Culture for Kids in the Arts
Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts 126 James Street South
The last time I was at the Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts was in December for kitestring’s Christmas Spectacular, which, needless to say, was spectacular! I was happy to revisit the Conservatory when I was invited to this summer event by kitestring’s Chris Farias. It’s such a beautiful building and a great space for events. I couldn’t resit attempting to snap some photos of the mural outside, as traffic whizzed by!
Like the winter spectacular I attended, this event was also a fundraiser for Culture for Kids in the Arts, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing high quality arts programming to children and youth, regardless of their financial circumstances. They are also dedicated to promoting arts in education.
The festivities kicked off at noon with a luncheon in the Recital Hall, followed by the launch of an art show by students of ARTASIA, a city-wide arts and environmental project. According to their website, “The overarching goal is to provide a voice to children and their view of their city, their home – realizing the potential through the eyes of a child. The project challenges the children to look at their community with both a critical and inspirational eye.” This is a great concept, reminding me of my own unique view of the city, through the eyes of a tourist.
The theme of this year’s project was a focus on local parks, and an impressive fifteen life-sized caribou were created out of aluminum and put on display. The caribou motif was everywhere – right from stepping into the lobby of the Conservatory, there were outlines of caribou on the floor and the walls that led the way up to the attic.
I arrived in the evening and followed the caribou up to the HCA Attic and rooftop patio for the Summer Soiree. I didn’t get a chance to properly enjoy the rooftop back in December, so it was lovely to be there on a warm summer evening just as the sun was setting. There is a fantastic view of downtown Hamilton from the rooftop and I enjoyed looking out across the city. It was fun to sit and chat, meet new people, and enjoy the night.
Live music was provided by Sean Le Sage Band and there was a silent auction of some local artwork. Some of the staff from Strut Salon were also on hand to raffle off some prizes to contribute to the cause. In the end, the event raised $3000 for CKA, which is amazing!
I look forward to future soirees at the Conservatory!
– Kristin
