A New Chapter for County Arts

We have arrived! We were so thrilled to officially celebrate our move to the Picton Armoury’s Main Street level during a joyous ribbon cutting moment during the Art in the County media launch on April 17th. We thank Mayor Steve Ferguson and Mark Rose from the Picton BIA for joining County Arts staff and board members to recognize this special moment in our 38-year history.

Our new, expanded space will help us unlock the full potential of our arts community through increased access to space, equipment, and new audiences and opportunities, and represents a monumental step forward in solidifying Prince Edward County’s place as a top arts destination. We are very excited that our first major event will begin on June 21st – the 31st edition of Art in the County!

We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank our Circle of Friends sponsors – many of whom have been with us from the very beginning of the County Arts Lab journey – who are supporting County Arts with $1000+ sponsorships: Sage Design and Construction, Otter Energy, Base 31, Tim Hortons Picton and Wellington, The Royal Hotel, Wander the Resort, and Elizabeth Crombie Real Estate Team. Also a very special thank you to Terry & Steven, stewards of The Armoury.

We simply could not have reached these new heights without their treasured support, and thank them for believing in us and the potential of Prince Edward County’s arts community!

By the time we secured our first physical space in the basement of the Picton Armoury in 2021, the County Arts Lab dream had been percolating for years – a dream of securing a creative home for artists to create, and to inspire and engage our shared community. While we knew that launching the Lab amidst the uncertainty of the pandemic would be incredibly challenging – we also knew that, more than ever before, artists and our community needed safe opportunities to create, heal, and connect.

And so we took the leap! Since welcoming our first Artists in Residence in 2021 and launching our community programming in 2022, we have:

• Welcomed over 1,000 participants to our accessible community programs 

• Helped artists earn more than $75,000 in facilitation fees

• Facilitated hundreds of hours of creative activities and rehearsals for local artists and arts organizations… and much more!

We are working hard behind the scenes to pursue new grant and sponsorship opportunities in the hopes of equipping the space for multiple uses – with lighting, sound, exhibition, and media arts equipment, as well as a stage, seating for one hundred, moveable walls, and more. If you would like to help us bring the full vision for our new space to life, please reach out to Janna Smith at janna@countyarts.ca.

In the meantime, the County Arts Lab is bustling with community arts programming, artist meet-ups, and rehearsals. This summer, the space will host Art in the County from June 21-July 7, will be rented by a local gallery to self-produce a contemporary art exhibition throughout the month of July, and welcome a touring exhibition from Muskoka August 9-24 in partnership with Muskoka Arts & Crafts.