Art, music, a little food and even some books are all coming together this weekend as galleries, studios, shops, the Blue Mountain Foundation of the Arts and the Collingwood Public Library all open their doors to the public to celebrate the holiday spirit.
The Creative Simcoe Street Christmas event offers a family-friendly day of creative holiday activities and unique gift shopping on Dec. 7 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“We’re encouraging the community to visit multiple locations along Simcoe Street,” says Amber Ebert, director of operations for the Blue Mountain Foundations for the Arts (BMFA) which, itself, will have plenty for people to see. “We’re very, very lucky that in this neighbourhood there is a number of artist studios, art galleries and we have the Collingwood library.
“We also have a number of different restaurants welcoming people in.”
Visitors can drop into the studios, enjoy live music and check out an array of fine art and handcrafted goods at venues including the BMFA, Studio Ciel, The Tremont Studios, Misfits Bodega, Fleetwood Dance Studio and Black Bellows.
The library is also hosting a book sale and makers market.
As a special activity, Magic for Children in the Arts will host a children’s art-making workshop at the Collingwood library, giving young visitors a chance to create holiday-inspired artwork. Children can participate for free but are required to register in advance.
Artists will be on-hand in their studios showing their creations and talking about their work.
The BMFA is running its Winter’s Gift program showcasing the work of 21 BMFA member artists. The art and fine crafts of another 30 or so artists is featured in the shop. There were also be draws at the BMFA throughout the day for some of the artists’ work.
Ebert said there’s lots of ornaments, pottery, jewelry and gifts available along with the art on display.
The library, meanwhile, has a makers’ market and book sale on Saturday starting at 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. The book sale will continue Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“At the library, we are always talking about how we can enhance our services and extend access to our materials in the community - it’s actually one of our strategic goals - so we’ve been fundraising this year to buy a library book vending machine,” says Alex Robbinson, supervisor of public services at the Collingwood Public Library. “Our fundraising for this year is wrapping up with our Big Holiday Book Sale & Makers Market.”
Robbinson envisions an off-site kiosk, or a mini library, that allows people to access books without necessarily having to come to the library proper. While they still need to raise more money, she hopes to get the kiosk in 2025.
Vendors were invited to participate on Saturday to make the event extra festive.
The contemporary gallery, Studio Ciel Collingwood, has special offerings to celebrate the season.
Black Bellows restaurant and brewery is featuring a musician who will entertain luncheon guests. And one of the newest offerings, Misfits Bodega, is keen to introduce visitors to its menu.
“This is the second year that we’ve worked collaboratively with the other locations,” says Ebert. “It’s an amazing community and it’s just a way for us to work together and use our collective network to encourage people to shop locally to support local artists.”
The BMFA is a charitable organization now in its 49th year and has 200 members, including artists and patrons. It runs about 20 programs every year including juried art and photography shows for artists of all levels.
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