Chris Foster wants you to join her in the basement. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * Chris Foster wants you to join her in the basement. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? Chris Foster wants you to join her in the basement.
In some houses, the subterranean storey is the messiest and most neglected, but for Foster, the basement is an inviting space — an underground studio where the self-taught painter has spent the bulk of her spare time since retiring four years ago. Foster is one of 20 artists opening their doors this weekend as part of the hARTe Studio Trail, established in 2018 by the Charleswood Art Group to give community members a glimpse into their basements, garages and backyards, where they demonstrate techniques, discuss their artistic process and sell pieces from their personal collections. This year’s event runs Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.
m. to 4 p.m.
With 18 locations situated around the Harte Trail, featuring clusters in Charleswood and Headingley and one outlier in Wolseley, the studio trail was devised in 2018 to give people a chance to seek out new and emerging artists while inspiring a bit of self-guided urban exploration. At the first stop, visitors are given a passport, which they can get stamped at each creative space along the residential trade route. “It’s almost like a Folklorama for art,” says Foster, who adds that 18 stamps earn guests a shot at $400 for purchasing art they saw along the way.
While Foster specializes in contemporary landscapes, the variety of artwork along the trail includes pottery and ceramics (Ray Christopherson, Arlene Cherepak), carving (Worth Hayden, Stephen McLean), print-making (Pamela Gerbrandt), dye painting (Phil Brake) and photography (Diane Levit). A full listing of participating artists along with their addresses and personal websites is available at hartetrailstudiotour.net.
The event is a chance for art enthusiasts to show their support by putting local work on their walls, Foster says. “I feel personally that everybody should own at least one piece of original art, just so you can have one thing that was created for you,” she says. “All of us in the group share that passion.
” Artists interested in joining the group pay a $100 application fee, with applications for 2025 closing in February. From Nov. 8 to Dec.
21, the group will be exhibiting its work at the Canadian Mennonite University’s Heritage Gallery. ben.waldman@winnipegfreepress.
com Ben Waldman is a National Newspaper Award-nominated reporter on the Arts & Life desk at the . Born and raised in Winnipeg, Ben completed three internships with the while earning his degree at Ryerson University’s (now Toronto Metropolitan University’s) School of Journalism before joining the newsroom full-time in 2019. .
Every piece of reporting Ben produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the ‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about , and . Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism.
If you are not a paid reader, please consider . Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Ben Waldman is a National Newspaper Award-nominated reporter on the Arts & Life desk at the . Born and raised in Winnipeg, Ben completed three internships with the while earning his degree at Ryerson University’s (now Toronto Metropolitan University’s) School of Journalism before joining the newsroom full-time in 2019. .
Every piece of reporting Ben produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the ‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about , and . Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism.
If you are not a paid reader, please consider . Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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