Cornwall Hive's Art 4 All event hopes to grow – Standard Freeholder

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It might have been virtual, but the first ever Art 4 All still yielded some good results on Saturday.

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The event, organized by the Cornwall Art Hive, aimed at getting the local artistic community together to discuss the craft, create connections and of course, create. Initially, it was to be hosted at the Cornwall Square mall, but health and safety restrictions meant that it had to take place over Zoom.

Despite a smaller turnout that anticipated, Richard Salem, executive director of Your Arts Council of Cornwall and the SDG Counties (YAC), is hopeful that future Art 4 All events can be held in person.

“We felt that rather than not have anything that this would be better than nothing,” he said. “We are trying to keep the events as consistent as possible. We want to have one every month and hopefully by next month, the third Saturday, at Cornwall Square, we will have an event in person.”

In all, three local artists too part in the event — Salem, Yafa Goawily, and Liv Bigtree.

“Right now I have work showing at the Brooklyn collective which is a gallery space in North Carolina,” said Bigtree, 19. “Right now, I’m not really doing much, art-wise. I’ve been taking it easy, taking a little break.

“I like to do that when I’m not really working on big projects, I just come back to this space where I just have fun.”

Goawily, which produces a wide range of visual arts, said creating art has always been relieving. She also explained that although the pandemic has created some issues for artists, it has had the effect of growing the local art movement.

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“We are growing not just with events and support, we are growing because we can reach different people – that is our main goal,” she said. “The community knows now that we are open for them.”

“Art is so important not just for artists but for everyone,” said Bigtree. “You don’t have to have specific skills. I really think that everyone is an artist. I think that it’s part of what makes us humans.

“Art is about freedom and that is what art hive is trying to create.”

Even with the pandemic, the Cornwall Art Hive and YAC still managed to host well-attended events in the summer, in Lamoureux Park. According to Salem, the happenings attracted residents from all walks of life and grew fast in popularity.

“Of course that it’s sad (pandemic restrictions), but I think that we learned to support each other more,” said Goawily. “I was new to Cornwall and did my first solo exhibition here. I find that yes, we are tiny but we are mighty. We are growing fast and we support each other truly.”

“We started buying art from each other and we had some groups going sharing what we had accomplished. We are stronger together.”

Anyone interested in gaining insight on the local art community can do so through a variety of videos uploaded to the Your Arts Council Youtube channel .

Fracine@postmedia.com

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