FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rick Cady, Chair, Charbonneau Festival of the Arts,
cadyfoto@gmail.com, (503) 400-0514
OR Cathi McLain, Communications Chair, Charbonneau Festival of the Arts, cathi@mclainco.com, (503) 702-0216
(Wilsonville, Oregon, September 13, 2020.) It is said that “from adversity comes innovation.” The COVID19 pandemic has definitely created new opportunities for innovation in art and musical expression, as evidenced by the newly reimagined Charbonneau Festival of the Arts. The board of Charbonneau Arts Association (CAA) was quick to decide to move their annual “Art with Flair” Festival of the Arts to a “Virtual Exhibition” for the month of October, confident in the expertise of board Vice President Elaine Swyt, a web and graphic designer and her team, to help make it happen. “We are not alone in going virtual with our gallery, as art festivals throughout the country have moved online in order to avoid having to cancel outright,” asserted Ms. Swyt. This event is a fundraiser to support the art programs at Canby and Wilsonville High Schools. Sustaining that mission was a key motivator in finding ways to keep it alive in 2020. The Silent Auction, a critical platform for raising funds, will go virtual October 15-31.
CAA’s partner, Wilsonville Festival of Arts, had to cancel their annual outdoor festival earlier in the season, and welcomed the opportunity to partner with Charbonneau, and to offer the virtual gallery to its exhibitors. Going virtual opened other doors for partnerships, including Blackfish Gallery’s “Be About Love Festival,” which will coincide with Charbonneau’s, giving both the opportunity to cross-promote their events.
As the Virtual Gallery began to take shape, jazz guitarist and Charbonneau resident David Rowe volunteered to coordinate a Virtual Music Stage. The effort expands on the live musical performances festival patrons have enjoyed in recent years. It will showcase works from more than 10 jazz artists, including Basso a Deux, Rebecca Hardiman, and Don Latarski. On October 23, a live stream from Blackfish Gallery will feature Portland recording artists Marilyn Keller and Darrell Grant.
The Pandemic Art Project came next, inviting video and art submissions from people of all ages, to showcase work done during or in response to the pandemic. Except for Canby and Wilsonville High School students, the deadline for submissions is September 15. With Covid-19 restrictions still in place as of this fall, the project will remain open to allow the high school art teachers to fit this and other Charbonneau Arts projects into their curriculum for the students throughout the year.
Links to enter work in the Musical Stage and Pandemic Art Project are available on the CAA website at https://charbonneauarts.org.
Charbonneau Arts Association is especially grateful for the support of its Sponsors and Partners. Platinum Sponsors include Pamplin Media Group; Bill and Nancy Hall; and the Wilsonville Spokesman. Gold Sponsor, Wilsonville Carpet & Tile. Silver Sponsor, Lynda Huber Real Estate Broker, Equity Oregon Real Estate, Charbonneau. Bronze Sponsors include Robert Bennett, CPA; Canby Smiles, Dr. Joshua Wieland Family Dentistry; Amy Costello, Windermere Charbonneau; Rick Cady Photography; Jay Puppo, State Farm Insurance, Wilsonville; Roofmasters, Canby; Roth Heating & Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical, Canby. Partners include The Charbonneau Country Club; The Charbonneau Villager; CharbonneauLive.com; Clackamas County Cultural Coalition; Greater Giving, Inc.; and Mediaphysics. Other supporters include Wilsonville Arts & Culture Council and Lost Productions PDX.,
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The mission of the Charbonneau Arts Association (CAA) is to provide a venue for the appreciation and promotion of visual arts and other fine arts, create opportunity for local public high school students to exhibit and demonstrate their art and provide ongoing support for the public school art programs in the Wilsonville and Canby areas of Clackamas County. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, all proceeds from our annual Charbonneau Arts Festival are donated to the art programs at Wilsonville and Canby High Schools.