SHEGUIANDAH— It was a full house at the Centennial Museum of Sheguiandah Thursday evening for the opening reception of the 22nd annual Heritage Alive Art Show and Sale, ‘showcasing some of Manitoulin Island and area’s best artists,’ the program touts.

And indeed, the museum gallery’s walls are lined with the who’s who of the Manitoulin and LaCloche art world, and many of those artists were on hand to mix and mingle as they prepared to hear museum curator Heidi Ferguson announce the winning selections.

For Acrylic, first place went to Marcie Breit for ‘On the Hook’ with second place ‘Anne Hathaway’ won by Jessica Hoover.

First place in the Mixed Media category went to Joyce Young for ‘Jacqueline’ while second place was awarded to Kathy Dolan for ‘Fire and Ice.’

In the Oil category, first place was given to Pauline Tofflemire for her piece ‘Round the Bend’ and second place was given to ‘Beyond the Light’ by Linda Williamson.

Pauline Tofflemire took first place in the Oil category for her piece ‘Round the Bend.’ photos by Alicia McCutcheon
Pauline Tofflemire took first place in the Oil category for her piece ‘Round the Bend.’
photos by Alicia McCutcheon

For Pastel, ‘Passersby’ by Susan Lampinen was awarded first place honours followed by Linda Saffrey’s ‘Pretty Litter’ in second place.

Kathy Dolan took the top spot in Pencil for her piece ‘Eyes’ while Lucien Boudreau earned second place for his ‘1930s AA Ford Truck.’

Merle Canjar received first place in Textile for ‘Monet’s Garden.’

Lake Mindemoya artist Rochelle Neal earned first for her watercolour ‘Silhouette’ while Sheguiandah’s own Beth Bond-McCullagh took second for her ‘Rock Collection.’

In the Photography category, Kerry Butler earned first place for ‘Jackson’s Pond’ with Claire Lefebvre taking second for her photograph ‘Looking for Lunch.’

While none of the youth were on hand to receive their award for this special category, the room gave them a round of applause for Sydney Soganich’s ‘Indian Henna,’ first, and Shayla Dennis’ ‘Best Friends Forever,’ second.

The First Time Exhibitor award went to Nathan Soganich for ‘Turtle’s Daughter.’

The Student’s Choice Award, chosen by the museum’s three summer students, was awarded to Peter Bering for ‘Pelican Conversation.’ Curator’s Choice, as picked by Ms. Ferguson, went to Lois Harack’s ‘Manitoulin Barn.’

Peter Bering, centre, poses with summer student Jessica Myers, left, and museum curator Heidi Ferguson for his piece ‘Pelican  Conversation,’ which took the Students’ Choice award.
Peter Bering, centre, poses with summer student Jessica Myers, left, and museum curator Heidi Ferguson for his piece ‘Pelican
Conversation,’ which took the Students’ Choice award.

Ms. Ferguson noted that the Brian Chapman Heritage Award, named for the late artist Brian Chapman of Little Current, who seemed to always capture the Heritage Award for himself in this particular show, was this year bestowed upon Paulette Stewart for ‘Old Barn.’

Best in Show went to Marcie Breit for ‘On the Hook.’

The 22nd annual Heritage Alive Art Show and Sale is on from now until September 5. Hours until August 28 are Monday to Wednesday, 9 am to 4:30 pm, Thursday from 9 am to 8 pm (free admission after 5 pm), and Friday through Sunday from 9 am to 4:30 pm. Fall hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 9 am to 4:30 pm.