By Jack Brittle, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
On November 22 and 23, the Art Gallery of Burlington (AGB) will host the Arts Burlington Holiday Sale.
The sale is organized by Arts Burlington, which is the committee that represents the six guilds housed at AGB, and will feature pottery, photography, fine art, mixed media, hooking craft, sculpture, wood craft, and weaving and spinning work from over 100 artists across the six guilds.
Darlene Duncan, president of the Burlington Fine Arts Association (BFAA) and chair of the Holiday Sale, said that the free event gives the public an opportunity to see what is going on in the local art world.
Duncan said the BFAA comprises both professionals and hobbyists, with members from Hamilton and Oakville.
Duncan spoke about some of the more festive items that will be on sale at the event.
“There are a lot of Christmas ornaments,” Duncan said. “If you want to get a special one-of-a-kind gift for somebody. If you want to do your Christmas shopping, it’s a great place to find something really special. The carvers make little wooden ornaments, and the potters do little ceramic ones.”
At last year’s holiday sale, the BFAA had a charity tree, where participating artists could donate ornaments to hang on said tree.
“The tree that we had wasn’t big, and the ornaments sold for like five or ten dollars,” Duncan said. “So we’re hoping to be bigger and better for our charity tree this year because it was sort of a last-minute thing where we decided to give back to the community.”
Duncan confirmed that the proceeds from this year’s charity tree will go to the Burlington Food Bank again.
The sale will also have a section called the Unframed Room, where attendees can purchase prints and greeting cards.
“Some of our members spend a lot of time making these special little, one-of-a-kind greeting cards, and they can be holiday themed,” Duncan said.
Beyond her role as chair of the sale, Duncan shared how she first became involved with the BFAA.
“I joined because I wanted to meet some other artists,” Duncan said. “I’d been doing my art, and I retired from my career as a graphic designer. I worked for Conservation Halton for over 31 years, and I always wanted to be a painter. So I did that in my studio during COVID for four years by myself, and I thought, ‘I want to meet some other artists.’”
Duncan said that because of her background in business, the then-president of BFAA asked her if she would take on the role of vice president.
Duncan primarily does animal portraits, some with oil paint and some using printmaking. She spoke about her experience with BFAA so far.
“I don’t know everybody now that’s in the association, but I’ve met a lot of nice people,” Duncan said. “Everybody’s really nice. They’re hard-working volunteers. It’s a very busy organization. We have a lot on the go, and the holiday and the spring sale are a big part of it.”
Duncan said these sales help artists purchase art supplies and “make a little bit of extra money on the side.”
“There’s something for everybody there,” Duncan said. “The kids would like it too. It’s free and there’s free parking for the weekend at the art gallery. So hopefully we have a good turnout!”
To find out more about the Arts Burlington Holiday Sale, click here.
