Welcome to our monthly newsletter where we bring you up to date on what we’re planning and opportunities for you to showcase your talents and help us deliver on our mandate to foster and promote the spirit of creativity in the City of Kenora and the surrounding area of Lake of the Woods; inspiring unity, joy and opportunity through music, visual, writing, theatre and dance.
Memberships are due!
Your LOWAC membership fee of $25 is now due (unless you already paid for 2022 and if so…thank-you!). We are looking at an exciting year ahead and hope we can count on your support. Renew your membership today at lowac.ca/membership.
We need you!
While we were happy to announce new Board members in December, we are still looking for a Treasurer, which is an essential role in our operations. We are continuing to function with one of our current directors handling this role, but they would like to hand it off. LOWAC has a bookkeeper who does most of the financials but do require a local treasurer to issue cheques/primarily handling our accounts payable. If you are able and willing, we would love to her from you.
We also would love to expand our list of directors to include people with new ideas and the energy to help us continue to fulfill our mandate.
Have a love of words or want to always know what is going on in the arts community of Lake of the Woods? Join our newsletter team!
If you’d like to join us in any of these roles, email lowacdirectors@gmail.com.
Artist profiles
A bonus of being a LOWAC member is having an artist profile on our website. The details of how to get set up are at lowac.ca/artist-profiles-and-venues.
Be a feature artist!
We’d also like to feature an artist in our monthly newsletter. If you’re interested, we need you to draft up a short piece (we can help editing) – up to 700 words – and provide some good photos of you and your work. We want to hear about about your art practice, how you got started, what inspires you, any projects you’re working on and anything else you’d like to share about being an artist in the region.
If interested, email lowacdirectors@gmail.com.
Events
Arts@Home – More Zoom Sessions
Arts@Home, our popular pandemic arts intervention, will continue through to June 2022 with three additional sessions featuring more great local talent – acapella singing and stories with Enchante, bud vase pottery with Aimee Baldwin and more Savvy Signing with Sue McIntosh. Get all the details and register at https://lowac.ca/artshome.
The additional workshops and our features that follow are thanks to funding received from the Ontario Arts Council that topped up the generous donation received earlier from Kenora and Lake of the Woods Community Foundation.
Arts@Home – Feature Presentations
Joan Thomas – Writing Workshops – April 2, 2022 – Seven Generations Education Institute*
We are thrilled to share details of a full day of writing workshops with award winning novelist Joan Thomas. We have our fingers and toes crossed that public health guidelines will allow us to present the workshops in a social distanced/safe environment at Seven Generations Education Institute. However a backup plan is in place if necessary. We’ve gotten used to “backup” plans!
Both workshops are for writers of all levels and experience. The morning session, Writing the Real, will be a power-point presentation, where Joan will share her extensive expertise and experience in writing fiction based on real events. In the afternoon, Joan will shift to more informal discussion of Writing Process, with time for individual writing and sharing.
You can choose one or both sessions but to allow for more interaction, but space is limited to allow for social distancing.
Get more information and register here.
Tersoo Tsevende – From Doodles to Art – May 14, 2022, Seven Generations Institute*
Local visual artist Tersoo Tsevende will host a visual art session focused on improving doodling and turning it into beautiful art. The session will take participants through a series of short exercises to identify and explore:
1. Doodle Art materials (what you need)
2. Identify simple objects to draw and bring to life 3. Colouring
4. Character design
5. Understanding perspective (as time permits) 6. Start your own sketchbook journey
7. Share your art
8. Make your own sketchbook
The objective of this art session is to assist and encourage visual artists to imagine the transformation from doodling to art. It is also for those who do not consider themselves artists, but wish to see the world differently. Everyone will leave with a new understanding of doodle, drawing, and their own personal style. The hope is to create a community of belonging amongst people with similar interests.
Get more information and register here.
*Sessions will be presented live following all public health guidelines and restrictions. If circumstances dictate, they will be switched to online via Zoom with adequate notice.
ArtsFest 2022
Walking tours, community art projects for all ages, street level exhibits and performances, face painting and fundraising have all been part of ArtsFest, an arts extravaganza that has taken hold of downtown Kenora over the years. Plans are underway to bring back this important event in July 2022 to highlight the full and diverse landscape of our rich arts community. We will share further details in our upcoming newsletters. Volunteers and sponsorship are needed to make ArtsFest 2022 the best it can be!
Let us know how you can help by emailing lowacdirectors@gmail.com or if you’d prefer, contact our committee chair Marylou Goodwin at marylou.goodwin57@gmail.com.
We will of course be planning with an eye on the latest public health restrictions and will adjust as needed. We are all become really good “jugglers”! Maybe that should be presentation for ArtsFest 2022??
ArtsFests of days gone by…It will be wonderful to gather again in the spirit of arts and creativity!
Airport Display
LOWAC members have the opportunity to display their works at the Kenora Airport. The next changeover will. occur after February 18 and the artwork will stay on display until Sept. 2022. Only 12 or so pieces are displayed for each showing. Contact Barb Manson at 807-464-4338 by Feb. 15th if you are interested.
Make sure to check out the funding page on our website for a listing of grants and funding opportunities.
Also follow us on Facebook and Instragram for the latest announcements, grant updates, calls for artists and more!
If you’d like to be added to our mailing list, please send us a message with your contact details or email lowacdirectors@gmail.com.