MANITOULIN—Organizers of the 23rd annual Manitoulin Art Tour are reporting that the number of visitors on the tour increased over last year’s figure of about 2,000 people.
“I would say this was our biggest art tour ever,” stated Helen Siksek, one the organizers of this past weekend’s Art Tour.
“Yes, there was definitely an increase in the number of visitors we had; the artists reported that there was a steady flow of visitors all around the Island for the whole weekend-all three days (July 14-16),” said Ms. Siksek on Monday. “I haven’t talked to all the artists but I have heard from Little Current, Mindemoya, South Baymouth and Gore Bay and everyone said the same thing, that there were more visitors this year.”
“We have received very positive feedback,” said Ms. Siksek, pointing out that visitors from off-Island, places like Elliot Lake, Massey, Sudbury and Toronto visited the art tour.
“We’ve even had people say that three days is not enough to visit all the artists around the Island,” said Ms. Siksek. “A lot of visitors were displaying maps and saying they had visited artists in one area of the Island on the first day and so on for the second and third days as well. But they wanted to visit all the artists.”
Ms. Siksek noted that with increased municipal support the tour received this year, including from NEMI, Gordon-Barrie Island, and the Burpee-Mills Recreation Committee, the committee was able to increase the number of art tour maps usually printed every year, up to 3,000 from 1,500 copies in the past.
Ms. Siksek said as well it is not only off-Island visitors but off-Island artists that want to participate in the art tour. “We had the highest number of participating artists from off-Island, about 10 this year. So, we are not only attracting visitors to see the artists, but off-Island artists
as well.”
“There were well over 100 artists take part in the 24 locations around the Island,” said Christie-Pearson Anderson, a member of the art tour committee. “I was talking to a few people and they all said that the number of visitors is up.”
“This was my first year being part of the art tour, and also my first show exhibition,” said Faye Merrylees, whose works were displayed in The Flower Hutch in Gore Bay.
“Art has always been a passion of mine,” said Ms. Merrylees. The majority of her stunning works are oil based. She sold her first painting as part of the tour, ‘Grizzly Momma,’ who I ran into morning and who was protecting her three cubs, while I was hiking (in Alberta).”
Ms. Siksek has opened a new location for Fish Point Studios at 59 Meredith Street (at the back of McLaughlin Real Estate, where she has her acrylic, mixed media, photographs and jewellery along with works by guest artist Paulette Stewart.
“We’re already starting to make plans for next year,” said Ms. Pearson Anderson, “and we are very pleased with the success of this year’s tour.”
