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Studio Fair goes online

The Prince George & District Community Arts Council is hosting a different Studio Fair this year.
43rd annual Studio Fair_3
Items from the Prince George Potters Guild were for sale at the 43rd annual Studio Fair on Saturday at Prince George Civic Centre. Citizen Photo by James Doyle

The Prince George & District Community Arts Council is hosting a different Studio Fair this year.

It's an experience that focuses on the connection visitors can have virtually with the vendors that would have attended this year's event if it were not for the coronavirus pandemic.

In its 44 years, Studio Fair has always been the biggest one-of-a-kind artisan fair in northern BC.

The event brings artisans from across the nation together with local shoppers who always made it a huge success.

In the past Studio Fair was a three-day event held in early November at the Civic Centre where more than 10,000 people would pour through the doors supporting the local community arts council's major annual fundraiser.

This year people can connect with the vendors by visiting studiofair.ca.

In the meantime, an in-person shopping experience is available at the arts council's recently-renovated Artisan Gift Shoppe, located at 2880-15th Ave., which always follows pandemic guidelines while offering a variety of regional artisans' works to help fill the gap of the Studio Fair.

"We did the best we could do under the circumstances," Lisa Redpath, program manager for the Prince George and District Community Arts Council, said.

"Providing connection with the vendors who have supported the arts council for many, many years and who would have ordinarily been at the Studio Fair was still an important part of the event."

If the artists and artisans can't be there physically they can certainly be present on line and virtually, she added.

"We'll probably continue with this work to help promote artisans during COVID and we know it certainly does not replace live events and that's something this community has always embraced," Redpath said.

No matter what the event Prince George always comes out to support it, she added.

"We're looking forward to getting back in 2021 and we can all see that it looks a little more positive for the next holiday season," she said.