Creative Pictou County Arts Society aims to help artists connect

Those who pursue a creative career are often alone with their art.

The Creative Pictou County Arts Society hopes to address that problem by creating a community for these people.

Creative Pictou County Arts Society is a non-profit organization that supports and promotes the creative sector of Pictou County. Formed in 2013, starting with a dedicated steering committee, they now have an active board of directors looking at bringing the creative community together by offering social, educational and promotional events and business opportunities within Pictou County.

The goal of the society is to support all forms of creativity, such as: visual artists of all types, musicians, performers, writers, video/ film producers, creative venues, creative teachers and creative service suppliers.

“I think the value is to get them to connect with each other because typically artists are working in isolation,” Douglas Mann, chair of the board for Creative Pictou County. “It gets them to connect and talk about common issues and problems and sometimes even collaborate on works.”

He believes that just spending time with other artists can help inspire people because they hear about different approaches and techniques that may be helpful.

The society will be holding their annual general meeting at the New Glasgow Library Community Room at 2 p.m. on Saturday and are encouraging people to come out to learn more about their activities. There will be brief reports from the current executive, a review of the society’s financial position, and an election for board positions for the 2018-19 fiscal year.

A social time with light refreshments will be held at the end of the meeting.

You don’t have to be a member to attend the meeting; however, the group encourages anyone in the creative sector to become a member. There is no cost to be a member.

As members, people in the creative community are able to create a personal profile on the Creative Pictou County website. They will also receive a weekly email highlighting creative events and educational opportunities within the county and the province, and will be able to access upcoming discount programs.

Additionally, if you are interested in helping to guide the society, Creative Pictou County is looking for new members for the board of directors.

The current board of directors includes: Douglas Mann (chair/ treasurer), Willa Kray (secretary), Laura Richey (business development and sponsorship), Jake Chisholm (communications and events) and the following directors: Carolyn Bedford, Trecia Schell, Troy Greencorn, Stuart Cresswell, Carolyn Vienneau and Todd Vassallo.

For more information about the event, contact Douglas Mann at 902-759-8492.