Ambient Creative Collective opens its doors in Plevna

May 27, 2010

5 members of the Ambient Woods Creative Collective at their grand opening in Plevna l-r: Gabriela Klessen, Marlene Leeson, Betty Hunter, Annemarie Schonauer, and Debbie Emery

This past holiday weekend members of the Ambient Woods Creative Collective opened the doors of their new Studio and Gift Shop to the public for the first time and delighted art and craft enthusiasts passing through Plevna.

The 16-member collective recently took over the United Church manse in Plevna and now have a permanent venue through which to sell and show their work.

On display at the opening was an eclectic array of fine art and craft objects that included pine needle baskets, wooden sculptures, scroll sawn objects, landscape and folk art paintings, jewelry, quilts, afghans, recycled art works, bags, purses and a number of other original items too numerous to mention. The collective first formed as a guild in March 2009 with seven members and has continued to grow. Member Debbie Emery explained, "One of the goals of the guild has always been to make the arts in the community more visible. So last summer when the United Church was holding a yard sale at the manse I toured the space and then put a proposal at their AGM in February. They voted unanimously to let us use the manse from May to October on a donation basis. So it's a real win-win situation and we are thrilled with the set up."

Anyone who missed their grand opening can visit the shop, which is located at 7500 Hwy. 509, during regular store hours Thurs-Sat. 10am-4pm.