Art in the County, now in its 32nd year, is flourishing. 111 works by 89 artists are on display in the County Arts Lab in the Picton Armoury, showcasing in one place the range of forms County artists are working in today. 

“We are very fortunate to live in such a vibrant creative community,” said Janna Smith, County Arts’ Executive Director, noting that, over the years, the show has attracted over 67,000 visitors and sold over $400,000 in artworks.

Artists in the show are recognized with awards, a boon for expanding visibility. After mingling and taking in the art work, the over 100 people who attended the exhibition launch June 27 moved into the Armoury’s main hallway for the awards presentation.

The pieces were both selected and judged by three jurors from different ends of the art world. Jim Bravo is a Toronto-based painter and muralist, Nicole Collins is an interdisciplinary artist and associate professor at OCADU, and Michelle Lavallee is the Director of Decolonization and Indigenous Ways at the National Gallery of Canada. 

The Jurors’ Choice award went to Susan Straiton for her oil painting, “Red” Maple. The jury noted that they “were continually drawn to the quiet but insistent presence of this small painting.”

“There is a sophistication to the execution which is almost in defiance of the delicate paper substrate,” the jury wrote. 

Each juror also selected one piece for an Honourable Mention, and assisted with naming the recipients of further awards. The Akasha Art Projects Award went to Bill Stearman for his quilted cotton work Reflecting On AIDS After Living Through Covid. Founders of Akasha Art Projects, Sonja Scharf and Kelly Kyle, recognized Mr. Stearman’s audacious use of traditional craft as social commentary.

“Through exquisite craftsmanship and bold, text-based narratives, the artist reclaims quilting—a practice historically coded as feminine—as a tool of political resistance, remembrance, and community care,” they wrote. 

The eighth annual Community Arts Builder Award went to Alex Currie and Erynn Ahern of Radiator Collective. Sponsored by Monica Klingenberg, Laurie Gruer, and Alysa Hawkins of Chestnut Park, the award recognizes those who place community at the centre of their work.

Just 18 months after founding Radiator Collective, Mr. Currie and Ms. Ahern have organized multiple art shows, concerts, and community events, while prioritizing inclusivity, experimentation, and DIY moxie along the way. 

Their next event is an art sale fundraiser at Proudest Pony, with proceeds to Loyalist Humane Society. 

“We feel excited and very optimistic about what’s happening in town and just really lucky to be taken in with open arms to an already vibrant community of art and art organizations,” said Mr. Currie. 

The award comes with a $500 gift, which they plan to spend on a community barbeque. “Everything we do is centered around building a community,” said Ms. Ahern.

“It was fabulous to see such a big representation of mediums and styles,” she noted of the show. “I’ve been going to Art in the County since I was in my early teens and to see how that show has evolved really speaks to how far we’ve come in the last 20 to 30 years.”