People were welcomed into six homes in 108 Mile Ranch on Saturday, Sept. 8, to enjoy artwork by and engage with local artists.
The Studio 2 Studio art crawl’s intimate setting made for a unique and pleasant experience.
“What I like about this is people can see the artwork in a living room situation … you can see how a painting would look on a wall in a living room,” said Cindy Wickingstad.
She was one of the 11 local artists on display.
“It’s a wonderful venue to display your artwork and get people to know your name,” she said.
“It’s very personal, I find. It’s very folksy, you know. Look at us. We’re sitting here and there’s goodies and the neighbours are walking in.”
Wickingstad said she loves the concept of going from home to home to view art and laughed that it’s like trick or treating for adults.
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The art crawl was organized by the South Cariboo Health Foundation. Twenty-five per cent of all sales were donated to the foundation to purchase equipment for the hospital.
Deb Hollowell, a director for the South Cariboo Health Foundation, served as a greeter in one of the homes.
She said the event was going “very well” and that the two artists on display at her stop had each already sold a piece within an hour of opening.
“I mean, it just started maybe an hour ago and we’ve had lots of people come through.”
Hollowell said over the years the event has evolved so artists team up to display at each stop, allowing them to feed off each other’s creative energy.
The show works better with fewer stops, she said, because “the 108 can be a bit of a maze.”
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Terry Larum, a lab technician at the 100 Mile District General Hospital, greeted people at the home of artist Valerie Knowles.
Larum called the event “fabulous” and said, “It’s great to watch people come in and go ‘Ooh aah ooh’ and ask questions and talk to (the artists).”
Knowles, who had already sold some of her hand-made jewellery, called it a joy to be able to welcome people into her home.
She said she especially appreciated that people took time from their weekend to support a good cause.
Artist denise swift (sic), who displayed pottery and jewellery alongside Knowles, said their stop on the art crawl got “a lot of action.”
“It’s nice to see other people succeed in having beautiful stuff and learning a little bit about their creative process.”
She added that she felt honoured to have been asked to display for the first time this year.
Brenda Devine, the foundation’s public relations and fundraising coordinator, said the day was good overall despite visitor numbers being down from prior years.
“Not only is money appreciated,” but it will stay in the community “for equipment and other health-related projects,” said Devine.
Funds raised from the Studio 2 Studio event are specifically going toward the new vital sign monitors for the hospital, worth $4,000 each.
The next event run by the South Cariboo Health Foundation is its biggest fundraiser: Starry Nights.
beth.audet@100milefreepress.net
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