Stopping by the Wood, oil on canvas, by Karen Fox.
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I would be among the first to observe that Christmas and other holy-days are not (or shouldn’t be) about rampant consumerism, but I feel compelled to point out that by the time you read this, there will be very few days left before Christmas. Have you finished your shopping yet? If not, and if you’re seeking inspiration, look no further than Kingston’s local art scene and boutique shops. In our ongoing pandemic landscape, it’s more important than ever to shop local and support the artists, merchants and vendors who make our downtown so unique and vibrant. It’s a pretty safe bet that Amazon does not need further enrichment — and even if you have Prime, you’ll have your gifts in hand faster by shopping close to home.
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The seasonal decorations in downtown Kingston and other regional centres, on the streets and in the storefronts, are often a delight to behold, and inside Kingston’s many unique shops and galleries you’ll find gifts that are one-of-a-kind, refreshing, artful and often locally made. Giving the gift of art and craft does not have to be expensive — there are many very affordable options that will be sure to please even the most particular person on your list, and that will also benefit local artists, producers and vendors.
There are many, many art galleries and other venues in this region where you can look for that art-inspired gift. In the heart of downtown at the Market Square, with its terrific outdoor skating rink, step up into Studio 22 Open Gallery, which features artwork by artists from across Canada as well as from the Kingston area. Cornerstone Canadian Fine Art and Craft on Ontario Street (at Princess) features a wide array of items that are entirely and exclusively made in Canada by Canadian artists and artisans. Here you can find a host of stocking stuffers as well as more impressive gifts, including textiles, jewelry, glass, wood, Inuit prints and carvings, and pottery.
At the lower end of Queen Street, you can explore the Kingston Glass Studio and Gallery and Black Dog Pottery for more inspired gift ideas, and around the corner just off Wellington is the Martello Alley gallery with an eclectic array of art by local artists. Farther up Princess Street, be sure to check in to Frameworks. More than just framing, the shop also has original artwork and prints for sale, as does Gallery Raymond/Creative Framing still farther up Princess. Many of us have items that we’ve been “meaning to” get framed, and I’m sure you know friends and family who have long had the same intention — perhaps a gift certificate to get that cherished image or memento framed is just the thing to give this season.
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Have you ever considered gifting someone with an art course? The Kingston School of Art normally offers classes for both adults and children in several different media at different times of the year (check current offerings online), and the gift of tuition for one of these would be ideal for someone who has always wanted to try their hand at some kind of art-making. (Perhaps that person is you!) There are additional art class and workshop options available at the Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning, too. In an intensely commercial season, consider giving the gift of creativity instead of consumerism. Gift certificates aren’t just for big-box stores and name-brand retailers — it’s a near surety that any local gallery, and even an individual artist, has (or can create) gift certificates for purchase. If you don’t want to take a chance on buying art for someone else, this could be a good route to go. Or treat yourself to the pleasure of original art — buy something that your neighbour two doors down didn’t also purchase as decor art — and feel good about the fact that you have bought locally and supported a small business.
Remember, artists are business people as well as creatives, and when you buy original art you support the gallery, the artist, the art supply store and all the people who work there as well. It has a tremendous ripple effect on the local economy and is a win-win for everyone.
With all best wishes for a joyous and artful holiday season, and all good things to you in 2022!
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Kamille Parkinson earned a PhD in art history from Queen’s University and is presently a writer, burgeoning copywriter and art historian at large. You can find her writing at Word Painter Projects on Facebook, and can contact her atwordpainterprojects@gmail.com
Art About Town
Art Noise
• Smalls (until Dec. 24)
Gallery Raymond
• New works by Karen Fox (until Jan. 17)
Studio 22 Open Gallery
• Winter 2021 Artist Portfolio Series. Now open Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 5 p.m., and online.
• “Y’know… for kids!”
• Bruno Capolongo, “Kintsugi Drips”
Window Art Gallery
• December: Paint the Town!
Modern Fuel ARC
• Re:Member – Members’ Show and Sale (to Dec. 18)
Agnes Etherington Art Centre
• History is Rarely Black or White (until March 20)
• Spirit Banter: Ezi Odozor (until Jan. 30)
• Studies in Solitude: The Art of Depicting Seclusion (to June 2022)
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.
