Martha Embury is organizing Stoney Steps Artfest for June 2020 on her family’s riverside farm property in Newburgh. The art show is still seeking vendors until Jan. 31. (Meghan Balogh/The Whig-Standard)
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The end of one artistic chapter is turning the page for another in the village of Newburgh.
In 2019, the community said farewell to Art Among the Ruins, a longstanding art show hosted on the private property of the Anderson family that drew thousands to the hamlet each year.
Now, in 2020, Newburgh will play host to Stoney Steps Artfest, a brand new one-day art show that is hoping to fill the void left by the departure of Art Among the Ruins.
“My vision for Stoney Steps is to have a high-quality show, just like Art Among the Ruins,” Martha Embury, the lead organizer, said.
Embury and her family own the property that will host the show on the banks of the Napanee River, just west of the village.
“When the Andersons had announced they were no longer doing the show, there were those of us in the community, especially my family who are longtime residents of Newburgh, who felt that by not having Art Among the Ruins it would be a big loss for our community,” Embury said. “They did a great job in Newburgh every year, attracting folks to the village.”
Arguably the community’s biggest annual event, Art Among the Ruins brought 2,700 visitors to Newburgh on average each year. The show ran for 14 years.
“They had a high-quality show and we wanted to carry on with that,” Embury said.
Embury said that not long after the Andersons announced the show’s discontinuation, Embury and her family decided to become their successor.
In the spirit of Art Among the Ruins, Stoney Steps Artfest will be nestled on the shores of the Napanee River, with artists setting up in tents in the open air.
Martha Embury stands on the limestone “steps” at the water’s edge on the Napanee River in Newburgh on Saturday. Embury is organizing Stoney Steps Artfest for June 2020 on her family’s riverside farm property. (Meghan Balogh/The Whig-Standard)
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The Embury property, however, differs slightly from the Anderson plot. Whereas Art Among the Ruins saw artists arranged around the ruins of an old mill on the Anderson family’s beautifully manicured sprawling grounds, Stoney Steps will be a bit wilder.
“It’s a much larger property,” Embury said. “There are woodlands and farm and hayfields.”
The large acreage means that Stoney Steps has ample parking for visitors and, in years to come, it could expand from the planned 60 to 70 artists it hopes to host this year.
“The Andersons had 67, and we’d like to keep it about that for the first year,” Embury said. “We see the potential for growing slightly in the future. We’ve got lots of space to grow.”
Stacey Anderson, lead organizer for Art Among the Ruins, said her and her family’s show “built a momentum in the community that people are striving to continue.”
“Art Among the Ruins put Newburgh on the map,” Anderson said. “People from far and wide came to our little village, supporting the local businesses and spoke favourably of our area. Residents shared their pride about the show.”
Anderson said Stoney Steps will “keep some things consistent” from Art Among the Ruins, but will also evolve.
“With a new show comes a fresh vision, and it is very exciting to see the different experiences that will come along with that,” she said. “We are in full support of the adventure that Stoney Steps is trying to create and will do our best to assist the team however they need us to.”
Anderson reminisced about the years that Art Among the Ruins played a cohesive role in the tiny village. She suspects Stoney Steps will step in to fill that role.
“Art Among the Ruins brought out the best in everyone,” she said. “We purposefully set the bar high, and the artists, volunteers and visitors responded with enthusiasm. The experience was so very special. We know that the Stoney Steps team shares a similar philosophy. We were lucky to have a unique setting for the show and Stoney Steps has an equally unique property. It’s a magical location.”
Anderson expressed that Art Among the Ruins was a success story because of the values that drove it.
“One of the biggest lessons that I have learned is that it doesn’t matter how small one is, if you build something meaningful, inclusive and with integrity, people will respond,” she said.
Ultimately, Embury wants Stoney Steps Artfest to be a festival featuring art, food and entertainment, with an “emphasis on local.”
“The intention is to have a community-minded event where the folks that are cooking and volunteering are all people or service groups in our immediate area,” she said.
Artist applications to display work at Stoney Steps Artfest are open until Jan. 31. For information, visit www.stoneystepsartfest.ca.
