Tuesday August 16, 2022 | SOOKE, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
A favourite thing for art patrons who visit the Sooke Fine Arts Show is to vote for People’s Choice, including Children’s Choice.
- People’s Choice Award: “View upon Neah Bay” by Dallas Duobaitis [oil on canvas]; was priced at $5,500
- Youth Art Favourite Award: “Ode to Pointillism” by Janelle Brodrick
- Children’s Choice Award: “A Serious Conversation” by Monica Reekie [archival giclee print on metal dibond]; was priced at $850
Those choices are in addition to the awards chosen by the three-artist jury, which were presented at an entertaining 2022 Sooke Fine Arts Show Artists Celebration event on Saturday evening, July 23.
The art chosen by show visitors for the ‘choice’ and ‘favourite’ recognition is used in future Sooke Fine Arts Show marketing.
Back to an in-person show:
The Sooke Fine Arts Show returned in spectacular style on July 21 with the Purchaser’s Preview, then had a run July 22 to August 1, wrapping up the BC Day long weekend.
Over 7,000 people came to view more than 360 art pieces at the SEAPARC Leisure Complex in Sooke. In addition to exhibited art there were tours, demos, talks, and musical performances that are signature show events.
The extraordinary summer heat was a bit of challenge this year, as the SEAPARC arena is not air conditioned.
The 2022 Show continued its 36-year legacy with the first live show since 2019, and visitors were thrilled to be able to see the art in person again. The show was presented entire online in the summers of 2020 and 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic; that was a masterful piece of digital wizardry!
Pre-pandemic, over 9,000 people attended in-person in 2019. More than 10,000 visitors viewed the show online in 2021 in the second year of the pandemic.
Public comments:
“It was a wonderful event, and I really appreciate the work done by all the staff and volunteers. It’s one of the best shows I have been to over the past 16 years of attending. Bravo!” said show attendee and frequent art exhibitor John Grey-Noble about the captivating event.
Other comments from the show’s surveys include:
- “Top class art and show! Will be back next year!”
- “It was like being in a candy store! Such creativity and inventiveness.”
More island artists:
“This year’s show was a success on so many levels,” said Terrie Moore, Executive Director, Sooke Fine Arts Society, in a news release about the choice awards today, two weeks after the show.
“We were able to showcase more BC Island Artists and their work than ever before,” said Moore.
More children and families:
“It was especially delightful to see more children and families here than in past years,” said Moore.
Elaine Thrale, President of the Sooke Fine Arts Society agrees: “We were so pleased to welcome back visitors to the live show this year.”
“It has been a difficult couple of years for everyone, especially for those in the arts and culture sector. We are proud to have played a part in bringing the arts back to the community,” says Thrale.
Strong sponsor support:
The Sooke Fine Arts Show was supported again in 2022 by dozens of sponsors, at various levels. See List of 2022 Sooke Fine Arts Show sponsors.
Robust sales:
“From returning patrons to those new to the show, enthusiastic support for the arts was evident in all the smiling faces and translated into record art sales for the artists,” says Moore.
The day after the show, on August 2, the arena was buzzing with activity as people picked up their art purchases.
Fundraising for 2023:
The Sooke Fine Arts Society continues its planning for next year’s Sooke Fine Arts Show with a fundraising event in early 2023. That event will be held at the Prestige Oceanfront Resort in Sooke — a culinary and creative evening in support of the arts.
===== ABOUT THE WRITER:
Mary P Brooke has been reporting on the Sooke Fine Arts Show every year since 2008 (in preceding publications were MapleLine Magazine 2008-2010, Sooke Voice News 2011-2013, and West Shore Voice News 2014-2020, which led to Island Social Trends emerging in mid-2020).
Island Social Trends is published entirely online at islandsocialtrends.ca with news of Sooke, the west shore, and south Vancouver Island.
Island Social Trends was a Platinum Sponsor of the 2022 Sooke Fine Arts Show, and a sponsor at the Gold Level in several previous years.