Caleb Nickerson
NORWAY BAY July 4, 2017
When most people think about trading cards, they think of hockey or baseball, and certainly not about creating their own.
But that’s exactly why a group of eight people gathered at Centennial Hall in Norway Bay for a workshop by local artist Katharine Fletcher.
“My class is artist trading cards. It’s a concept that’s based on kids trading hockey cards,” she said. “We’re creating a miniature piece of art.”

Attendees used clippings from magazines and books to create small, personalized collages on 2.5” x 3.5” cards. Fletcher said that the idea was created by a Swiss artist back in 1997 as a way for artists to build up a collection and trade work with each other.
“You can do all sorts of things with them,” she said, gesturing to a binder of hers, bulging with an assortment of colourful cards. “Tonight we’re doing collage.”
She explained that her workshop was part of a series put on by Get Art, a local art education initiative, in conjunction with the Norway Bay Municipal Association (NBMA).
Get Art was started several years ago by local artist Kate Aley as a way to provide organizations in the Pontiac with classes in a variety of art forms, from basket making and printing, to sculpting.
NBMA coordinator Sarah Murray said that she met the members of Get Art while taking her son Mika to art classes at the Stone School Gallery in Portage du Fort and wanted to see the same kind of services offered locally.
“This year I said, ‘Let’s do something right here at Centennial Hall. Field sports are happening out there,’” she said, gesturing out to the playground outside. “We can get kids into the hall.”
The workshops will be held on Tuesdays this month and will feature a variety of artists and mediums. Fletcher added that the group will hold a show on August 2 to give participants a chance to show off their work to the community.
More information on the workshops is available online on Get Art’s Facebook page, as well as the NBMA website.