The Elliot Lake Arts and Heritage Centre is hosting a gingerbread house decorating event. The December 14, 2024 event is the first of many Open Houses at the Centre. An Open House will occur every 2nd Saturday in the month.  The following Open House will be January 11, 2025, then February 8, then March 8 etc., etc., etc..

What you can expect to see and do
Each Open House will be free, with the exception of the hands-on activity. The Model Railroad Club will have their doors open, so visitors can watch the trains run. The Arts Club will feature one of their six disciplines - weaving, painting, printmaking, stained-glass, enameling or pottery. Visitors can talk to a practitioner and see samples of the craft or art form.  The Art Gallery will feature an exhibition by the Northern Ontario Arts Association.

In addition, a limited number of tickets will be sold for one hands-on activity. Each month will be different.  Our current schedule is

• December - gingerbread house decorating
• January - making friendship bracelets
• February - making Voodoo dolls.

Buy tickets for the hands-on activity in advance
To ensure no one is disappointed, tickets must be bought in advance.  We have to purchase the supplies, you see.  Space is limited too.  You can buy tickets for the gingerbread Open House, starting November 14, 2024, between 10 AM and 4 PM, at the Elliot Lake Arts and Heritage Centre, 14 Elizabeth Walk. First come, first served.

The details for December 14, 2024
Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult for any hands-on activities.  For December 14, 2024, the admission price will be $20 per person.  One child under 12 can participate at no additional charge as long as the accompanying adult has a ticket. However, when you purchase a ticket, you must inform us that you are bringing a child.  There will be one house to decorate per adult/child combination. There will be 1 house per full paying builder.

If you want to learn more visit the ELAHC, between 10 AM and 4 PM, Tuesday through Saturday. Or email us.
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I took this photo through one of the entrance doors of 14 Elizabeth Walk, aka the Elliot Lake Arts and Heritage Centre.  We are doing our part this weekend to support Arts on the Trail, an Elliot Lake Arts Club annual event.  On Saturday, forty-seven artists and artisans will be exhibiting their work in four venues around the city.

Did you know that there will be a free shuttle bus running from 9:30 AM to 5 PM, on Saturday.  In addition to the four venues, the shuttle will stop at ELAHC.  Although the building is open only to members at the moment, we are opening the foyer so guests who want to hop on and hop off the shuttle can park close to a shuttle stop.

So if you have visitors coming from out of town, recommend they park near the ELAHC and meet you there so you can take advantage of the free transportation.  While waiting for the shuttle you can pick up a copy of the Arts on the Trail brochure.  Our sponsors include a number of fine eateries in town.  Plan to include a lunch stop near one of the venues.  Make a day of it!

Applications to exhibit will be open year-round.  But there will be only one grand opening of the gallery in the Elliot Lake Arts and Heritage Centre. Take advantage of the extra marketing and advertising to get your work in front of the community.

How do you do that?  Submit your application to exhibit by October 15, 2024 - a month from now.  The grand opening date has not been set.  But, as you can imagine, we need to ensure the first works are displayed to their best advantage.  That takes time,

You can apply on line through this link. Application to Exhibit in AAS (arielgroup.ca)

Download the handbook that tells you all you need to know about exhibiting at the link above.

We thank AS Hanging Display Systems of Montreal for their help in choosing a hanging system that will accommodate a variety of sizes and weights of paintings.  The tension system is sleek, modern and flexible.  Our system is two tracked, between which will be strung aviation grade wires.  Special clasps capture the hanging wire on the back of the frame to hold the paintings in place.

The system arrived last week.  Installation begins the first week in September.  Lakeland Custom Homes, from right here in Elliot Lake, are donating their skill to ensure the installation is flawless.  We thank Jason Wilcox and his crew for their help.

One last, but definitely not least, local organization that made it possible to purchase a system of this calibre is Elliot Lake Retirement Living.  Thank you!

Our fundraising effort to purchase and install track lighting has been a great success.  However, it isn't over yet!  We need seven more units at $250 each to reach our goal of $5,000.  Or you can consider computing...

The Math
70 people donating $25 each will also enable us to reach our goal.  That is the equivalent of 7 book clubs with 10 members each.  Maybe you play euchre in group of 25. Pass the hat for $10 each and you've donated enough for one set of lights.

We remember Leslie Aube
One of our generous donors did so in memory of a loved one - Leslie Aube. We are honoured that our gallery was chosen as a way to keep her in our memories.  Is there someone with a passion for the Arts that you would like to remember?

A community space
The art gallery that we are establishing in the Elliot Lake Arts and Heritage Centre will be a community space. We will not charge admission, although we will make it possible to pay what you can.  From time to time we'll have special exhibitions.  One of our first will the the 68th annual Northern Ontario Art Association touring exhibition.  We will open the exhibit on December 8, 2024.  It will leave the City on December 29, 2024.  Thank you to the Elliot Lake Arts Club for sponsoring the exhibition.

Why we need track lighting
Next week we are installing a professional hanging system so that we can showcase properly local artists and the NOAA exhibit. The track lighting is a further enhancement, allowing us to spotlight the works appropriately.

