Opening Night - Friday May 13th 2011
I can always think of a reason for a party and what better reason to celebrate than a whole year of being in business! Although we opened the doors a week or two before Friday May 13th 2011 was the Grand Opening of the gallery. This past sunday we had a great street party complete with fabulous cake from the Duchess Bakery, street buskers, handmade gifts for the mothers, wine and even a lemonade stand!
There is much to celebrate in this past year. First we are still here! Opening an art gallery is not exactly a safe bet and there have been a few times I have stressed over the books. A few more times when I have wondered how I'll ever get everything done and still have the energy to be a mother when I get home.
Second we have begun to accomplish something that was very important to both Rick and I - becoming an active and caring member of our community. 124th street is a great place to set up shop. The business owners are enthusiastic, passionate and determined. Their support for each other and for making the street a vibrant and bustling place to shop and visit is a great thing to be a part of and I am excited by all the changes I see happening here (including a brand new outdoor market coming really soon!) We have also tried to support various charity events, I wish we could do more, but for now we do what we can.
We also celebrate the successes of our artists. By nature I think artists are a fairly humble bunch, they tend not to shout about their achievements and so sometimes it's hard getting details from them. Artists like Anne McCartney whose work has been chosen for several publications this past year. Pat Wagensveld continues to impress us and recently was presented with a lifetime achievement in the arts award by the city of St Albert. In a rather sweet tie-in Samantha Williams-Chapelsky was commissioned to design and make Pat's award! Teresa B Graham, Saeed Hojjati, Anne McCartney and yours truly were all juried to signature status, the highest level, in the Society of Western Canadian Artists. There's more but I will save that for another post. We have so much talent on our walls and many of our artists are deservedly receiving recognition for their work.
There is much to celebrate and be proud of as we enter our second year. Thank you for being a part of our journey and I'm looking forward to May 13th 2013!
There is much to celebrate in this past year. First we are still here! Opening an art gallery is not exactly a safe bet and there have been a few times I have stressed over the books. A few more times when I have wondered how I'll ever get everything done and still have the energy to be a mother when I get home.
Second we have begun to accomplish something that was very important to both Rick and I - becoming an active and caring member of our community. 124th street is a great place to set up shop. The business owners are enthusiastic, passionate and determined. Their support for each other and for making the street a vibrant and bustling place to shop and visit is a great thing to be a part of and I am excited by all the changes I see happening here (including a brand new outdoor market coming really soon!) We have also tried to support various charity events, I wish we could do more, but for now we do what we can.
We also celebrate the successes of our artists. By nature I think artists are a fairly humble bunch, they tend not to shout about their achievements and so sometimes it's hard getting details from them. Artists like Anne McCartney whose work has been chosen for several publications this past year. Pat Wagensveld continues to impress us and recently was presented with a lifetime achievement in the arts award by the city of St Albert. In a rather sweet tie-in Samantha Williams-Chapelsky was commissioned to design and make Pat's award! Teresa B Graham, Saeed Hojjati, Anne McCartney and yours truly were all juried to signature status, the highest level, in the Society of Western Canadian Artists. There's more but I will save that for another post. We have so much talent on our walls and many of our artists are deservedly receiving recognition for their work.
There is much to celebrate and be proud of as we enter our second year. Thank you for being a part of our journey and I'm looking forward to May 13th 2013!
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