Medway Head Lighthouse Art and Crafts Show returns
Original works by more than 60 artists will fill two buildings in the picturesque seaport of Port Medway for nine days this month.
Running daily from Aug. 20 to 28, the Medway Head Lighthouse Art and Crafts Show is one of the largest annual art events on the South Shore. It’s the main fundraiser for the Medway Head Lighthouse Society, a non-profit, volunteer led community group that owns and maintains the historic lighthouse on Medway Harbour.
This is the 11th year for the show which will exhibit watercolour, oil and acrylic paintings, photography, ceramics, fibre art, woodworking and folk art. The wide variety of crafted items includes cards and prints, soaps, seaweed products and driftwood furniture.
“We are always delighted by the response of artists to the lighthouse show,” said Victoria Fraser, chair of the organizing committee.
“The show has maintained a core of artists whose new works people always look forward to seeing each summer and it also attracts many first-time artists which gives each show a fresh perspective.”
The featured artist this summer is Wayne Boucher, an award winning Canadian abstract artist who lives near Annapolis Royal. He’s a member of the Royal Canadian
Academy and winner of the Nova Scotia Portia White Award for Excellence. His works are included in the Interpretive Centre at Grandpre National Historic Site and the Canadian embassy, Canada House, in London.
The show takes place in The Warehouse at Port Medway Lighthouse Park and nearby Seely Hall. It opens with a reception from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Aug. 19 and runs daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Aug. 20 to 28. The Port Medway Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary will offer hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, sweets and drinks between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Aug. 20 and 21 at Lighthouse Park.
During the art and crafts show, the Medway Head
Lighthouse will be open to the public from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. A lighthouse has guarded Medway Harbour from that location since 1851 when Port Medway was one of the busiest seaports in Nova Scotia. The present building remains a working lighthouse and houses a Dalhousie University operated high-frequency radar station that measures and maps ocean surface currents up to 200 km offshore. Visitors to the lighthouse can view memorabilia and interpretive panels and climb to the top to view the light.
Port Medway is located about seven minutes off Exit 17A, Hwy 103. The Medway Head Lighthouse is a five km drive from the art and crafts show location.