The hanging system and the track lighting are permanent investments. Both of which will elevate the visitor experience when the gallery opens in the Fall.  We thank all who have already donated so generously.  Would you consider helping us light up the gallery?

The ARIEL Arts Space is a work in progress.  The City of Elliot Lake deserves our thanks, for providing us with a exciting space to turn in to a gallery.

​We anticipate receiving our hanging system today.  Thank you Elliot Lake Retirement Living. Your generous donation ensures that Elliot Lake's art gallery will have a professional system for the art work on display.

Harrison Electric is giving us a hand with the track lighting system we plan to install. Harrison isn't the only organization that we want to thank.  Aube Law, ELNOS and ELATE have stepped up and donated so we can spotlight the paintings we will hang.

Then there are the generous citizens of Elliot Lake who have contributed to our Light up the Gallery campaign:  Sandy Prest, Linda and Murray Finn, Arlene Bujold, Bonnie Groves, and Nancy-Jo Wannan. The  anonymous folk who put money in the jar at the Community BBQ on Saturday at Faith Lutheran Church deserve a shout out too!  We recognize the help of the congregation of Faith Lutheran. They invited us to participate in their wonderful event

We have raised enough money to purchase 12 out of the 20 units of lighting we need.  Thank you! 

You have a choice of two documents to download: The Exhibitors Handbook or the Exhibitors Brochure.

The Exhibitors Handbook
This PDF explains the procedures for applying to exhibit if your creations fall into a Visual Arts category, like painting, weaving, pottery, jewellery making etc. ​

The brochure for authors, musicians, filmmakers etc.
Creators of products that retail for $39.99 or less and that do not fall into a Visual Arts category may exhibit in the ARIEL Arts Space as well.  We have isolated the application instructions in this separate brochure.

We would prefer online applications.  To go to the application page use the button below.

The Northern Ontario Art Association is comprised of approximately 400 Northern Ontario artists. The organization began in 1949. The year is the 68th time, the group has sent a juried selection of their work on tour.

Highbush Cranberry Shores, above, was chosen best in show in 2023.  One painting from the 2024 show will also receive that honour.  The juried selection of paintings for inclusion in the tour will occur in September 2024.   Until that time, we can only anticipate the show that will arrive in Elliot Lake in December. The exhibition will remain for most of the month.

The NOAA paintings will be on display in the ARIEL Arts Space at the Elliot Lake Arts and Heritage Centre, 14 Elizabeth Walk, thanks to the Elliot Lake Arts Club. ELAC is the local sponsor of the exhibition. ARIEL thanks the members for their foresight in securing the show.

​Mark your calendars!

Jacque Grummet is one of Elliot Lake's most experienced weavers.  As a member of the Elliot Lake Arts Club she has been contributing to the creative life of Elliot Lakers for nearly six decades. We caught her Thursday, August 8, 2024 as she carried into the Elliot Lake Arts and Heritage Centre the Club's training loom.  The smile on her face confirms just how exciting the day was for the City's community of weavers!

The Club hosts five additional artistic disciplines in the new Arts Centre:

1. Painting
2. Printmaking
3. Jewellery and Enameling
4. Pottery
5. Stained Glass

The most often asked question from passersby on Elizabeth Walk was, "Can I take classes, when the building is finally open?"  The simple answer is yes.  The how and the when are still being discussed amongst the club members. 

The first step to adding an art form to your life?
Join the Elliot Lake Arts Club.  You do not have to had any art training to join. Get to know the City's artists. By joining the club you will be the first to learn when and what classes are available. The Club's new year begins September 1, 2024.  There is no better time to make friends in the Arts community.

One of the conditions of tenancy in the soon-to-be-open Elliot Lake Arts and Heritage Centre is delivering an Open House, once a month.  Twelve times a year, the tenants will provide city residents a glimpse into the passions of their neighbours.

The Elliot Lake Arts Club will introduce you to a practitioner of weaving, painting, pottery, enamelling, stained glass or printmaking. Those who attend the events will witness art being made right before their eyes.

Did you know that the Elliot Lake Model Railroad Club has an international reputation.  Enthusiasts from Europe and the USA have travelled to Elliot Lake to visit the Club.  During one of the dozen Open Houses, visitors might watch as a diorama is completed, or a track is laid.  When the Club has completed their installation, visitors will be able to watch the model railroad in action.

In the ARIEL Arts Space, during Open House, there might be special exhibits highlighting the work of an Algoma artist or artisan. An expert might discuss a style of art or the influence of an artist on others. We may have a jewellery maker talk about handcrafting bling.

No two Open Houses will be alike.  Our goal is to make our monthly Open House an event to which Elliot Lakers bring their families and friends.  We hope our visitors make a day of it - participating in the Open House; enjoying a meal at a local restaurant, and browsing in the nearby shops.

If you want to contribute to our Open House events, this is your invitation to become a member of one of the organizations that will be calling the Elliot Lake Arts and Heritage Centre home.  We would love to get to know our neighbours!