Art show and sale a mainstay of Aurora culture

For more than 50 years, art fans in Aurora have looked forward to the annual Aurora Art Show and Sale.

Featuring upwards of 300 works, housed over the three levels of the Aurora Town Hall this year on April 30 and May 1, the show has become a mainstay on the cultural calendar and one that generates interest north to Barrie and south into Toronto.

“The Aurora Art Show and Sale is a long standing tradition – it’s one of the top five art shows in the GTA, said Andrea Araugo, special events program assistant for the town of Aurora. “The main reason that it’s successful is because of the town council. The Aurora town council has been incredibly supportive of the arts and culture industry and consider it a priority.”

According to Andrea, one of the main reasons for the success of the show is because Aurora is ideally situated – halfway between Toronto and Barrie – both important because of their large artistic communities.

“Because we’re centrally located, and it’s an easy location for artists to access, we can tap into great creative communities up to an hour away with ease,” said Andrea. “And since the work has to be physically delivered, it’s not a burdensome distance to travel.”

The town of Aurora has been organizing the show and sale for as long as anyone can remember and have formed a partnership with the Society of York Region Artists (SOYRA) to bring the labour-intensive show to the public.

According to SOYRA President Linda Welch, SOYRA members volunteer to run the show and the town supports the program by providing the space, printing the brochures and handling all of the entries.

“While the show is open to the public for two days, there are many days of work – at least five full ones before we open, that are quite busy for our volunteers,” Linda said.

The show is an open call to all Ontario artists, features two categories (adults – over 18- and youth – 12 – 17 year of age) and organizers have placed maximum limits on the numbers of works that can be displayed.

“We have a tremendous amount of work that comes in – probably about 450.” said Linda. “We will have 120 adult works and 60 youth entries.”

The Aurora Art Show and Sale will be held at the Aurora Town Hall on April 30 and May 1, 2022 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Admission is FREE.