Headwaters Arts

Sharing Recipient Stories

2025 Dufferin County Community Grant Recipient
$5,500

Sharing our story

In September /October of 2025, Headwaters Arts presented its 29th Annual Headwaters Arts Fall Festival that included: Juried Art Show & Sale; Opening Night Gala; Juror’s Walk and Artists Outdoor Market. The annual, open juried, Fall Festival Art Show and Sale is this organization’s flagship arts and culture event of the year and the largest and longest running, juried, visual art show of its kind in the entire region, awarding substantial prize $ to selected, winning artists. Over 150 works of art were submitted with 79 works accepted by 64 local/regional artists, and 30% of those artists were from Dufferin County. Ten original pieces of artwork were sold for a total of $16,215. The Fall Festival was hugely successful in promoting goodwill, strengthening the sense of community and the value of the arts among our members and residents across Dufferin County and the entire Headwaters Region and providing the opportunity of an economic return and career growth/recognition to all artists from Dufferin County and artists living in the entire Headwaters region. “Being at the festival is a privilege, it’s a real compliment to be able to show my work amongst such great artists, I am so thrilled”, says Orangeville artist/painter Hildegarde Sausik. The Fall Festival and Headwaters Arts fulfills Dufferin County’s strategic priorities of Community and Hildegarde is proof that we are of huge value to the well-being of artists and residents in Dufferin County. Headwaters Arts is important – indirectly we strengthen and promote active, healthy living for families, and bring together community, artists and art lovers and people of all ages by engaging them in the arts. Past Headwaters Arts President and arts supporter Jefferson Mappin says, “What matters most is that The Mill and the Headwaters Arts Festival have brought all of the artists together and is engaging residents and drawing more visitors to see and buy art, it’s been great for making community”.

The Festival’s Opening Night Gala was well received and attended. Our goal was to ensure our visitors, volunteers, artists, residents, dignitaries, funders and sponsors were given the best arts experience on the Opening Night and throughout the entire Festival. We had over 200 people attend the opening soiree, including fifty participating artists, sponsors and twelve VIP’s. The evening included live music from a local jazz duo Paul Llew-Williams, guitarist and vocalist, Shelisa Akbar. Also included as part of evenings events, was a silent auction (all donated items) that raised close to $3,000 dollars. The evening included juror award presentations, sponsor certificate recognition and the opportunity to support young artists pursing a post secondary education in the fields of visual arts, dance, music, theatre and literature with the presentation of the Headwaters Arts Student Scholarship Awards.

The 15-day Fall Festival took place in the Headwaters Arts Gallery ( an 810 sq. ft gallery space) and the adjoining additional Gallery space. During the festival, we also presented 3, 30 minute, “Meet the Artists” sessions that included a 30-minute presentation from participating Dufferin County artists Fabienne Good, Grand Valley, Lynn Gilbank, Mono and Pat Burns, Mulmur; all artists n the Juried Art Show and Sale. This was a free event as was the Jurors Walk which was open to the public and very well marketed and attended. In the outdoor arts space, under the tented roof over the Annex located in the Alton Mill Arts Centre Complex, we held an Arts Market with 18 artisans/artists participating. This brought many into the show and supported economically more Dufferin/local and regional artists. Overall, the Fall Festival attracted over 4,000 visitors/art lovers/collectors from across the region, GTA and beyond.
The success of the Fall Festival is due in large part to our part-time staff, specifically our social media specialist and Gallery Coordinator staff and targeted marketing plan that included expansion of our target market reach and the production of timely, dynamic and creative marketing materials.

Margi Taylor, President
info@headwatersarts.org
(519) 943-1149
www.headwatersarts.org

This year’s Fall Festival Juried Art Show and Sale included: a record # of emerging and mid-career artists submitting work; a record attendance at the Opening Night Gala; a record # of art works sold both in person and on-line; gained new corporate sponsors; started conversations with new programming partners; grew our membership; had previous, long-time art collectors return to view and purchase art work; retained previous large sponsor s and continued support from Deputy Premier/MP Sylvia Jones who attended the opening night and donated to the silent auction. We also had a tremendous amount of press coverage for all components of the Fall Festival.