CREATIVE CORNER
STORY BY PRIYA RAMSINGH Community Creativity through Connecting
Art can build communities. That’s the philosophy adopted by Ross Anderson, when he founded the Erin Arts Festival that will colour Main Street on Saturday, June 20. Anderson moved to the Town of Erin in 2020, after retiring from his job as a corporate lawyer in Toronto. When he settled in, Ross wasted no time in meeting his neighbours by knocking on doors and introducing himself. But as a new resident living in a recently constructed development, he realized he didn’t know the long-standing residents who lived in the more established parts of the town. That’s when an idea sparked. Under a three-person family committee that includes his wife Cynthia Mancia, and his stepson Jose Mancia, they decided to create an arts festival to bring people together. “Everyone wants to feel welcome,” he said. “It’s easy to build houses. The difficult part is to build a sense of community.” Anderson started by knocking on doors of the Main Street businesses and floating the idea by the business owners. “The response was enthusiastic,” he said. “The festival will attract new people to Main Street, integrating new residents with existing residents. We need something like this to blend the new people into the town.” With hard work, and a community grant from the
County of Wellington, the vision came together. The one-day event will feature artists from various backgrounds showcasing their talents and work. Attendees can attend the photography exhibit, the quilt exhibit and browse through the vendor area to purchase pieces of art and support the local artisans, while listening to the tunes from local musicians who will play throughout the day. A key feature of the event is the ‘en plein’ (open air) setting where artists paint on easels along the street, while onlookers observe the artistic process in real time. This is an opportunity to interact with the artists who will be creating paintings and drawings using a medium of their choice. While adults mingle with the artists, children can head over to MacMillan Park for a day of arts and crafts. To wind down the event, artists who participated in the en-plein event can have their work displayed and judged to win one of three prizes. To learn more about the festival, contact ra.erinartsfestival@gmail.com. You may also visit the Instagram account @erinartsfest for updates.
34 | SPRING SUMMER 2026 | DISCOVER ERIN
DISCOVER ERIN | SPRING SUMMER 2026 | 35
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