Gabriola Island is preparing for the 28th annual Thanksgiving Studio Tour this weekend. The self-guided tour will showcase more than 50 local artists in 45 studios around the island, including five artists participating for the first time. The event is hosted by the Gabriola Arts Council this Saturday through Monday, Oct. 12-14.
“The studio tour is the arts council’s longest running event,” said Chelsea Rushton, program manager. “People put this in their calendars a year in advance – they plan their Thanksgiving around it. It brings a huge influx of tourism to the island and it really supports all of our local businesses.”
Rushton said visitors, whether they stay the whole weekend or make a day trip, will find a lot of variety. “They are going to find prints, they are going to find paintings, they are going to find work with found objects, sculptural work with metal, wood and stone, photography, mixed media, wearables including bags and other accessories.”
She added artists offer pieces at many different prices to make it so everyone can have a chance to bring art home with them.
“Folks will be able to buy lower-cost items like prints and cards, as well as higher-cost items like original paintings and each artist prices their work individually so there will be a lot of variety for folks who have a little bit of cash, have a lot bit of cash. There truly will be something for everyone who wants to support artists on the tour,” Rushton said.
Visitors can find a brochure with a map at most businesses on the island, in downtown Nanaimo and at the B.C. Ferries Nanaimo Harbour terminal on the weekend of the event.
An opening party will feature a welcome from elder Dave Spirit Wolf Bodaly. It will start at 7 p.m. on Oct. 10 at Nova Boutique and Gallery. This will be the arts council’s ‘tour central,' a place to glimpse art from each participating studio and plan a route.
“Folks can start anywhere they want and they can end anywhere they want. The point of the studio tour is for folks to see the art that they want to see and not to kind of check boxes off a list,” Rushton said.
A framed oil painting from participating artist Tyrrell Clarke titled Gabriola Moment will be up for raffle at tour central. The painting is valued at $2,800 and tickets are $5 each.
Rushton said all artists in the tour are local to Gabriola, Mudge and De Courcy islands.
“Gabriola is unofficially called the ‘Isle of the Arts’ because of how many working professional artists we have on the island,” she said. “There are artists on the tour who spend all year preparing for this event and this event gives them a huge, huge boost in income.”
The Gabriola Arts Council suggests a vehicle, scooter or bicycle is required to fully experience the tour as visitors will need to get all over the island. Rushton said people travelling from Nanaimo should plan for a one-sailing wait on the ferry this weekend.
For more information, visit http://artsgabriola.ca/thanksgiving-studio-tour.
