Every year, the Newmarket Juried Art Show aims to shine a light on artists in Southern Ontario and make the town a hub for arts and culture.
Dave Kempton and Peggy Stevens started the festival in 2019. Artists can submit worked to be judged by a jury of three experts. The submissions are then put on display for two weeks for members of the community to see.
"Our stated goal right from the beginning has been to give new market artists a venue where they can show beside their colleagues from across the southern part of the province," Kempton said. "Our other goals, of course, are to bring arts to Newmarket. We admit we've been using the phrase of helping turn Newmarket into an arts hub."
In doing so, Stevens said they are able to create a community within the town.
"We've seen the arts as being such a critical part of building community. So having the show, it brings people into Newmarket and then they get to appreciate you know, other aspects of the community, especially Main Street because of the location of the gallery," she said.
The gallery part of the art show is held at Old Town Hall. This year it runs from April 18 to 30.
There is a reception on April 20 from 7 to 9:30 p.m where the awards will be presented to the artists. Kempton estimates that they give out over $1,000 in awards through the show.
He said this is made possible by event sponsors but also a partnership with the Town of Newmarket that helps cover many of the operational costs associated with running the show.
However, it is completely free for anyone who is interested to attend either the show or the reception. As many of the artists who submitted work will be at the reception, Stevens said this is a great opportunity for people who want to interact with them and learn more about the pieces.
Submissions are open until March 25 for any artists who want to enter their work. You can find the applications and more information about the process online.
