A lively anarchy swept through Christopher’s Coffee House in Timmins Saturday afternoon that nudged the usually ordered arrangement of tables into a state of mild disarray.
Tables from the north wall were displaced by a dark tower of stacked Bose speakers that lurched over the quaint Pine Street S. Coffee House. A microphone rested on a chair.
People entered grabbed a coffee or other favourite beverage and talked with each other.
Then a bespectacled young woman picked up the microphone and launched a unique confab of the Timmins Arts community known as Art Plus Heart.
“Hi my name is Jessica Trudel and welcome to the first Art Plus Heart at Christopher’s Coffee House. This is for you. The mic will be placed on this chair and if you want to share your work or talk about an issue in the arts community come on up, pick up the mic, display your art, read a story, sing a song the floor is yours.”
Trudel said the idea of Art Plus Heart came out of the sitting down and thinking about how to bring different groups such writers, musicians, artists in Timmins together.
“The challenge is how to get all the different elements of the arts community together,” Trudel explained. “Because artists don’t fit into a box...so instead of trying to organize them I thought let’s bring them together in a casual relax way to share their art, music, talk about issues and share ideas.”
In a way through Art Plus Heart Trudel has built a Coffee House of Dreams... and the artists, writers and musician did come for the launch.
After Jessica’s welcome and introduction, a local poet took the mic and read three new poems. The Saturday afternoon coffee house crowd applauded the poems, two of which referenced local landmarks and issues.
Following the reading people gathered around three local artists who were displaying their works.
One of the artists was Delia Giannunzio, an abstract painter from Timmins.
She hopes Art Plus Heart will serve as a way to help local artists promote their works. Giannunzio has a website and has been featuring her paintings there, but there is nothing better than a live audience where she can display her works and interact with arts aficionados in a relaxed and casual atmosphere.
For more on the works of Delia Giannunzio, click here
Others gathered to look at the work of a local artist named Elaine who had set up one of her paintings on a small easel.
“If they have a passion for their art they are welcome to share their work,” Trudel said explaining the philosophy behind Art Plus Heart.
“I haven’t come up with a structure rather here is the space you are welcome to this space to do your thing without judgement,” she added.
Art Plus Heart runs for three hours the last Saturday of each month.
There is no schedule of acts. First up first served. A monthly drop-in centre for the Timmins arts community.
Later in the afternoon local musicians Steve Kessler who has a regular Friday night jazz gig at Christopher’s dropped by as did saxophonist Brian Jones. They didn’t play this afternoon but came out to show their support.
A local cartoonist dropped by to display his political cartoons.
“What makes Art Plus Heart unique,” Trudel said, “is that it evolves as opposed to being a structured show- You never know what will happen.”
The people who show up on any Art Plus Heart event create the show.
Every Art Plus Heart afternoon will be its own work of art shaped by the dynamics of the collective creative energy of whoever happens to be in the room.
Art Plus is held on the last Saturday afternoon from 1-4 p.m. Christopher’s Coffee House 35 Pine Street.
Those interested in following Art Plus Heart can go to www.facebook.com/timminsartnetwork
For information on Christopher’s Coffee House and future events
