On June 24th 2023, the warm weather brought thousands of art lovers out to Quebec Street in Downtown Guelph for the 21st annual Art on the Street. Presented annually by Guelph Arts Council and Downtown Guelph Business Association, Art on the Street is Guelph’s largest outdoor exhibition and sale.
Art on the Street spotlights multi-disciplinary talent within the regional arts community. Each year, over 70 established and emerging artists showcase their works in temporary, open-air studios. Painters, potters, blacksmiths, jewellers, glass blowers, wood carvers, textile artists, photographers, and more are represented.
The presentation of awards is an exciting moment for both artists and visitors, and an opportunity to recognize exhibitors’ excellence. Ballots for the People’s Choice Award are distributed, collected, and counted by volunteer Art Angels and a trio of judges, all arts professionals, who make the rounds throughout Saturday to make choices for the Best in Show, Honorable Mention, Best Booth, and Emerging Artist awards.
Guelph Arts Council and Downtown Guelph Business Association congratulate this year’s award winners:
Best in Show – Eric Allen Montgomery is a mixed media artist and arts promoter, creating professionally since 1981. He spent 17 years in British Columbia running a successful glass sandblasting studio, creating decorative work and custom recognition awards for international clientele as well as overseeing 2 small galleries before returning to his home province of Ontario in 2007.
Honorable Mention – Matsu Jewellery, Jennifer Shigetomi is the creative force behind Matsu Jewellery. A trained goldsmith and artist from George Brown College and OCAD, Jennifer’s elegant, contemporary style is achieved through a balance of artistry and technique.
Best Booth – Lil Tree and Me, designs handcrafted dolls and reversible clothing. A one woman business that creates original pieces combining new and upcycled
materials. Miko marries her background in fine arts with her experience in
motherhood to make sustainable unique designs that will grow with your
child, and dolls that can be used for display or play.
Emerging Artist AND People’s Choice Award – Quinn Henderson, is a Canadian multi-disciplinary artist (b.1994, Guelph, On). Following a series of self taught explorative years in street art, tattooing, and illustration, Quinn narrowed his focus on Oil and Acrylic painting after a year long mentorship with Japanese-Canadian based painter Keita Morimoto in 2019-2020
A huge thank you to all the wonderful artists and makers who joined up on Quebec St. over the June weekend! A special thanks also goes out to our wonderful event sponsors, as well as volunteers who help us keep this 20+ year Guelph tradition alive! Artists interested in applying to Art on the Street 2024 should contact Guelph Arts Council in January, sign up for Arts Blast e-news at guelpharts.ca, or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter for event updates.
