event, only their nibblies are for the furry members of the household.
“We live here locally so it is a great way to get out there to our customers, talk to people about the store, improve our profile in our own community,” said company entrepreneur Patricia Carr.
Writer L.A. Fielding now makes a habit out of Studio Fair, each year adding another of his X-Tails children’s books to the sales table.
“As an author, Studio Fair allows me to share my work with a variety of people who may not know about my children’s books,” he said. “It’s also a great way to see the parents and children that already love my books. Studio Fair showcases the best artisans and I am very proud to be a part of it.”
Watts agreed that pride had a lot to do with the feeling artists from this area have for the event. It’s the CAC’s mainstay fundraiser, and the CAC is the artists’ mainstay advocacy agent.
“Support them so they can keep supporting us. It’s a beautiful circle,” she said.
“It is the biggest: massive foot traffic, high end specialty goods. I’ve been to a lot of fairs and markets since starting (Ridge Side Art) but Studio Fair is the best one to market yourself and for income. It’s good to help support them since they do a lot for the local art culture.”
Studio Fair runs at the Prince George Civic Centre today through Sunday (starts at 10 a.m. each day, ending at 8 tonight, 6 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday).
Tickets are $5 or free for kids under 12.