As the big day draws near we wanted to learn more about the organizers of Salt Spring in the City! Many of you may have been wondering who these folks behind the scenes are. However, before jumping into personal introductions, here is a brief bit of history on how it all came together:
Salt Spring in the City 2014 was the brain-child of a dedicated and inspired group of Salt Spring Market vendors who wanted to find a way of bringing the magic that is the “Salt Spring experience” to those who have yet to discover it. They had the dream of creating an event featuring many of the most talented artists working on our island home. This early group of volunteers put in countless hours of their blood sweat and tears and the result was a hugely successful first show. On the heels of this, a company of five women formed together as “official producers”.
Together these women have been working this past year to develop something unique: a branded event featuring the best art, craft and food the West has to offer. The level of artistic merit that exists on our island is what sets us apart as a community. We are wives, mothers, community members, artists and business owners and we feel proud to call this magical Salt Spring Island our home.
Julie MacKinnon is an award winning clay artist. Her studies in architecture strongly influence her designs in high-fired porcelain tableware. Her work has a friendly aesthetic sentiment and each piece is obviously made with joy. Julie has run her pottery studio for 10 years on Salt Spring Island and her work has been exhibited Canada-wide and collected internationally. She is also an enthusiastic instructor and teaches many clay workshops.
Zandra Stratford is a painter whose assertive abstracts employ vibrant, almost masculine blocks of impactful colour. Stratford studied printmaking at the Victoria College of Art, after more than a decade’s experience as an advertising Art Director. This informs her work’s cadence, graphic sensibility and declarative confidence. Her work is collected internationally.
Cheyenne Goh is a co-owner of Black Sheep Books and Salt Spring Tweed where she upcycles jackets and thrift-store finds into one of a kind bags and accessories. She worked as a craft consultant with UN agencies in South East Asia and co-owned and ran tropical spas in Indonesia and China before settling in Canada. She was one of the founding producers of Salt Spring in The City.
Deanna Milligan is the designer of Cherry Blossom Eco Clothing. She silk screens artwork by hand on original garments. Often her design inspiration is coloured by her background in the film industry. Cherry Blossom is part of the Salt Spring Studio tour and has exhibited in Las Vegas, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.
Rachel Hughes is a self-proclaimed “fibre addict.” She abandoned her early career in the field of health care and moved west with her family to pursue her true love: art. Her explorations in the world of design and fibre art are what led her to develop her business – End of Her Rope. She creates fully wearable accessories for the modern woman with discerning taste and can be found at the Salt Spring Saturday Market as well as in countless boutiques throughout the west.
Want to meet these fabulous women? Join the Fabulous Females networking group at the show on Friday, March 27, 2015.
