Two generous donations of art have turned into a unique fundraiser for both the Community Arts Council of the Alberni Valley and Arrowsmith Rotary. Cork and Canvas will be a special live auction event on Thursday, Nov. 9 at the Grove Art Gallery, Harbour Quay.
When Port Alberni artist Alice Chiko decided to downsize her home, she phoned Grove Art Gallery administrator Melissa Martin and offered some of her artwork as a fundraiser. “She has played a huge part on the arts council in past years and she knows the importance of it; what we need to survive,” Martin said.
“She offered us some framed pieces and some big watercolours that are just beautiful pieces.”
Similarly, the family of the late James Seaton (Jim) Kermeen approached Arrowsmith Rotary with a donation of some of his paintings after his passing in 2017.
The arts council and Arrowsmith Rotary partnered for the gallery’s Landmarks Exhibit late in 2023, with the Rotary club putting up prize money and creating a jigsaw puzzle with the winning people’s choice entry. The partnership worked well, and Martin and arts council members again looked to the Rotary club when the art donations came in.
Arrowsmith Rotary has in the past hosted successful beer and wine festivals to raise funds for their bursaries and literacy programs. Both Hops Fest and Wine Fest were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 and because of their large scale, have not returned. Pairing art with wine as a small fundraiser like Cork and Canvas presents a new fundraising avenue, Martin said.
Chiko’s work has been exhibited at the Rollin Art Centre and the Grove Art Gallery many times over the years. A multi-media artist, Chiko is known as much for her colourful writing as she is her painting. Her book ‘Notes from the North’ was a staple at the Rollin Art Centre’s gift shop in the mid-2000s, and she has now written another book, a memoir entitled ‘Growing Up in Rossland in the 1930s and 1940s.’
Chiko donated several framed and unframed paintings to the community arts council to be used as a fundraiser to support art programs.
Kermeen, who died in 2017, held his first exhibit of acrylic paintings, ConglomerART, in February 2013 at the Rollin Art Centre. A geological engineer by trade, Kermeen had a passion for music, art, sports and cuisine. His paintings in Cork and Canvas are vibrant, abstract and eye-catching.
Artwork from both artists will be exhibited at the Grove Art Gallery starting Oct. 31 as part of a two-pronged art auction.
When the idea for Cork and Canvas began to germinate, Martin put out a call to arts council members and other artists to donate pieces for both auctions. “There’s roughly 65 pieces, all original. We’ve got some textiles, some sculptures, some wood pieces,” Martin said, as well as paintings in different media from several other artists.
There are 10 pieces that will be auctioned live at the Nov. 9 event, only for those who purchase a ticket. Guest auctioneer will be Charles Mealey, a city councillor and longtime volunteer in Port Alberni. “These are just a little bit larger pieces, and they’re a little more substantial, more framed pieces,” Martin explained.
“That’s not to say the quality in the silent auction pieces are not there.” Values for silent auction pieces range from $35 up to $750. Starting bids for the silent auction will start at half the value of the piece. Anyone visiting the Grove will be able to view and bid on the silent auction items until Nov. 9; tickets to the special event are not required to bid on silent auction items.
The live auction event will feature catering from Grassroots, wine pairings and music by Dennis Olsen and Guy Langlois.
Martin hopes this will become an annual event. “We want to see how this one goes, see what happens.”
Tickets for Cork and Canvas are $40 each (covers food and one drink) and available at the Grove Art Gallery, 7-5440 Argyle St. at Harbour Quay. Call 250-724-3412.