The 10th annual Artful Garden show, taking place from July 21st to August 12th , is ‘featuring the works of over 40 artists created for or inspired by gardens’. It is ‘displayed outdoors in the spectacular gardens of Jon and Suzann Partridge's Muskoka studio and home’, near Bracebridge.

But it wasn’t always so. The first Artful Garden show took place at the Chapel Gallery in Bracebridge. The brainchild of local artist Suzann Partridge, it was conceived from a number of garden art pieces she had created. Thinking it would be nice to do a group show, she approached the Muskoka Arts and Crafts for the go ahead, then asked some friends. There were six artists exhibiting their work at that first show. 

“It was early spring,” founder Suzann Partridge explains, “so we had it indoors, turning the Chapel Gallery into a garden.”

“It turned out to be a success,” says Partridge, “so we thought let’s have it in my garden the next year, where there is more room.”

It is now one of the major art shows of the summer season in Muskoka, featuring numerous sculptures, (both bronze and stone), fountains, and more, all to do with gardens in some way or another. One of the exhibitors, Jean Pierre Schoss, works in steel, creating many different types of work, from very large to small and whimsical. One of his themes is ‘junkyard dogs’. “There is a lot of humour in his work,” Suzann points out.

Besides the art show there are a couple of workshops to do with art in the garden. The one on July 29th involves creating a willow twig planter, while the two-day workshop on the weekend of August 11th and 12th is for making a twig chair or cedar arbor. Advanced registration is required for either workshop.

More details and information are on the website at www.theartfulgarden.ca. 

The show location is 1016 Partridge Lane -- 2km west of Bracebridge on Hwy 118 to South Monck Drive, north 2km to Partridge Lane. 

Or call (705)645-8618 or email info@theartfulgarden.ca