Last Thursday evening a group of Beaumont artists stepped out of their comfort zone to present their Christmas Art Show in a live stream format on Facebook. Even though this was their first time undertaking such a venture, their good humour and persistence helped them overcome any challenges.

“About 5 minutes before we went live, my ring light tipped over sending my glass of red wine and all my notes flying all over the floor.” Trish McIsaac, host for the evening, laughs at some of the challenges while presenting their art show in a live stream event on Facebook. “There were a couple of technical glitches, but the show carried on!”

Ricardo Copado, local Beaumont artist explains, “My biggest challenge was to talk in a live stream especially when it comes to explaining my art, but it was a positive experience!” Copado appreciated the exposure of his art to viewers.

The idea for live streaming the art show came about as a result of having to cancel the regular Art Show in November. Christie Jedele, artist, and one of the shows organizers explains, “With covid numbers on the rise at the end of August we decided that having an art show was unlikely. With last year’s show being cancelled and a possibility that this year’s show would be too, we decided to think outside the box and create a virtual show.”

Trish described the whole process as requiring a “shift” in thinking. “Getting the artists interested and comfortable with idea of going live and speaking in front of an audience you can’t see. Once we settled on the format and learned through trial and error the technical aspects of Zoom and Facebook, we practiced, practiced, practiced.”

We discovered that one of the biggest advantages in presenting art in this manner was that “the artists were able to show what they have been up to and talk about their process in creating.  It was also great fun getting together even if we could not be in person.” Christie said.  

Other advantages include the connections made with the public and networking.  The last time we checked Facebook our video had reached over 500 people with lots of comments and shares. Through networking, the Beaumont artists have been invited by the local Chamber of Commerce to participate in an ecommerce initiative. With this ecommerce opportunity and their persistence and hard work, who knows where this will lead.

“People can still view the show online, either by watching the entire show or a short video of the artists’ work.  Viewers also have access to contact information should they want to see more artwork and/or purchase something they like.” Christie said.  We strongly encourage people to browse the artwork.

So, if you have decided to shop local this Christmas, and are looking for original gifts, check out our video @ArtistsAssociationBeaumont on Facebook.