Four and Friends

Four and Friends Art Sale

The popular Four and Friends Art Sale has proven to be a successful venture of the Bruce Mines and Area Chamber of Commerce. Each year it draws hundreds of visitors to the community to enjoy the art work presented at the show but also to enjoy all the Bruce Mines and area has to offer. Visitors to the show usually take the opportunity to dine at the local establishments and to investigate the local shops.

The 2010 Four and Friends Art Sale and Show - our 20th - will take place on July 9 - 11.

Details of the 2010 artists are as follows:

The Four:

Noni Boyle

Doug Bradford

Linda Finn

Doug Hook

2010 Guest Artists:

Brigitte Bere

Adriane Bondar

Miranda Bouchard

Michael Burtch

Robert Ralph Carmichael

Laura Caswell

Gail Giuliani

Ken Hagerman

Lucinda Bradford Hatt

Beth Jackson

Gwen Keatley

Jane Meyer

Mireille Gagnon Moes

Hugh Morrow

Kyla Smith

2010 Scholarship Winners:

Riley Grecco
Algoma University Fine Arts Scholarship

Graeme Caughill
CASS Scholarship winner

Proudly sponsored by
Bruce Mines and District Chamber of Commerce
(contact info@brucemineschamber.com).

Four and Friends Art Show History

The Show began in 1990 as a vision of President, Brian Torrance and each year has drawn an attendance of between 2000 and 3000 people. The visitors to the show regularly come from Sault Ste. Marie, Elliot Lake, Sudbury and points in between, but because the venue for the show is right on the Trans Canada Highway, people travelling from greater distances, including the United States of American also drop in to view the works of art.

The original concept of holding a quality art show and sale in Bruce Mines began with Brian Torrance. He approached well-known professional artists Robert Ralph Carmichael, Doug Hook, Gwen Keatley and John Keast and together they fleshed out the idea and chose the name and designed the logo. The Show’s logo features a tree with four branches with each branch sporting three leaves. This design represents the concept that each year “The Four” professionals would invite twelve artist friends to exhibit with them. Over the years, the four have changed and now are Doug Brandford, Linda Finn, Doug Hook and Noni Boyle.

Artists chosen for the show include professional and emerging artists from the area of Sault Ste. Marie, along the North Shore of Lake Huron and Elliot Lake and beyond. The show has expanded to include the work of a sculptor and have featured such artists as Jurgen Hug, Ralph Ingleton, Murray Finn and Gail Giuliani. The popularity of the show results from the consistently high quality of the work that is exhibited as well as the fresh look that is brought to it by the year’s invited guest artists. The distinctive styles and subject matter of all of these talented individuals blend to produce a powerful show.

The art show also provides the public with the unique opportunity to meet the varied artists, as most of them are in attendance throughtout the weekend to discuss their work with the public. The show is designed to be “viewer friendly” and the public is encouraged to ask questions of the artists and the organizers alike.

The show is totally produced and staffed by volunteers from the community who work to set up the show, greet visitors at the door, handle advertising and all registration materials and many other jobs behind the scenes. As Peggy Wallace, Art Show Coordinator noted: “Our volunteers define dedication. How many organizations have volunteers calling to make sure that they aregoing to be called to help four months before the show? Visiting artists have commented on how knowledgeable out volunteers are about art and, considering that many have been helping us since the show was first presented, that is not surprising."

Four and Friends Scholarship

Four and Friends is devoted to encouraging the arts, and beginning in 1997, the organizing committee has awarded scholarship to graduating students from Central Algoma Secondary School art program. In 2009, it was decided to award a scholarship to a student graduating from the Arts Programme of Algoma University as well. The scholarships are intended to recognize the accomplishments of the students graduating from CASS and Algoma University and the scholarship comes from donations of people visiting the Four and Friends Art Show. The scholarship winners’ art is displayed at the show and this provides the students with an excellent opportunity to meet professional artists and to discuss their styles and their approach to “marketing".

Four and Friends is proudly sponsored by

Bruce Mines and District Chamber of Commerce