RIVERDALE ART SHOW 32nd ADDITION
The Riverdale Art Show and Sale is back!
After a 2 year hiatus due to Pandemic restrictions we will be again showcasing local talent from the Toronto area.
We have a new venue and new date!
This year we are moving into the church. The date change is Friday August 5th from 6pm to 9pm and Saturday August 6th from 11am to 6pm.
Address is 361 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, Ontario. It is very close to the Chester subway. Watch for the signs.
We are accessible. To contact us for more information click here >> to go to the contact page.
After a 2 year hiatus due to Pandemic restrictions we will be again showcasing local talent from the Toronto area.
We have a new venue and new date!
This year we are moving into the church. The date change is Friday August 5th from 6pm to 9pm and Saturday August 6th from 11am to 6pm.
Address is 361 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, Ontario. It is very close to the Chester subway. Watch for the signs.
We are accessible. To contact us for more information click here >> to go to the contact page.
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A Brief History of Riverdale Art Show and Sale
It was the enthusiasm of local artist Jenny Reid that got Riverdale Art started. Designed as a fundraiser for St. Barnabas Church, she was able to sell the idea of an art show to a somewhat reluctant church leadership. In fact, approval was only granted on the condition that the show not cost the church anything at all!
The first show took place on Saturday, June 3, 1989, and included 11 local artists. The format was established for that first show, and remains essentially unchanged. Tables and chairs are set up around the hall, in such a way that three or four rows of paintings could be displayed. Artists can show about twelve paintings, or six each if the display is shared.
Sales transactions are handled centrally by the church, who deduct a small commission, and return the balance of the purchase price to the artist. In addition, each artist pays in advance a table fee, which covers the incidental expenses of the show, the most important of which is advertising, but also including refreshments and administrative expenses. Careful management of expenses has always meant that they have been covered by the table fee, and this is what made it possible to guarantee that the first show would not cost the church anything.
In fact, the success of the first show exceeded all expectations, with 28 paintings being sold, and more than $800 accruing to church funds, to be used for special projects. The minister and wardens responded much more enthusiastically when a second show was proposed, and the show continues to receive strong support, and has become a very popular local event.
The second show also took place in June, but the decision was then made to move to a date in October, based on the assessment that many potential visitors to the show would be away, or otherwise busy in June. The October date is also likely to appeal to those who are thinking about Christmas gifts, and the show has been in October ever since. There have, however, been other adjustments to the timing of the show. To mark the tenth anniversary in 1998 the show was run over two days, Saturday and Sunday, but this format was not continued. Instead a Friday evening showing and artists’ reception was begun in 2001. This has proved very successful, and local art lovers, together with many from further away give strong support to both Friday evening and Saturday daytime viewing.
Support is also strong from local artists, and there is normally a waiting list of prospective participants. About 20 artists take part in the show every year, with a total of more than 120 over the years, many returning from year to year, with up to about 4 or 6 new artists each year. Jenny Reid, who started the show, has been in every one, and several artists have been in 15 to 20 shows.
Two of the artists married during the time they showed their art, and so have appeared under two different names. One artist was legally blind, and an indigenous artist was popular for both the quality of his work, and for the fact that he shared his lunch of curried moose with his neighbour.
Riverdale Art is popular in the community, with people watching for the signs to go up to tell them the dates, then coming in numbers to view and purchase art. The show has developed a well deserved reputation for featuring very high quality art at modest prices, generally in the range of $50 to $500.
Total sales over the 31 years of the show have been in excess of $150,000, with some $30,000 going to Church projects and almost $120,000 to local artists.
In terms of sales, 2004 so far remains the high point, with total sales over $9,000. Art is a discretionary purchase, and sales declined with the economy after 2008.
From 2014 to 2019 we continued to do well with the number of sales of paintings totalling nearly 300 sold which brought in sales of approximately another $35,000, which gave another $7,000 going to more projects within the church.
With the pandemic 2020 and 2021 were on hold as so many people were on lockdowns and the church was closed for a period of time doing a lot of zoom meetings and U Tube services . We are again open and starting to bounce back. With this a new venue and new dates are now confirmed. This year 2022, our 32nd year; we are moving to inside the church and to August. The dates this year are Friday August 5th from 6pm to 9pm and Saturday August 6th from 11am to 6pm.
The success of an art show should not be measured in dollars and cents alone, but in the pleasure given to the viewers and in their feedback to the artists. In these terms Riverdale Art has enjoyed continuing success, and we look forward to many more shows.
The first show took place on Saturday, June 3, 1989, and included 11 local artists. The format was established for that first show, and remains essentially unchanged. Tables and chairs are set up around the hall, in such a way that three or four rows of paintings could be displayed. Artists can show about twelve paintings, or six each if the display is shared.
Sales transactions are handled centrally by the church, who deduct a small commission, and return the balance of the purchase price to the artist. In addition, each artist pays in advance a table fee, which covers the incidental expenses of the show, the most important of which is advertising, but also including refreshments and administrative expenses. Careful management of expenses has always meant that they have been covered by the table fee, and this is what made it possible to guarantee that the first show would not cost the church anything.
In fact, the success of the first show exceeded all expectations, with 28 paintings being sold, and more than $800 accruing to church funds, to be used for special projects. The minister and wardens responded much more enthusiastically when a second show was proposed, and the show continues to receive strong support, and has become a very popular local event.
The second show also took place in June, but the decision was then made to move to a date in October, based on the assessment that many potential visitors to the show would be away, or otherwise busy in June. The October date is also likely to appeal to those who are thinking about Christmas gifts, and the show has been in October ever since. There have, however, been other adjustments to the timing of the show. To mark the tenth anniversary in 1998 the show was run over two days, Saturday and Sunday, but this format was not continued. Instead a Friday evening showing and artists’ reception was begun in 2001. This has proved very successful, and local art lovers, together with many from further away give strong support to both Friday evening and Saturday daytime viewing.
Support is also strong from local artists, and there is normally a waiting list of prospective participants. About 20 artists take part in the show every year, with a total of more than 120 over the years, many returning from year to year, with up to about 4 or 6 new artists each year. Jenny Reid, who started the show, has been in every one, and several artists have been in 15 to 20 shows.
Two of the artists married during the time they showed their art, and so have appeared under two different names. One artist was legally blind, and an indigenous artist was popular for both the quality of his work, and for the fact that he shared his lunch of curried moose with his neighbour.
Riverdale Art is popular in the community, with people watching for the signs to go up to tell them the dates, then coming in numbers to view and purchase art. The show has developed a well deserved reputation for featuring very high quality art at modest prices, generally in the range of $50 to $500.
Total sales over the 31 years of the show have been in excess of $150,000, with some $30,000 going to Church projects and almost $120,000 to local artists.
In terms of sales, 2004 so far remains the high point, with total sales over $9,000. Art is a discretionary purchase, and sales declined with the economy after 2008.
From 2014 to 2019 we continued to do well with the number of sales of paintings totalling nearly 300 sold which brought in sales of approximately another $35,000, which gave another $7,000 going to more projects within the church.
With the pandemic 2020 and 2021 were on hold as so many people were on lockdowns and the church was closed for a period of time doing a lot of zoom meetings and U Tube services . We are again open and starting to bounce back. With this a new venue and new dates are now confirmed. This year 2022, our 32nd year; we are moving to inside the church and to August. The dates this year are Friday August 5th from 6pm to 9pm and Saturday August 6th from 11am to 6pm.
The success of an art show should not be measured in dollars and cents alone, but in the pleasure given to the viewers and in their feedback to the artists. In these terms Riverdale Art has enjoyed continuing success, and we look forward to many more shows.