Children’s art to decorate cafe
Kids are arting it up for other kids. Children’s art will be the feature exhibition on the walls of Ritual Coffee Bar starting on Sunday. Bring down the display-ready art done by anyone in your family aged 5-12 (or thereabouts), and when the exhibition is finished on Jan. 31, all the art goes to the buyers and the money raised from the sale of the art will go to the all-local Friends of Children Society.
“We don’t mind what form it takes. It can be pencil-crayon, pastels, the pen at your desk, anything at all. We even have some shelf space for small sculptures,” said proprietor and chef Jon Letchford.
“As long as it’s framed or able to be hung on the wall when you bring it in, we will include it as long as there’s space. Each child is limited to three or four small works, or one or two large works.”
Each piece must also have an index card next made out by the family. It should say the name of the artist, the name of the art piece and the price.
People are welcome to come to the cafe anytime during the days after the grand opening and purchase the art.
As each piece is paid for (the cafe staff will take down the contact information of those who buy), a red dot will be put on the index card indicating it is off the market but still on the wall until Jan. 31.
“We know it’ll be chaos a little bit (on Sunday at dropoff), we open at 9 a.m. and it’s first come, first served for getting the art put in place,” said Letchford.
There will be a lottery system to help coordinate where and when the kids’ art can be hung up, if there is an early onslaught.
“We expect there’ll be a lot of kids around. It’s going to be fun, and I can’t wait to see what they created. It’s a great chance for those families to meet each other, with their artsy kids. There’ll be a big pot of hot chocolate for the kids who bring in art. It’ll be a great time, because everyone there will know that it’s all about raising money for kids who are in medical need.”
The Friends of Children Society is based in Prince George but helps kids in medical need from all across the north and the Kootenay regions.
According to a statement from the organization, they assist “families travelling to access medical treatments for their children.
“Our goal is to relieve emotional and financial strain by assisting with the fuel, accommodation and meal costs associated with these appointments, surgeries and consultations. We may also be able to assist with therapies and specialized equipment related to a child’s medical condition.”
Letchford said that 100 per cent of the sales income from the art show would all go to the society.
“It’s an all-local charity, it has a great track record of helping families who really need it when their kids are in terrible predicaments, and nobody wants a child to suffer, so we’re doing a little bit over the holiday season to help,” he said.
“Who knows about kids better than kids, so this is a great way to build up their sense of community and get them thinking about how they can help even at a young age.”
For more information, look up the details on the Ritual Coffee Bar’s page on Facebook, call the shop at 236-4231137 or visit them at the corner of Third Avenue and George Street.