Hundreds of people got their first look at the holiday season over the weekend.
The Thunder Bay Art Gallery’s 11 th annual Christmas House Tour is the local gallery’s biggest fundraiser of the year. Over 600 people were criss-crossing the city Sunday, to get a look inside five homes decorated in the holiday spirit by local businesses. Each home featured a different theme, from modern minimalism to traditional Christmas looks. Art gallery development officer Socorro Woodman said it takes over 100 volunteers to make the event happen.
“It’s really about getting into the spirit of the holidays and getting to see other people’s vision for what the holiday season is like,” she said Sunday outside of a decorated home on Victor Street.
While it helps the art gallery, it also helps the local artists and businesses that participate. Judi Vinni, coordinator for Willow Springs Creative Centre, said hundreds of people helped with the decorations for the home on Victor Street that Willow Springs transformed into a bohemian artist’s winter solstice party. The centre is a non-profit organization rather than a commercial business, which is why the decorations were made by a variety of people. The canvass paintings were done by participants at a local youth centre while birdfeeders hanging outside of the home were made by residents at Dawson Court.
“We incorporate all different people into our designs,” Vinni said. “We have a very party atmosphere.”
It’s win-win for the centre because while they’re helping out the local art gallery, hundreds of people are also looking at art created by people who have participated in Willow Springs art programs.
“It’s a way to publicly display your art and help another organization,” she said.
