By Jack Brittle, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
On August 23, the Elizabeth Gardens Creative Collective (EGCC) will host its fifth annual Art Walk at Burloak Waterfront Park. The event will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is free. The walk brings together over 40 local artists, makers, and educators, who will be exhibiting and selling their art.
The EGCC started as a Facebook group during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Mary-Ann Alberga, Art Walk project coordinator and EGCC board chair, the group was initially envisioned as a way of checking in on fellow artists in the area during the lockdown.
The first event was funded by a $500 grant that was provided by the City of Burlington for neighbourhood events.
Alberga spoke about what the first Art Walk was like.
“We did it more like a studio tour, which is why we called it Art Walk,” Alberga said. “We were just coming out of lockdown, so we didn’t do it in a park. An artist set up a tent on their front lawn with their artwork, and we made a map to encourage people to walk around the neighbourhood.”
Alberga said that after the first event, the group met once a month over Zoom and decided to formalize the Walk for its sophomore year.
Since the second Art Walk, the EGCC has been supported by the Burlington Arts and Culture Fund.
“That allows us to fund our project and helps pay for materials,” Alberga said. “It also covers the rental cost of the park and bringing in washrooms. We raise a little bit of money through sponsorships, and this year we charged a very nominal booth fee for artists to participate, so that we can just cover our costs. We’re essentially just a community group, we’re not a nonprofit, and we’re not a charity. We’re just a group of artists living in that neighbourhood who want to share creative practice with our community and create tighter community connections.”
She said that she was surprised to discover that so many fellow artists live in her neighbourhood.
Alberga said that in the five years she lived in Burlington prior to the first Art Walk, she didn’t know any other artists in her community.
“Now I have 20 people who are within walking distance from me who make art, so I don’t feel as isolated as I did before,” Alberga said. “So that’s kind of what our main motive is, to help fight isolation and loneliness through creative practice.”
Alberga is a mixed-media artist, but specializes in portrait painting.
She spoke about her own journey with art and how it has impacted her life.
“I decided to go to art school in my mid-30s after an accident,” Alberga said. “I was hit by a car as a pedestrian, and having a regular art practice, which I didn’t have before, became a reason to get out of the house and a reason to forget I was uncomfortable. It really was for my mental health. It started there, and I couldn’t stop doing it. I never stopped, and now it’s kind of my life.”
“It’s all I do really, so this community-building component has become something really important to me as part of my practice, thinking about the collective and collective agency,” she continued. “And that’s really how artists are able to survive in this kind of economy.”
Alberga said that she wants to dispel the notion that the art world is an “elitist institution” and let people know that it is accessible to everyone.
“The truth is, there are lots of different art worlds,” Alberga said. “The collective is an art world of sorts, and I just think any creative practice that we do, whether it’s cooking or gardening or whatever, it’s all the same thing. It’s a way of seeing the world. Rather than being a passive consumer, we want to encourage people to actually produce and create things. Ultimately, that’s a lot more satisfying and beneficial to us than if we’re just always consuming what’s presented to us.”
Alberga said that the EGCC is encouraging artists who are taking part in the walk to do something interactive, like live paintings. Previous years have seen participants trying their hands at acrylic painting, paint pouring, portrait creation, and more.
“[We want] something where the public can actually try out their mediums or materials and do something fun,” Alberga said.
She said that the group has created a bingo card that can only be filled out by visiting multiple booths, to encourage attendees to explore the whole walk.
“Once it’s [the bingo card] all full, they can then submit it to us at the end of their experience, and we will do some prize draws,” Alberga said. “We have a number of folks who have donated all kinds of art materials, as well as a secondhand bookstore that’s donating some books and a gift certificate.”
The walk will feature multiple art forms, including pottery, stained glass, jewelry, and painting. In addition, there will be live music and performances, and an art scavenger hunt; the activities are suitable for people of all ages.
Alberga said that the event has received significant support from Burlington Economic Development and Tourism Burlington this year.
“We’re really hoping that some people will make a weekend of it,” Alberga said. “I know that we have a couple of hotels that are offering special rates to anyone who wants to do that.”
Alberga also spoke about the future of the event.
“As a volunteer-run organization, there’s room for us to do as much or as little as we are comfortable with,” Alberga said. “We hope that this project will grow and evolve based on whatever it is that we were focused on from year to year, but so far it seems like there’s a good appetite for this event, so we’re really excited to do it.”
For more information, including links to local hotels offering special rates, go to creativecollectiveonline.com’s Art Walk webpage (click here).
