Everyone's invited to the seventh annual Art for People fundraising art show at the home and garden of Martine Bédard and Andy Holmes — Coombe Cottage, 1930 Monte Christo — on June 24 at 6 p.m.
"There will be wine and cheese, a raffle to win a painting of your choice, and lots of art to look at," Bédard said. "Come join us! Bring a friend! Kids are welcome!"
Any given silent art auction or fundraising art sale in Rossland and the region is likely to feature the colourful, uplifting, and often brilliantly recycled works donated by Holmes and Bédard, and the pair are well known to patrons of the Rouge Gallery for their active membership in the artists' collective, but Art for People is at the core of what Holmes and Bédard are all about.
Every year since 2005, Art for People has raised money towards different projects around the world with fundraisers such as this. The couple now have art in private collections and galleries on five continents and their creative community projects dot the globe.
Conceived to support "creativity, peace and love around the world," the couple said, Art for People started on a bike trip from Arizona to Canada with their daughters Sylvie and Lily in tow, both infants at the time.
As they fundraised for the trip, the artists ultimately decided to spend the money on different charities rather than on their trip. Now the couple sells art for only two purposes — to support their "simple lifestyle" and to fundraise for communities.
They set up "Art for People Projects," APP, an independent organization overseen by Kutenai Art Therapy Institute Association (KATI), a Nelson-based non-profit, to receive a portion of all sales in addition to donated funds.
To date, APP have supported projects in Mexico, Peru, Nicaragua, Brazil, Kenya and Canada.
With the motto "Art is Everywhere," Holmes and Bédard believe strongly that art is a means to explore "infinite possibilities" and can activate "potentials in our everyday lives" that are a means to change the world for the better. They write on their website, "Art is an immediate and vibrant way to connect with people, communities and cultures. We feel fortunate in the creative connections art has brought us."
APP funded the Casa Elizabeth Orphanage in Mexico, took on a mural project in the rural Huaraz Playschool and nearby communities in Peru's Huayhuash Range, and most recently transported art and school supplies to rural communities in the Annapurna region in Nepal.
They also offered financial support to Nepal House, an organization which brings art, play, and other expressive therapies into the daily work of people in Pokhara. Nepal House especially works with children and families to help them move creatively through trauma, emotional challenges, and other difficulties.
APP has funded other independent creative initiatives such as the Theatre of the Oppressed in Brazil. "These performers are addressing violence, gender discrimination, and other community issues through their street theatre performances," Holmes and Bédard write.
They supported the Ghetto Arts Collective in Nairobi, Kenya, in their efforts to bring art, yoga, acrobatics and jewellery-making to youth in ghettos. The list goes on, including funds to a rural school and dance program in Nicaragua, and a community art group in rural San Ignacio, Mexico.
APP has a variety initiatives in Canada as well, at youth centers, at KATI, and through the local Arts Council in Rossland. They have made grants through KATI: For more information, visit www.kutenaiarttherapy.com. For more on Art for People, visit www.artforpeople.ca.
Donations are gratefully accepted, the artists said, and they are pleased to be able to issue tax deductible charitable donation receipts.