Thunderstorms rolled over the Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre around 11 a.m. Sunday, forcing Art at the Pumphouse to close hours early and cancelling a full afternoon of demonstrations, live music and in-person sales.
The juried show and sale, one of the Pumphouse’s major fundraisers, opened to a steady flow of visitors all day Saturday, said Rima Boles, director of the arts centre. Sunday’s storms and the tornado warnings that followed left artists a narrow window to pack up and get their work out of the rain.
Staff and volunteers moved artists and visitors inside the Ricardo Street centre when the first storm hit, said Boles. Once the weather made it unsafe to continue, the Pumphouse announced the show would close for the day.
“The break between storms allowed artists to pack up their art and tents safely before the tornado warnings,” she said.
Most exhibitors secured their artwork and tents before conditions worsened, she said. One booth fared worse.
“Unfortunately there was one tent that leaked from the heavy rainfall and the artist had to quickly secure their artworks inside the Pumphouse,” said Boles.
Artists and visitors were disappointed when the closure was announced, she said, but understood the decision given the extreme weather.
The closure cancelled Rob Dorante’s pottery wheel demonstration, Chris Lizsak’s wet-felting demonstration, afternoon sets by musicians Selena Carlson and Bruce Tournay and a three-hour circus performance by the troupe Femmes de Feu.
On Saturday, artist Aidan Frenette drew a crowd of onlookers as he demonstrated photo emulsion lifts, a technique that peels the image layer from a Polaroid photo and transfers it to a new surface, said Boles. Artist Sarah Beara painted free portraits of visitors’ dogs, an addition to the pet-friendly festival this year.
Four Niagara artists exhibited at the Pumphouse for the first time: St. Catharines acrylic painter Peggy Brennan, St. Catharines photographer Laurie J. Morrison, Welland watercolour artist Lillian Pasqua and Lincoln mixed-media artist Dorothy Vandersteen.
Boles said she had not yet heard back from the first-time exhibitors about their weekend. She did not share attendance totals, sales figures or fundraising results.
“A juried art show ensures visitors experience a high calibre of work from talented artists, but what makes it truly special is the opportunity to meet those artists in person, hear the stories behind their work, and build a personal connection,” said Boles.
Anyone who missed the weekend can still view and buy the exhibitors’ work at artatthepumphouse.ca until Sunday, Aug. 9, where each artist has a page and sells directly to buyers.
