Art show returned for 51st season

May 14, 2013 · 0 Comments

By Brock Weir

Aurora’s artistic past, present and promising future filled the Town’s corridors of power last week in the 51st annual Aurora Juried Art Show and Sale at Town Hall.

Hosted by the Society of York Region Artists (SOYRA), the show continues to highlight the best and brightest in local artistic talent and shines a light on youth artists in partnership with the Optimist Club of Aurora.

“There was a huge variety of choices,” says SOYRA’s Nancy Newman. “The juror really took time to choose a variety of styles and media. The choices were very dynamic and very expressive work with high standards. We were very pleased with the awards as well as the People’s Choice awards.”

Of the over 400 pieces submitted by SOYRA members for the show, the juror selected approximately 280 works to provide a good cross-section of artistic talents and efforts, with an eye of putting on the most vibrant show possible. Works are often grouped according to colour and media to create a natural flow so art aficionados and members of the public alike can experience the maximum impact of the collaborations.

“People sometimes have a surprising sense of the quality of work that is available that we see by people in our province and even more locally,” says Ms. Newman. “We get people coming very early in the show because they want to get their first chance that if they see something they want to take home, they can.

“I hope people took away the talent in this community, in our town, and the local area. It is there for sharing, enjoying and making life better.”
She says she also hopes the youth who participated also took away some valuable lessons of having their promising art displayed and critiqued by practicing artists, spurring them along the path to further creativity. Artists tried to leave notes on the backs of each youth submission as part of a mentorship initiative.

“It is the fourth year we have had the youth category and we have had some young people who have entered every year,” she says. “We have had a few who have won on more than one occasion. There was one 12-year-old boy who was a winner with a huge painting in oils, and another young lady who is going to take fine arts in university next year.

“The kids who enter are keenly interested in art and it is their chance to participate in a real show. They enter, go to the opening and get feedback and perhaps win a prize or recognition. It is a fantastic way to encourage the arts beyond a school setting and introducing them to the world they can be a part of as an adult.”