A round of high-fives can be heard emanating from the Community Arts Council. Their signature event, Studio Fair, was a huge success this past weekend.
It was the event's 40th anniversary and the first for new CAC executive director Sean Farrell. He got a baptism by art-mob during the three days Studio Fair inhabited the Civic Centre. There were, his data confirmed, more than 8,200 tickets sold at the door. That doesn't count the vendors and their helpers, the CAC volunteers helping to operate the event, or the back-and-forth as customers spent some time early in a day and then returned later for more.
"The Community Arts Council staff, board and volunteers, have a tremendous gratitude for the overwhelming support we receive from so many sectors of the community," he said. "The success of and turnout for Studio Fair is emblematic of this support and demonstrates, yet again, that Prince George is a city that cares about quality of life and the advancement of our society and social fabric."
The money raised by Studio Fair is two-fold. It is northern B.C.'s premier show and sale of art and artisan products, so the vendors get financial recompense for their handmade creative inventories. In many cases, these vendors do nothing else as a career and in all cases Studio Fair represents a major sales moment in their business year.
Secondly, the organizational income - the vendors' fees, the ticket sales and the other fundraising efforts like the art raffle and 50-50 tickets - all goes to the CAC for their year-round operation of Studio 2880 (their headquarters, where many artists and arts guilds are housed) and their many programs. The CAC is a trigger agency for a wide spectrum of arts and culture within the Prince George district.
Farrell said the culinary arts district within Studio Fair was popular as always, and up and down the other arts avenues inside the event it was a year for true artistic expression. Some years lean towards practicality, sometimes towards fine art, but this year he spotted a buying trend for unique materials. People were looking for conversation pieces and rare items.
A few new things were attempted, to help upscale the event during its anniversary year. A virtual reality demonstration showed off the cutting edge of technological art. Farrell said this was a terrific hit with the audience and it sparked a lot of inspiration for where their thoughts ought to wander as they ponder the next 40 years.
He said, "A common narrative throughout the event was, where do we go from here? Can the event continue to expand? If so, does it need to find a new home? How do we remain true to the authenticity and brand of the event and continue to appeal to new audiences?"
To get involved in the ongoing development of arts and culture in Prince George, visit the CAC at Studio 2880. There is a gift shop stocked exclusively with local art just like Studio Fair's wares, there is a feature gallery showing off the work of select local artists, there is office and studio space for working artists and guilds, a ticket centre selling admission to many of the city's events, and there is a staff always excited to talk about the local arts scene.
