The Quinte Arts

Council (QAC) Cultural hub and exhibition has been an active community gathering space all year. The space is directed by our dedicated volunteer gallery attendants who guide visitors through the exhibits of painting, sculpture and craft.

The year opened with a collaborative exhibition by Arts Quinte West entitled, We are the North, featuring art by Rebecca Llewellyn Boland, Donna Bonin, Hilary Dorricott, Edith LePage, Kathryn Moores, Betty Raymond, William Richards, Beverly Shepherd, James Walt, Angela Wiggins.

That was followed by a Student Photography exhibition. Photos from the Bay of Quinte Regional Marketing Board’s student photography contest. Over 150 photos were submitted from youth around the region.

DUET with Bev Shepherd and Hugh Perry was the first exhibition for these emerging artists. Sarah Winn was the featured artist in The 100 Day Pet Show. 100 paintings in 100 days, all commissioned by pet-owners.

Annually, the QAC hosts a number of signature exhibitions. In March, we celebrate RISE: Because We Are Equal in honour of International Women’s Day. The exhibition features the work of those who identify as female.

In June the Cultural Hub hosts a 2SLGTBQIA+ exhibition which celebrates everyone under the rainbow with PRIDE.

August brought Valerie Kent to the QAC with The Love of Birch exhibition dedicated to the mysterious and magical nature of birch trees. There was even a chance for visitors to win one of her paintings!

September brought us A Different Kind of Love: The Art of Sarah Palmer featuring her take on the nature of love and relationships in Palmer’s signature style of German Expressionism.

October featured an exhibition like no other; a tactile art exhibition where visitors were encouraged to gently touch the paintings! Created by blind artist Lyn- da Todd, Migration: Land, Air and Sea Caribou, Monarch Butterfly and Salmon allowed visitors to feel the effect of climate change through touching Todd’s paintings. The QAC welcomed representatives from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) at the opening, along with many members of the CNIB community both locally and from as far east as Ottawa and west to Cobourg! This exhibition connected our local audience with the CNIB community for an extraordinary experience of touching art.

November brought the second community collaborative exhibit Scenes of Quinte to the QAC. Artists showcased their interpretations of the Quinte region. Painted both en plein air and in studio, this exhibit gave new artists a chance to participate in an exhibition, artists were able to network and mentor and shoe off the beauty of this region.

Quinte en Plein Air

By QAC Staff

The 8th annual Quinte en Plein Air

hosted by the Quinte Arts Council brought artists from all over Ontario to Belleville and the Bay of Quinte from June 22-25 for our biggest festival to date. Artists took their canvases out into the community to paint the views in the open air and compete for almost $5000 in prizes!

New this year was a two-hour paint off competition! Sponsored by Belleville Downtown District BIA, artists had two hours to paint the same historic downtown scene in their artistic style and medium. Kishor Sonawane won $200 with a completed watercolour image of downtown featuring City Hall in the background.

There were events for the whole community; professional artist and instructor, Andrew Hamilton led a Plein Air Demonstration to showcase techniques used in en plein air painting in downtown Belleville on the Saturday. Hamilton then led a group of excited artists out to the Moira River to learn how to paint en plein air in Brush with Nature. There was also a chance for those who wanted to get their hands dirty and brush the sidewalks with chalk located outside the QAC - thanks to the QAC Summer Students for facilitating this project.

It was a full house for the final reception, awards and sale. Professional artist and juror, Valerie Kent, made the presentations. The complete gallery of work is available on the QAC website. If you are interested in owning any of these beautiful works of art, send us an email and we will connect you with the artist. Thank you to the City of Belleville and to the Bay of Quinte Regional Marketing Board for their ongoing support of this festival.