ß
Two popular spring events at the Leighton Art Centre continue to prove art appreciation does not always have to be and tux and tails.
The Leighton Art Centre will host the Sunset Soiree and Art Sale on Saturday, May 28 and on Sunday, May 29 the art centre will feature its annual Clothesline Festival and Art Sale.
Pauline Walsh, Leighton Art Centre advertising and promotion coordinator, said changes are being made to the Sunset Soiree which is celebrating its second year.
“Last year it went very well and exceeded our expectations,” she said. “This time we decided to make it more of a fancy evening. It is designed more for the serious art buyer and our adult component as opposed to the things the next day which are directed at families.”
Wine and hors’ oeuvres will be served and live classical music will be performed at the evening art sale, which goes from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Walsh said the event is aptly named due to the picturesque locale.
“We call it the Sunset Soiree because we hold it in the early evening,” she said. “With our surrounding spring landscape it’s usually a beautiful sunset kind of evening around here.”
The Leighton Centre is renowned for it’s spectacular mountain views. Seeing them draped in the auburn glow of a setting sun makes the experience all the more memorable. Speaking of memories, art aficionados of all ages can forge some pleasurable ones at the Clothesline Festival and Art Sale Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 29.
This springtime classic has a long tradition at the Leighton Art Centre and owes its origins to one of the facility’s founders Walsh said.
“We’ve been doing it for about 30 years,” she said. “Barbara Leighton used to have a strawberry tea and over the years it morphed into the clothesline sale.”
Drawing cards for the event this year include a children’s craft tent with centre instructors on hand to help children with some hands on projects. Children can also enjoy a hayride in a wagon drawn by a team of heavy horses and pick up something to eat and drink at the concession. Parents can enjoy a bracing cup of designer java with a barista and coffee cart on site. A pair of fiddlers will set a lively musical tone for the Clothesline Sale which features work from more than 60 contributing Alberta artists who have matted and strung up their work on lines in tents throughout the grounds.
Okotoks artist Mary Mercier is primarily a painter of abstract landscapes in her chosen medium of acrylics on canvas. She will have works available in both the Sunset Soirée and Clothesline Festival.
Mercier said anyone who comes to their first clothesline sale will quickly learn it has all the ingredients necessary for an idyllic day in the country.
“It has this nice, relaxing atmosphere,” she said. “It’s good for the whole family. The kids have got face painting and other things they get to do each year. Sometimes it’s making stuff out of clay or in the past they’ve made painted pots. It’s whatever the education centre decides to do for that year. The scenery is spectacular. You can walk around the grounds and get in a little hike. ”
There are limited amount of tickets for the Sunset Soiree on Saturday, May 28. They are $25 each and available by calling 403-931-3633. The Clothesline Festival and Art Sale on May 29 is free to attend and open to everyone. For more information on the Leighton Art Centre including driving directions to its location near Millarville go to www.leightoncentre.org
