The Amherstburg Art Crawl, coming July 20-21, will feature the involvement of a historic church and some modern technology.
Christ Anglican Church, located at 317 Ramsay St., will be part of this year’s event. Rev. Lisa Poultney said she reached out to a main organizer and got the church involved.
“I approached Richard Peddie because I thought that stained glass windows are art and given that Christ Church is an integral part of the historic old Amherstburg with one of the oldest buildings in town, it made sense that we be part of Art Crawl. We have been here continuously serving the community for 205 years,” said Poultney. “There will be self-guided tours of the church during Art Crawl though there will be people present to assist people and try to answer any questions they might have. People can also view the artistic images on the gravestones. Stephanie Pouget-Papak. provides tours of the cemetery with a focus on the symbols and artwork on gravestones near to Halloween.”
Parking will be available in the church’s lot, she added.
“The church parking lot is our gift to the town, as it turned out to be during Ribfest (we did not ask for any donations during Ribfest due to a change in plans). We will be offering BBQ beef hotdogs and beef and veggie hamburgers along with a drink and potato chips for sale at lunch time,” said Poultney.
Poultney added they feel the arts are important to Amherstburg and to the vibrant and healthy life of a community.
“We have encouraged the WSO (Windsor Symphony Orchestra) to come at no charge to use our space to provide concerts to the community and we are their home out in the county. We offer the parking so more people may enjoy the Art Crawl. And we are offering the history and meaning of stained glass windows in general and ours in particular, three of which date back to 1897,” she said. “Also, we have artists who belong to both the Gibson Gallery and Christ Church offering ‘en plein air’ painting in our gardens during Art Crawl.”
Christ Church would like to be involved in the Art Crawl annually, she added.
“It has been received very well so far by people who have heard of our participation. We feel that it is important for us, like Park House, to be an active participant in both the historic life of Amherstburg and its cultural life,” said Poultney.
Poultney noted stained glass windows have a 1,000 year history in the medieval cathedral churches of Western Europe. They tell stories from the life of Jesus to audiences that did not have access to the Bible either because of the preciousness of codexes or the Bible being written in Latin until the invention of the printing press. Even then most people could not read. In England, the home of the Anglican Church, stained glass windows were very popular until after Henry VIII seized the monasteries for their wealth and then as the reformation occurred and worship became much more simplified. Stained glass windows did not become popular until the mid-late 1800's. Christ Church would have been built with clear windows which were then later replaced to honour or memorialize people in the congregation. The two earliest windows were secular windows, one purchased by the Masonic order and one purchased by the local Mariners dated to 1897. The oldest sacred window is the one in the sanctuary over the altar of Jesus' ascension into heaven 40 days after his resurrection, also dated to 1897.
There will also be drone coverage of the Art Crawl. Mike Chase said his business, Windsor Aerial Drone Photography, will document the event from the ground and the air. It will not be live and content will be provided to Peddie for distribution.
“As our community and diversity grows, art is an important aspect to not only our town, but to all cultures and communities around the globe,” said Chase.
“Art transcends languages and cultures and adds a vibe to any community. Whether it's a mural on a plain brick wall in an alley, or sought after pieces of art in an exhibition, art serves as a cultural ambassador.”
Chase added: “As a resident for close to 20 years in Amherstburg, I believe strongly in our community and its future, and I also believe that art can and will play an integral role as the town continues to grow. With the continued success of the Art Crawl year after year, I believe that it's still in its infancy and has a great future in our growing community.”
Art Crawl to feature involvement of historic Amherstburg church
By RTT Staff
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