The BWG Passion Made Studio Art Tour is back this fall but in a virtual format.
The annual art tour, which was started by local artists Stella Wadsworth and Maureen Joyce, had to cancel their 2020 event due to COVID-19 but did not want another year to go by without celebrating art in the community.
Typically, the call to artists interested in participating in the tour happens in early spring, with a deadline of May 1 to give the artists enough time to create their pieces for the September event. The art tour is usually set up throughout multiple locations across town, including the Bradford Public Library, the Bradford Leisure Centre, and Art in the Barn on Morris Road, welcoming guests to admire the work of the artists.
In the spring, the group of Passion Made artists applied for a $2,500 grant from the Regional Tourism Organization 7 (RTO7), which includes Bruce County, Grey County, and Simcoe County, to help them create a virtual show with a professional video. RTO7 provides strategic and collaborative leadership to build, sustain and grow tourism in the area.
The group was successful in receiving the grant and was delighted to have the opportunity to showcase their work in a video created by a professional media team.
Earlier this month, artists gathered at Bradford artist Christine Orr's yard to film the video, featuring the work of local artists including Kathy Lee Garido, Corrine Donnelly, Maureen Joyce, Stella Wadsworth, Jim Woods, Chad Williams, Christine Orr, William Burlton, Kathryn Bury, Pat Palumbo and Safani Gunasekera.
"Because we aren't doing the studio tour, we decided to give it a try with video," said Orr.
"It's to keep Passion Made in front of everybody," added Wadsworth. "Yes, we're not having it (the tour) this year, but keep us in mind, we are coming back."
Videographers Brian Hunt and Thomas Kristofic with H Visual Media were happy to have the opportunity to film the artwork to share with the public.
"Things haven't been running the same as they have been with COVID, so this is a way to feature and show off the artists' work," said Hunt.
Hunt says he has been able to help a lot of his tourism clients create content as the pandemic lingers on with restrictions in place.
The filming was the first time since COVID that the artists were able to get together in person.
"We're really excited about it (the video)," said Orr.
The video will be released in the third week of September and will be available on YouTube for one month. Follow the BWG Passion Made Facebook page and website here for its official launch.
