Christine Whelan FEO, October 26, 2023, VOL. 5 ISSUE 4
A mixture of local artists, entertainment, and appetizers with a theme that encourages us to imagine faraway lands.
Donna MacLeod, Chair of the Arts Council, wants to make sure those who enjoyed the event in the past don’t forget about it as they were, as she put it, off the map for a couple of years due to the pandemic.
“It’s a great night out. We have live music. There are appetizers that will be served. People get to meet the artists and have the option to purchase work on display.”
Donna, who started as a volunteer for the Fort Erie Arts Council (FEAC) in 2009, is excited about the upcoming event. It’s been her baby.
“When I joined the board, I was a part of the event committee. I would co-chair the Red Ribbon. That has always been the thing that I love because I get to be creative and come up with themes.”
Your Passport to Creativity is the theme for the Red Ribbon event this year.
“We wanted to choose a theme that represented everyone’s culture, everyone’s style of art. Looking at things through different lenses, looking at the world differently.”
MacLeod says they usually have 40-50 artists, including the student artists. “We have newer artists on display this year.”
As of October 14, the day of our interview, the 28 display boards were almost full.
“The musicians who will be playing are also local. Jim Faragalli, who plays at all the local markets, is performing with his acoustic guitar between 7:00-9:00 pm. Then we have Aaron & Eron, who play bass and guitar between 9:00-11:00 pm.” She assured me it’s not really loud music.
“Don West and his wife Linda, local residents, will be creating a couple of appetizers that’ll have a worldly theme to them. The beer will be from Brimstone. We’ll have wine as well. There’ll be a silent auction.”
This is the main fundraiser of the year which helps FEAC sustain its existence in the community.
“We just had a volunteer meeting. We do have volunteers for this event but we are always looking for volunteers for other activities and events.”
Seventeen years ago, before Donna was onboard, the Red Ribbon Art Show, she shared about the arts council, “was their gift to the community. That was the initial tagline to the Red Ribbon.”
The Fort Erie Arts Council: “It gives people a place to park when they want to be creative.”
The chair explained, “It’s gone through different stages. In 2015, when I stepped up to become chair, we were down to four board members at that time. We had to make some decisions. So, there were a lot of changes that happened then. It’s built up from there again. We’ve got a gallery space again.”
The hub and gallery where they are now, opened in 2018. “Prior to that, we didn’t have a gallery for about two years. We were like a gypsy art council,” she remarked with a laugh.
“We just travelled around and did our events. For programming, we would rent spaces. We’d still rent space from the Sanctuary for classes. We didn’t have a brick-and-mortar home until 2018.”
Now, offered within their brick-and-mortar home, is a range of art classes and camps of different skill levels for adults and children.
Unlike other art galleries, the FEAC is community-based. The artists are members of the arts council.
Donna explained, “Our gallery is for our members. It gives them a platform to display their art if they don’t have a studio or if they are a new artist or new to town.”
Check out the council’s website for art classes coming up. forterieartscouncil.com
Pandemic Days
Through the restrictions and lockdowns, they provided online classes and displayed members’ work in the gallery windows.
They also obtained a couple of grants for a program to deliver craft kits to seniors’ homes so they could build their own crafts in their own space.
“We tried to keep ourselves going with what we could do.”
Last year was the first Red Ribbon event since COVID. Donna mentioned that the numbers were low because people seemed to be a little nervous about venturing out.
Reaching New People
We talked about families and individuals who have moved to the Fort Erie area, recognizing that there is a considerable number who are artists of some form. Donna shared, “At the gallery, just since the beginning of the summer, we’ve had at least five new artists come in that are new to the area.”
The 17th Annual Red Ribbon Art Show and Sale – Saturday, November 4, 7:00-11:00 pm, Fort Erie Leisureplex Banquet Hall, 3 Municipal Drive, Fort Erie.
Tickets are $15.
Come out, enjoy the evening, and support your local artists.
Tickets are in. Call the Gallery and Hub at 905-894-8373 (please, leave a message), email at artscouncilforterie@gmail.com or drop in to the Gallery and Hub at 246 Ridge Road N. Ridgeway during gallery hours – Thursdays: 12:00-4:00 pm, Fridays: 10:00 am-2:00 pm and Saturdays: 9:00-1:00 pm.
Photos and flyer provided by Donna MacLeod.
