The Citizen, 2012-07-12, Page 23THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2012. PAGE 23.
A big part of the Blyth Festival’s
success is its connection to both its
community and its patrons and, with
staff like Lisa Hood, the Outreach
Co-ordinator for the organization,
that job is taken care of.
Hood started as a part-time
employee in the winter and began by
working with classes in schools. She
started full-time at the Festival in
May and has plans and high hopes
for the project.
“I’m hoping to get in with the
schools next year and to feature our
Arts Hooligans program that we run
during the season as an after-school
program next year.
Her job, in a nutshell, is to work
with the community through groups,
schools and events to bring the Blyth
Festival, arts and acting to people
who may have not considered it
before.
Hood was born and raised in
Goderich and, during the Festival’s
off-season, plans to continue work
she does for The Livery, another
theatre company in Huron County.
As a Goderich youth she attended
Goderich District Collegiate
Institute (GDCI) and enjoyed her
extra- curricular activities including
drama and sports.
After that she attended theatre
school at the University of Toronto
and Sheridan College.
Hood said she “kind of happened”
into her current position at the
Livery and, through it, met and
worked with the Blyth Festival
artistic director Eric Coates on a
production of The Clockmaker.
She said that she found out that the
Festival was trying to fill the
position of Outreach co-ordinator
and, after a successful trial run, was
happy to start the full-time position
in the summer.
While working for one theatre in
the summer and another in the
winter may not have been what her
original goal was when she went to
Owners and operators of the
Painted Black Studio Christina Aria
and her husband Douglas Barill
want to make art a little more
accessible to people in Blyth.
“We want to make art
comfortable,” Aria said. “We want
people to feel welcome and the feel
that the studio is an open,
constructive space.”
The studio, located on Queen
Street in Blyth, features the work of
local artists and has a creative space
in the back for people to toil away at
their own work.
The art for sale, however, won’t
have any names that Blyth and area
residents would recognize.
The pieces that adorn the walls are
sold under pseudonyms to make
sure that people are really buying
what they like without any
attachment being made to the person
who created it.
“We want people to pick up things
that they’ll enjoy and the artists want
to sell their art, not their names,”
Aria said.
She said that Barill inspired her to
create the art gallery and follow her
work there.
“I’ve done art since I was a little
girl,” she said, adding that,
alongside her art, she does website
design. “I’ve got a Bachelor of Fine
Arts from Thompson Rivers
University, that’s where we met.”
Barill, who was at the university
for his Masters in Business, works
for Huron County as a Business
Development Co-ordinator.
The couple shows local art as well
as work by their friends from school
who visit on occasion.
“When they visit they’ll do art and
we’ll put it up and keep things fresh
that way,” Douglas said.
The business will stay open until
at least September the couple said as
they hope to capitalize on the fact
that Blyth Festival brings many
people into the village.
For more information, watch for
the studio’s new website, set to go
live in the near future or e-mail
Christina at
christina@development-studios.ca
“People can get in touch with us
through the web or e-mail or people
can just come on in and talk,”
Christina said. “We’ll always
welcome that.”
Continued from page 21
engineering technology.
Ginn said Van Mierlo-West was
the standout candidate from a field
of talented applicants and she was
the unanimous choice of council.
“We have jointly set an ambitious
course for the first year,” Ginn said
in a press release, “but we know that
we have a great staff team to
support our new CAO and look
forward to jointly providing
excellent service to residents and
businesses while meeting the
challenges of the future.”
Hood heads summer workshop
Painted Black Studio welcomes Festival patrons
Studio
Painted Black Studio, a new business on Blyth’s main
street, hopes to help artists create and sell their art through
their gallery and creative space. Run by artist Christina Aria
and her husband and Huron County Business
Development Co-ordinator Douglas Barill, the studio
opened to the public in late June and has plans of staying
open through the Blyth Festival season. (Denny Scott photo)
CH CAO
search
ends
Happy 90th Birthday
Clifton Walsh
July 13
Love from your family
Forthcoming
Wedding
Brendan Matthew Pierce
and
Julia Rochelle Horan
announce their
forthcoming wedding
to take place on
September 1, 2012
in Ingersoll
Mary Ellen and Gerald Jefferson
are proud to announce the
graduation of their daughter
Sophie from the University of
Guelph with a Bachelor of Arts
and Science Honours. Sopie
graduated with Distinction.
Congratulations Sophie!
Love from Mom & Dad,
Ellen, Reba, Maisy & Scott
Graduation
Steve & Lori Howard are pleased toSteve & Lori Howard are pleased to
announce the forthcoming marriageannounce the forthcoming marriage
of their daughterof their daughter
Nikki to KevinNikki to Kevin
son ofson of
Gerry & Marilyn FreiburgerGerry & Marilyn Freiburger
on Saturday, July 14, 2012.on Saturday, July 14, 2012.
Open reception at 9:00 p.m.Open reception at 9:00 p.m.
at the Lucknow Community Center.at the Lucknow Community Center.
to
Stacy Grenier
Belgrave
who was our lucky pizza winner
for subscribing to
The Citizen
in our
May subscription campaign
Pizza generously donated by
422 Queen St., Blyth ~ 519-523-4303
Entertainment Leisure&
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
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By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Continued on page 24