MBiz

29 MBiz | may 2016 Photographer Charlotte Artyshko put her talent to work on Arts Mosaic's Me & My Art poster campaign to highlight area artists, including (from left on opposite page) knitters Jean Smith and Olivia Mowez, Artyshko, "repurposing" artist Barry Flett, sculptor Mary Lowe and cartoonist Jon Baker. Photos by Charlotte Artyshko services, the Arts Mosaic is headquartered in the town's old CP train station, which enjoys heritage status. "We also have a partnership with the Chamber of Commerce and they use part of our gift shop for their tourist booth, and we noticed last year that when the tourist booth was open seven days a week, traffic through the gallery and the gift shop doubled and our sales actually almost tripled from May to August." Currently almost 40 artists and craftspeople are represented in the gift shop. "Many of them have an online presence, but people like to have a place to come and have that old-fashioned retail experience," Milne says. Having grown up in Virden, where she had an interest in drama and choir, Milne knows from personal experience how valuable the arts are to the people in the region. She is especially proud of the Arts Mosaic's scholarship program. "We do that for a high school student going into some form of the arts, be it literary, visual — you name it, if it's an art form, we have a scholarship available," she says. "We want to be a good support system for anyone who needs an artistic outlet or needs some kind of support, and we're proud that we're able to offer a scholarship because it's important to us that a rural youth has an opportunity to go and study." Another unique aspect of the Arts Mosaic is the Costume Closet, which is run by dedicated volunteers who care for 30,000 items that are rented out for socials, drama productions, musicals and even movies. "The movie A Dog's Purpose was just filmed here and they said they had never seen a collection like this anywhere," Milne says. "They told us the vintage collection in particular is second to none." The Costume Closet has been in operation for 25 years and volunteers log about 1,500 hours a year. Donations come in on a regular basis and some funding is sought to update costumes and add to the collection. Open to anyone who needs to rent a costume, it has served people all the way into Alberta. Costume Closet revenue contributes to Arts Mosaic, which also undertakes vigorous fundraising efforts and receives operating grants from the province and support from local and municipal councils. "We love and welcome feedback from the people that we serve," says Milne. "And if someone knows of an artist that might not approach us to use the gallery space, we are always open to suggestions." ■ Learn more at www.artsmosaic.ca. We want to be a good support system for anyone who needs an artistic outlet or needs some kind of support..."

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