Glebe Art In Our Gardens and Studio Tour 2017

by Martha Bowers

The Glebe Art in Our Gardens and Studio Tour is fast approaching. The weekend of July 8 and 9 is set for this summer’s signature Glebe art event. 2017 being the 150th  anniversary of Confederation, many artists are presenting works with a distinctly Canadian theme.

This year’s tour includes a mix of returning and emerging artists with a wide range of artistic talents from painters to photographers to glassworkers. As always, the objective of the tour is to offer established Glebe artists the opportunity to exhibit and sell their works in their own neighbourhood. It also provides a venue for discovering and promoting up-and-coming artists as well as guest artists from outside the Glebe. This year we are delighted to welcome several new artists to the tour. And of course, everyone likes to see the gardens, which are in mid-summer bloom.

People from all over look forward to the Glebe art tour to see what returning artists have been working on, which new artists have appeared and how the lovely gardens have grown and changed. The idea of exhibiting art in garden settings is one of the most charming aspects of the tour. The compactness of the tour is another attractive feature. Visitors have commented on the ease of visiting the sites, which are grouped together for easy walking or cycling without having to worry too much about parking.

We are pleased to continue with the popular ballot prize as an incentive for art lovers to visit as many sites as possible. The prize is in the form of a voucher that the lucky winner will be able to use toward the purchase of a work of art from a favourite artist.

Several local businesses are sponsors of the tour and we hope that visitors will patronize them by buying a coffee, having lunch or purchasing garden or art supplies during the weekend.

Brochures listing the artists’ names as well as a map showing the studio and garden locations for this year’s tour will be available in Glebe shops and at the community centre. In addition, on the tour weekend there will be signs at various street corners to indicate the locations of art sites. Information is also available on the website at www.glebearttour.ca.

Be sure to mark July 8 and 9 on your calendar and come out between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to support and celebrate the work of local artists. Rain or shine, the tour will go on. Surprises await!

Martha Bowers is a long-time Glebe resident who is neither an artist nor a gardener, but greatly appreciates those who are.