There are plenty of artists and craftspeople hidden away along the Eastern Shore. On October 1, Seaforth artist Minaz Jantz plans to guide us to their lairs from Lawrencetown and the Prestons to Sheet Harbour with an ambitious “Follow the Yellow Balloons” day.
“Yellow is a happy color,” Jantz said, “and there’s that ‘off to the see the wizard, follow the yellow brick road thing. And yellow balloons will show up no matter what the weather, even if there’s some fog.”
Jantz said the idea came to her on one of her regular Rails to Trails walks. “I’d been meeting people walking on the trail, one day it came to me that there was an opportunity for local artists to join together as a creative collective,” Jantz said. “I thought it would be awesome for people to have an art adventure biking from studio to studio—if it wasn’t raining!”
Jantz had had works for sale at the Old School’s art gallery, and she had worked with local artist and Old School Board Chair Karen Schlick. “I called Karen and asked her what she thought of Yellow Balloons. She helped me get going, from logistics, a logo, promotional materials, and getting a website set up to promote the event and give artists a place to register.”
Artists can sign up to participate on the website (www.art2followyellow.com) for $25, which gets them onto the Yellow Balloon Google map. “Every artist will also get a personal web page for a year so that they can use it to promote themselves through their social networks for the event but also throughout the year,” Jantz said. “Our website will have a Google Map showing all the locations, so people can map out a route for the day and print it out to take with them. The only rule for artists is the items for sale be their own design and end product and clearly have prices displayed for the public.”
Jantz grew up in an arts-and-crafts environment in Okanagan, BC, where her mother had a store called UCANDU Handicrafts & Arts. “My mom raised me to also be a community volunteer,” Jantz said. “She taught me it’s the little things we give of ourselves as a collective that can transform changes to what ever the aim may be.
Jantz and her song writing/musician partner James Hewett (www.laughingbuffalomusic.com) moved to Seaforth in 2012, after ten years making art and music at work/living loft in a very busy polluted industrial area of East Vancouver. “We wanted some fresh air, and we wanted to live on the water,” Jantz said. “I love the beauty of the Shore’s wild, edgy, seaside landscapes.”
Note: For additional information, check out the Facebook page:
Or phone Minaz Jantz at 902-827-5690