All 62 works of art sell at Headwaters Arts’ Tapestry of Art and Music fundraiser

Event held at Alton Mill Arts Centre on May 27

By Zachary Roman

Local art was selling like hotcakes at a recent Headwaters Arts fundraiser.

On May 27, the local non-profit held its Tapestry of Art and Music fundraising event at the Alton Mill Arts Centre. 

In April, Headwaters Arts asked local artists to paint a six-by-six inch blank canvas to show how music inspires them. In total, 62 pieces were painted and subsequently donated to Headwaters Arts to be displayed and sold on the 27th.

The pieces were $40 each or two for $75, and all 62 sold. All proceeds from the art are going back to Headwaters Arts and its efforts to promote and empower local artists.

Susan Powell, Marketing Chair for Headwaters Arts, said over 150 people attended the event and she was very happy with the turnout.

“It was a beautiful day,” said Powell, noting the vibe under the tent outside the Alton Mill Arts Centre was amazing. That's where all the paintings were displayed, and also where the Achill Choral Society performed for those in attendance. 

Powell said artists really stepped up to the challenge for the fundraiser and that Headwaters Arts received art from all over Ontario.

“There's a lot of great support,” said Powell. “It's not your typical fundraiser… music and art together, it seems to go well.”

Nancy Kluger, Chair of events for Headwaters Arts, helped bring the Tapestry of Art and Music event to life. She explained she winters in Florida, and belongs to an art group there that does a similar event every year. Kluger thought it was an amazing idea and decided to suggest it for Headwaters Arts. After the success of the first Tapestry of Art and Music event, she said she'll be looking to make it an annual thing.

Kluger said artists told her it can be just as hard to paint a six-by-six-inch canvas as it is to paint a really large one. Kluger said she was very impressed with the work that artists came up with. 

“To me, this art is cream of the crop, all of it,” said Kluger.

She said in years to come she thinks even more artists will want to contribute to the event and be a part of it now that they've seen it and know what's going on.

Robert Chisholm, an artist with a gallery at the Alton Mill Arts Centre, painted a piece to be featured and sold in the fundraiser. He painted a picture of a bird, and explained that since he usually paints outside with no headphones on, birds are the musical soundtrack to his art. 

Chisholm said Headwaters Arts is a wonderful non-profit organization that does a lot for the local art community. He was happy to give back and said the fundraiser was a great way to meet people and share his love for art.