EMILY HSUEH
PONTIAC March 10, 2021
artPontiac is putting a call out to artists in the Pontiac and beyond to pick up their art supplies and participate in their annual Works on Paper project.
The project is an art event run by artPontiac that is currently open for registration until April 15. Artists will submit 11 pieces of artwork on paper that is five by seven inches, and will in turn receive 10 original pieces from other artists who submitted work.
One piece from each submission will be selected to appear in an . . .
exhibit put on at the Stone School in Portage du Fort, where they will be up for purchase for just $20. This year’s exhibit will take place from Aug. 21 – Sept. 19.
Organizer and artist Valerie Bridgeman explained that the project is an annual event, having taken place for five years before 2020, which was cancelled due to the pandemic. Without as many events as would normally be held, the event is not only a way for artPontiac to raise funds but also a way for artists to create again and get back into their groove.
“In this day and age there’s not a whole lot happening at artPontiac. Sometimes we had fundraising events, dances and auctions and that kind of thing that is not happening these days,” she said. “People are staying home so it’s more of a challenge to pay the bills. So this is something that is very fun for the artists and it’s fun for gallery-goers too to be able to pick up a piece of art for 20 bucks.”
Bridgeman originally decided to start Works on Paper after being involved in a similar project in the United States — where they capped the amount of participants at 500. According to Bridgeman, the Pontiac version usually attracts around 30 to 40 artists, which she said is quite a good turnout.
“We’re pretty remote here and the people that would hear about our project would be definitely smaller. Getting 30 to 40 artists is great because you get a real variety of work and all forms of art are acceptable as long they fit on a five by seven inch paper.”
To register, artists can send an email to worksonpaper@artpontiac.com, no membership required. There is a $50 registration fee and more information can be found on the artPontiac website. No reproductions, photography or digital art can be submitted.
“It’s quite exciting to see people come because if you can imagine that little piece of work in a frame … some of the artists we have participating, the works that they sell are pretty costly and sometimes out of the reach of the regular guy,” she said. “So to pick up some of these artworks and frame them yourself, it’s really fun to see people do that.”
