The Georgeville-Fitch Bay Festival of Arts kicked off Friday July 23^rd and will be on until August 1^st.  The festival is spread out over four galleries, and features a grand variety of local and regional artists exhibiting paintings, sculptures, photography and pottery, as well as a small collection of Cree handiwork at the Murray Memorial Hall. The other three locations – the Elephant Barn, Nitsche Art Gallery and the Mairie du Canton de Stanstead – are in close proximity of one another and a handful of restaurants, including McGowan House and the Fat Hog in the picturesque towns of Georgeville and Fitch Bay.

Murray Memorial Hall showcases striking and unusual sculptures by Mathieu Binette, stained glass by Marika Szabo and Pamela Cartwright’s unique wood mosaic pieces. Other artists exhibiting at this Festival include Virginia Cope (Nitsche Art Gallery), Denis Palmer and David Heywood. Also on display, and for sale, are sturdy baskets hand-woven by Cree women from northern Quebec, as well as winter boots made from deer hide and seal fur, with authentic Cree embroidery as a finishing touch. Niels Jensen and Louise Abbott, photographer and filmmaker, in a gesture of cooperation with the Cree community whose women wish to promote their creations, brought these down from their last visit to Quebec’s remote James Bay region where they spent several months filming a documentary celebrating the rich history of the Cree Nation.

The Nitsche Art Gallery is highlighting paintings by Lucy St. Jean, Virginia Cope, Jennifer Brook, as well as two Rubén Ramondas, aside from the its yearlong period art collection. Gallery owner Wolfgang Nitsche also said this year’s festival is looking good, with an intense opening day where the gallery could not afford even its usual midday closing for only a few hours. Nitsche highlighted the exclusivity of the Festival’s art and commented that after last year’s drought in buyers, due to the state of the economy, he hoped this year would see interest in this market restored.

The Mairie du Canton de Stanstead’s artists include sculptor Lyne Montmeny, paintings by Anne-Marie Giguère, Françoise Cloutier’s Chinese calligraphy and Luc Ducharme’s wood-turning pieces, among others of interest.

While Studio Georgeville is not officially part of the Festival of Arts Georgeville –Fitch Bay scene, you will find it in the same vicinity.  On display in this quaint little gallery you will find work by Agnes McKenna Power, Anthony Hobbs and renowned soapstone sculptor Mary Cartmel.

The Festival of Arts is open everyday until August 1^st, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and offers a chance to win an original piece of artwork. Visitors must fill in a slip with the relevant information, and at the end of the festival, all participating galleries will do a draw for one winner for a total value of $200.