2012 President’s Message
I’m delighted to report that our membership has steadily increased and now stands at 400 – the highest it has been for the past 18 years. Our totally volunteer administrated organization through dedication, passion and expansive communication, has truly blossomed and fulfilled our mandate to develop widespread appreciation and support for the arts in our community.
In 2011 we were very excited to celebrate our One Year Anniversary of the SilverStone Gallery on Liverpool Road. Under the patronage of the Peterkin family, Director Gary Faulkner and Publicist Mary Cook, our new Gallery continues to be successful.
What fun it has been to be a part of this artistic group of people and I look forward to even more exciting developments in the future. Here is a brief synopsis of what we have been up to over the past year.
Newspaper:
Our run is 2700 and every two months we mail out approximately 1900 ArtScenes. Another 800 copies are distributed at various locations in Durham Region and beyond.
Website:
Webmistress Mary Cook does a fabulous job keeping our sites up to date and our members informed. Memberships and Juried Art Show entries can be made on-line with payments through PayPal. Check us out at
pineridgearts.org and silverstonegallery.org
Facebook:
Mary also keeps everyone informed with her entries on Facebook.
Activities During the Past Year:
• Organized our 13th Annual Juried Art Show at the McLean Community Centre in Ajax resulting in 110 entries. Our juror, Ernestine Tahedl, chose 63 works to exhibit and we presented $4,000 in awards to 20 winning artists in both adult and youth categories.
• We also gave thousands of dollars back to the community (over and above our Juried Art Show award money) by sponsoring member’s projects and events – to name a few:
• Ajax Youth Juried Art Show • Ajax Creative Arts • Artfest on the Esplanade • Dunbarton-Fairport United Church • Durham Philharmonic Choir • Eastside Harmony Chorus
• Kim Michele, Harpist • Music By the Bay • Northern Players • Oshawa Art Association • Pickering Community Concert Band • Pickering Museum Village Foundation Rubber Duckie Race • Pickering Rotary Music Festival •
• Pickering Teen Art Show • St. Francis Centre • St. Marguerite Bougeoys Catholic School Lunch Art Program • Soprano Seniors Steel Band
• SilverStone Gallery • Station Gallery
• Partnered with the City of Pickering for the 15th annual Artfest on the Esplanade where we once again executed our popular hands-on youth event “Drawing With An Artist” with our Coordinator Janice McHaffie and helpers Livia Tsang, Norma van der veen, Tony Weeks Gwen Williams and Michael Jack who taught cartooning.
• Art in Public Places exhibitions were regularly maintained at: • McLean Community Centre • Ontario Power Generation Information Centre
• Reeds Florists • Dentistry on Liverpool • Body and Wellness Family Chiropractic Centre. and • Debbie’s Cafe.
• Held another successful AGM/Arts Event at the Info Centre of Ontario Power Generation in Pickering, raising $1,481 at our Silent Auction and $575 from our Artful Draw raffle thanks to artwork donated by Peter Vangils. We were able to exhibit 26 artists and our featured performers were the Soprano Seniors Steel Band.
• Dorsey James and Susan Lindo instructed workshops at Ontario Power Generation’s popular summer family program Tuesdays on the Trail.
• Supplied judges for two City of Pickering art events: Dorsey James and Janice McHaffie for their Teen Art Exhibition and Robert Hinves, Anja Knuuttila and Gwen Williams for their Student Creative Arts Contest.
• Worked with the Pickering Museum Village Foundation demonstrating pumpkin carving for their Fall Family Festival.
• Gwen Williams selected and hung artwork by OPG’s Pickering Nuclear employees for their “Employee Art Show”.
• Sponsored SilverStone Gallery in a number of events, including Sunday on the Porch, Culture Days and the Funky Art Show.
• Partnered with Pickering Public Library for their Living Library Event.
• Cathy Schnippering was invited to be M.C. for the Pickering Concert Band’s 20th Anniversary Gala.
• Participated in The Durham Art of Transition Creative Awards where we were nominated by Don Terry of OPG and City of Pickering.
• Cathy Schnippering and Mary Cook made a presentation to the Canadian Federation of University Women.
• PRAC’s nominee, Cultural Expressions Gallery, received the Town of Ajax Arts & Culture Community Award.
• Gary Faulkner and Cathy Schnippering initiated PRAC’s first Flash Mob at the Pickering Town Centre. Our “Random Act of Culture” choristers wowed the shoppers with their rendition of “O Holy Night”.
Respectfully submitted,
Catherine Schnippering, President |
