Ice fishing huts decorated by 11 local artists are now on display at Innisfil Beach Park and select locations throughout town.
The works of art were unveiled by the artists Friday morning at Innisfil Beach Park with Mayor Lynn Dollin and members of council, MPP Andrea Khanjin, as well as Donny Crowder and Gail Loder of Gail’s Hot Box Ice Huts Innisfil.
This past fall, the Innisfil ideaLAB & Library, in partnership with the Town of Innisfil and local ice fishing hut operator Gail’s Hotbox Ice Huts, invited local artists to replace their canvasses with ice fishing huts. Eleven local artists transformed simple plywood huts, into refreshingly vibrant works of art for a public art installation across Innisfil.
The one-of-a-kind public art project was inspired by the Innisfil community. Artists were encouraged to explore the themes of Lake Simcoe’s heritage and legacy. The huts will be located throughout Innisfil from now until mid-March and will be displayed in various locations throughout Innisfil — in public parks, community spaces, and in operation at Gail’s Hot Box Ice Huts.
“Projects like the Ice Hut Art that bring together community, creativity and connection are vital to community wellbeing,” said Mayor Lynn Dollin. “Not only are these huts beautiful, but they are engaging, and thought-provoking art displays. One thing is certain, Innisfil is a gem in Simcoe County, and the Ice Hut Art is just another reason to explore your own backyard.”
The Ice Hut Art project was designed as an open-air art tour. With locations spread across Innisfil, art lovers and adventurers are encouraged to visit all the huts throughout February and March. “We are passionate about supporting the local arts community here in Innisfil and across Simcoe County,” said Susan Baues, ideaLAB & Library Deputy CEO. “Just like Innisfil has so much to explore, there is so much talent to discover.”
The public art project was inspired by the community. To ensure that the project was inclusive and representative of the perspective and stories of all residents, community partners from Innisfil Arts, Culture and Heritage Council, UPlift Black and Barrie Area Native Advisory Circle were consulted and formed part of the jury.
The participating artists were selected from across Simcoe County and brought their unique styles, perspectives and passions to brighten Innisfil’s wintry landscapes.
Phulkari Quilt House by Angela Aujla
Winter Colour by Catherine Bechard
Harvesting the Hard Water by Tamara Benoit
Talisman by Tim Laurin
Barn Quilt by Christopher Moore
Fire and Ice by Cassidy Morris
The Fish Hut by Lasha Racquel
Lady Simcoe ~ Silent Solitude by Erin Sanderson, Maria Kelebeev & Sharon Chick
The POINT is Sustainable Economic Development by LeAndra Alyssa
Winter Harvest by Shauna Umney-Grey
Winter Memories by Natalie Very B
Cassidy Morris, one of the artists who contributed to the project, was in attendance Friday morning at Innisfil Beach Park along with her family. Morris is a graduate of Western University where she studied visual arts. She heard about the project from her sister and decided to apply last fall.
Her piece, ‘Fire and Ice’ is inspired by the Innisfil Farmers’ Market and the growers’ community. She decided to focus her piece on hot peppers, using a mix of vibrant colours against a black background, as well as icicles trickling across the top. At the back of the hut is a painting of a woman with icicles in her hair and flames of fire on her tongue.
“The theme was hot peppers so it supports the farmers’ market and growers,” she said.
Morris says she spent anywhere from eight to 14 hours per day for the past few months to complete the project.
“My entire house became a studio for two months straight,” she laughed. “It was a big undertaking but I loved it, it was the best two months of my life.”
“We were hoping there would be some totally off the wall different things,” said Crowder, who was impressed with the pieces presented. “We met a lot of new people and friends along the way, it was a great experience.”
“We are very excited to give these huts a permanent home in our village every ice season here on Lake Simcoe,” added Loder.
The huts will be on display for the remainder of the year and will be available for use next season.
By investing in the health and vibrancy of the community, the town says the project will address issues of social isolation, belonging, mental health and well-being in a post-pandemic environment as recognized by the Town of Innisfil Community Needs assessment.
“It’s time to enjoy the outdoors, enjoy winter and enjoy art,” said the mayor.
The Ice Hut Art project supports the Town’s Culture Master Plan. Please wear a face covering and maintain social distancing when visiting the Ice huts. For a list of locations, artist biographies and more information visit Ice Hut Art.
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
