Art Around the Town a canvas for Innisfil's most-creative minds

Christine Miller loves to have her work exposed. 

The Cookstown artist, who moved to the area in late 2022, is used to setting up displays in smaller Toronto-area venues like coffee shops. But in the short time her paintings have been on exhibit at Innisfil Town Hall, as part of the Art Around the Town initiative, she’s received plenty of positive feedback — and a noticeable uptick in interest for them. 

Run through the Innisfil ideaLAB and Library, Art Around gives primarily local artists space to showcase their work at the Lakeshore, Stroud and Cookstown branches, as well as town hall and the Rizzardo Health and Wellness Centre. 

“It’s so cool,” Miller said while sitting in the foyer at town hall recently. “It’s such an awesome space. People can see my art online but not in any other galleries. This has been really good for me. When they’re here, they can experience it for as long as they want without the pressure. It’s not a gallery, so no one’s looking to jump on you about the price. You can just walk by and appreciate it.”

Miller says she’s been painting since university and has refined her style to fit her joyful, upbeat personality. Much of her work focuses on nature, inspired by settings she’s witnessed in-person.

“Essentially, it’s like a religion for me,” she said. “I’m searching for that source … and having that come out in the art. I’ve been letting go of exactly what I’m looking at and sort of focusing more on how I’m feeling and having that come through. I don’t worry about the exact image. My work has come into a more abstract landscape pool, sourced more from the soul of the Earth than the surface level.” 

Art Around has existed for a couple of years now. 

“We have been displaying art in library and other public spaces for years,” said Kathryn Schoutsen, the library’s community development and advocacy director, noting the program also occasionally exhibits work through a partnership with Barrie’s MacLaren Art Centre. “Innisfil being as widespread as it is, without dedicated art galleries all the time, the library has filled that space and given many walls. We focus on Innisfil and local artists first.”

Each exhibit may rotate based on availability, but they generally stay on display for four months at the libraries, and six months at town hall and Rizzardo. The town and library do not act as agents of sale, but artists are encouraged to provide contact information in their exhibit labels to conduct transactions privately.

“It’s rare to find time to go to an art gallery and explore,” Schoutsen said. “Public civic spaces are free, they’re open. It’s an opportunity for the community to experience what it’s like to find a piece of art that resonates with them. You don’t get a lot of opportunities for that little beauty.”

For more information, or to apply to showcase work, visit innisfilidealab.ca.

More of Miller’s art can be found at millerart.ca or on Instagram at @millerfineart.