Home for the holidays at the quesnel art gallery and gift shop

Happy Holidays Everyone!

It's our favourite time of the year at the Quesnel Art Gallery and Gift Shop! It's time for Beaux Arts Bazaar. This annual show is an opportunity for the local artists and craftspeople of the Cariboo Region to sell their works for the holidays. We are packed with paintings, pottery, cards, soaps, ornaments, glass, drawings, knitting, and wood carvings. All of it available for your holiday shopping!

We have some of our holiday favourites returning this year, such as cards and bookmarks by Lorrie Stolarski, Chickadees by Maggie Ferguson-Dumais, and glass ornaments by Sandy Fontaine. We also have new items such as wool snowmen by Lou Dobie, walking sticks by Ron Caskey, and photos by Sam Watters. Your local artists pulled through this trying time with some fantastic and unique gifts for the holiday shopping event of the year. We're lucky to have so many of the things you loved last year, as well as so many new items that we know you (or that someone special) will love.

 When we heard the unfortunate news about the Winter Farmer's Market being cancelled, we reached out to some of the vendors to see if they wanted to set up their wares in the gallery this year. We are happy to welcome Lavender Blue Soaps, Willow Tree Pottery, and The Mushroom Lady, to this year's Beaux Arts Bazaar. They have wonderful works set up for your perusal. The soaps are wonderful for stocking stuffers, the mugs are ready for hot cocoa, and the silk scarves will brighten up any outfit.

The Quesnel Art Gallery and Gift Shop knows that this year has been difficult on local businesses, arts and crafts people, and especially difficult on you ... our community. We want you to know that we understand this, and that we understand concerns you may have about wanting to support local while following COVID-19 protocols. The Quesnel Art Gallery has a mandatory mask policy, and can supply you with one if needed. We are also posting photos of our items on our Facebook page so that you may shop from the safety of your home and make arrangements for pick up (payments can be made by e-transfer, or credit card over the phone). We're updating the photo album regularly, so keep checking it!

If you cannot find what you are looking for here, please look for it at one of the other amazing local businesses we have in our community. A lot of businesses are going to great lengths to keep this community safe and could use a little support. Check out the Facebook page for the Quesnel Farmer's Market to find out how some of them are selling their wares this holiday season, or contact local businesses and vendors to find out what is being sold, where is it being sold, and what arrangements can be made to remain safe.

Most importantly, make sure that you remain safe and healthy this holiday season; we want to able to ring in the new year with you. Oh, and almost forgot,  our new 2021 calendars are now available in the gift shop and on our website (last plug, I swear)!

Special thanks to Community Futures North Cariboo, KPMG, and Fraserview Pharmacy for sponsoring Beaux Arts Bazaar this year.

- Tanya Nielsen (Member at Large)

Twitter: @QuesnelArt
Facebook: Quesnel Art Gallery
Instagram: quesnelartgallery