Artists have a couple of more days to get their applications in for the chance to have table at the Gifted Winter Art Market on November 18th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Weyburn Credit Union Spark Centre.

The original deadline was Saturday, September 30th, but Weyburn Arts Council Chair Tasha Hill said they moved it to help out the artists who tend to wait until the last minute to apply.

“We are accepting registrations up to 9:00 a.m. on October 2nd, so it gives people a little tiny bit of an extension. But because the winter show is a curated show, the applications are actually juried. So we need that extra time to go through the applications and jury them.”

She said they need to ensure the vendors at Gifted will be selling only 100 percent handmade goods.

“That is so that we can advance the artists in our community and in Saskatchewan,” she noted. “We want to ensure that with our limited space, those spaces are going to handmade vendors.”

Hill noted that the artists will be notified by Friday, October 6th of their acceptance.

For those who may be intimidated by such an event as creative types, the market for original, unique products does come just in time for the giving season. That said, it is also a way to show off what is possible.

“That's the beauty of art, is you can have something, and you can just put it out there for people to enjoy, and people will attend for all different reasons. The eminent Christmas season, but also we have people that have weddings coming up that are looking for ideas for wedding favours and have found vendors to accommodate those requests. It's birthday parties and also just to see the Spark Centre, and what is actually offered there as far as workshops and the Pottery Club,” she explained. “It's all about bringing art to the community and supporting artists.”

Creators who don't feel like they have enough product may also be encouraged.

“You have what you have, right? So I find that with Gifted, it's not like 'What Women Want', you know, a trade show like that, and having done that one myself, having done Art Farm, and then having done massive trade shows, I just really prefer Gifted,” she shared. “Because it's art, people aren't expecting a huge table full of a million things. It just further emphasizes that each thing is is its own creation. I know that that's my personal view on it, but artists should be paid for their work and as you know, the amount of hours you put into a piece is not returned with the price that you ask.”

She added that while the learning curve and skill set pay off in other ways, this kind of event is also about inspiring others.

“It's an art show, but I think even more, it's a showcase. A showcase of talent, a showcase of product, and hopefully maybe a motivation for people to try something new, or maybe they'll see something that that interests them and they'll think, 'hey, I'd like to do XYZ', and it helps them cultivate a new talent, and maybe we'll see them there the next year.”

Each artist, even within the same medium, she noted, creates in their own original way.

“Look at potters. We have many, many people in the pottery club and no two people have the exact same style. It's just because the way you touch the clay, the way you move it, the way you apply the glaze, that's all individual. You can have a million artists doing the same thing, and you're not going to get the same outcome. That's that's so beautiful, I think. We don't have to be competition. We just have to support each other, and everybody wins.”

Are you ready to apply now? Find the application form HERE or email rlanning@weyburn.ca.

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