It’s 1812 at the Backus-Page House this weekend. The grounds of the museum will come alive with sutlers, reenactors, reenactors, First Nations history interpreters and live entertainment. This annual event always makes for a perfect country excursion, with the adventure of a trip back in time thrown in.

The event opens with Education Day programming on Friday May 25th. Visitors experience the life of an early 1800s settler in Upper Canada along the Erie shoreline.

The Redtail Cocktail Party & Silent Auction is a once-a-year opportunity to visit the exclusive Redtail Golf Course, savour cocktails by Chris Squires and help raise funds for the St. Thomas Elgin Public Art Centre. Don’t miss out on this chance to support one of the brightest, most vital and creative gems of our community!!   

Every year, the St. Thomas Elgin Public Art Centre relies on the support of it's members, donors, and community members to continue to realize their mission of promoting the appreciation of the visual arts through countless exhibitions of historical and contemporary artwork, bringing art education and access to thousands of children and adults in St. Thomas and Elgin County and through maintaining a quality permanent collection.

The annual Redtail Fundraiser enables the Art Centre to provide art education programs which provide in-depth encounters with visual literacy and contemporary culture and offer them free to children from JK to grade 12.  They discover new ways to perceive and express their senses.  They gain valuable skills in visual literacy and artistic creation and are encouraged to be curious, active, critical, creative and engaged.

Redtail Golf Course is the exclusive venue for the St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre's Annual Silent Auction Fundraiser. This year the catering will be supplied by Redtail's own Chris Squires.  An exciting selection of individual items and unique "experience" packages will be available.  Enjoy Redtail at its finest, support the programming at the Art Centre and take home something truly unique. 

Time: 4-7:30pm
Tickets: $100
Venue: Redtail Golf Club
Address: 7020 Mill Rd, RR#2 Port Stanley
Contact Phone: 519-631-4040
Email: info@stepac.ca
Website: www.stepac.ca

Jennifer Dorner’s exhibit “Outer Space Living is Easy” opened at the St. Thomas Elgin Public Art Centre this past Saturday. Each of the large scale works draws the viewer into limitless space, to wonder about the spectacular animal floats, to be drawn even further again into the serene idyllic little green spaces within the floats, and finally to reflect on the details to be found in each.

Jennifer was on hand for the opening, with family, including her children and husband. The works make an impressive show in the main gallery, and all seemed delighted to see them together. Jennifer noted that the concept for the work had come to her at a time when she had discovered a new passion for gardening.

In the exhibit description she says, “I became interested in extracting activities and spaces related to leisure, life, and notions of beauty from the world that surrounds me. I was also interested in the innate uncanny found in cultural traditions related to the “spectacle”. In parades, flowers and animals become icons for beauty, ornamented with sparkly flags, glittering lights and streamers. In this series, the paintings depict outer-space-parade-floats with greenhouses…What would civilization look like if it did expand outward while maintaining current social-political systems and values?”

On the way to reflecting on that question, it’s fun to let the imagination take a flight into the easy living outer space Jennifer has so skillfully depicted.

Jennifer was born in Victoria, British Columbia in 1974. She received her BFA from the University of Ottawa, and MFA from University of Western Ontario. She is based now in Montreal and pursuing a multi-disciplinary artistic career. She has taught at the University of Western Ontario, Dundas Valley School of Art and is the recipient of several grants and awards.

“Outer Space Living is Easy” continues until July 14, 2012 in the Main Gallery, STEPAC, 301 Talbot St, St. Thomas. 

St. Thomas is currently in the planning stages of a project designed to put the “Railway” back in the Railway City. The plan to renew the historic L&PS corridor will involve the creation of an exciting people place. It also innovatively counters some of the obstacles to building a St. Thomas “brand” and identity.

The Art Emporium Boathouse Gallery & Gift Boutique opened their doors in March but awaited the verge of Port Stanley’s busy season for their Official Gala Opening weekend. 

A particularly fine Port Stanley evening Friday (May 4) set the tone for the opening weekend, with artists and members of the public packing the Boathouse to help celebrate the town’s newest art display space.

The expansive, bright gallery is operated by a partnership of five local artists – Robin Baratta, Sandra England, Rose Klein, June-Anne Reid and Robert Reid. They have also attracted more than 30 member artists from the region, who join them in displaying a wide range of work in diverse styles and media.

The art is nicely spaced throughout the gallery with short bio’s hung nearby. The quality and diversity of work make this a Port spot which will attract tourists and locals alike to stop in and return often.

The gallery is located at 177 Main Street in Port Stanley. Check http://www.artemporium.ca/ or call 226-658-1888 for more information and hours.