Celebrating Five Years of ARTISHOW in Greater Victoria

Today I had the the great pleasure of attending the launch of ARTISHOW 2014 at the Laurel Point Hotel. Through partnership with local galleries and hotels, ARTISHOW provides a unique opportunity for local artists to showcase their exhibits to the broader community and to interact one-on-one with visitors to our region Below is the text of my speech.

It’s a great pleasure for me to speak at this, the 5^th annual ARTISHOW and the first such show for which Barbara Adams acts in her new role as Oak Bay’s Arts Laureate.

Art in all its forms enriches our lives. And in particular, community-based art provides us with a personal and authentic experience that both engages those who live in the area and inspires visitors coming to our region.

Victoria is known locally as a city of artists. Each year, communities like Oak Bay, Saanich, Fairfield and others host studio tours. We have an exceptional Art Gallery located in the Rockland area. The University of Victoria’s Legacy gallery displays its fine collection in the heart of downtown. Our elementary, middle and high schools offer wonderful art programs.  We are home to the Victoria College of Art.  And each year, many local artists participate in the annual –not to be missed- Moss Street paint in.

We are fortunate to have such a diversity of artistic talent in the Capital Regional District. We are even more fortunate that ARTISHOW provides our local artists with a unique opportunity to showcase their exhibits to the broader community and to interact one-on-one with visitors to our region.

This year I am particularly excited about the very special artists who will be in residence at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel. In August, Winchester Galleries and the Oak Bay Beach Hotel will showcase these remarkable sculptors who use specially designed tools to create their works.

So thank you to ARTISHOW; thank you to the seven host hotels in the Capital Regional District who are hosting artists in residence; thank you to the galleries who support them; and thank you to the artists who will be in residence from May to October. Thank you for enriching us all with your creativity.