We are having a torrential rain storm at the farmette this morning which is supposed to turn into a ripper of a snowstorm later today. Yay. Not. Spring cannot come fast enough, let me tell you.
Anyhow, last week Rob and I finally got to the Durham Art Gallery to see the latest show, which has actually been on since January 18th.
In the main room, local artist Jenny Parsons has several bright, whimsical pieces on display. Bold, colourful and brash, the paintings evoke a playful sense of humour. She definitely has a sense of pride in our home town, which is the backdrop to most of her works.
Fun, eh?
The Pot Shop is on the main street - Garafraxa - which is the north-south artery of the town and doubles as Highway 6. The Flying Saucer is coming in over the old mill that sits right across from the gallery, just east of Garafraxa.
Our wee gallery came into some big money a couple of years ago, and the board has decided invest $1 million of it into a social finance fund. The idea is to leverage these funds with local investors and provide second mortgages for artists and art-related business owners who want to buy buildings in our area. Besides Durham, the funding would cover our neighbouring villages of Ayton and Neustadt.
The gallery board has worked with the local Royal Bank to make the real estate terms easier and it has presented plans to West Grey municipal council to get its support as well. I also read in the Hanover Post that the gallery is looking at renting a downtown building to provide retail space to local artists, craftspeople and food growers.
These are fantastic ideas, and I hope they take off. It'd be really great if Durham became a bustling centre of culture and enterprise in the middle of Grey County.
Until next week.