Purple Hills wants YOU!

Purple Hills Arts and Heritage Society (PHAHS) wants you! That’s the message from chairperson Nadine Melemis.

From now through the end of April, PHAHS will be working to increase memberships.

At its peak, Melemis says memberships numbered around 300, and by last year, had declined to 118. But she says that number is misleading.

“In the past, every artist who participated in the Artists on Location show automatically became a member, and we’ve stopped that. Also, the 118 memberships include many family memberships, but we only collect one email address per membership so we are not really sure of actual numbers,” she said. “This is, by no means, a doom and gloom story.”

Melemis says they are very grateful for the generous support of members who contributed $8,000 in fees and donations last year, far above the published cost of $30 for individuals and $45 for families.

PHAHS has been an integral part of the Creemore community for nearly 40 years. The society is perhaps best known for Creemore Arts Fest held each year on the weekend before Thanksgiving, but Melemis says they offer a wide range of programming designed to appeal to a broad range of people.

“Recently we launched a movie club. We’ve been presenting chamber music concerts and the annual 10-by-10 show, and a lot of people are unaware that we do the Artists in Schools program.” Students in Grades 3-8 at Nottawasaga and Creemore Public School receive hands-on visual art instruction each year. “Recently we’ve added an after school Art Club with 10 weeks of activities and instruction from artists Liz Eakins and Jessica Tamlin.”

Another popular PHAHS offering is the Tea and History series, which explores local history and heritage. A session on farm families last March profiled five local pioneer families, and attracted a very different audience than some other events.

“We’re constantly trying to offer different activities to appeal to different people,” according to Melemis. “We’re trying to connect not just with our generous long-term supporters, but with families who are new to the area in hopes that we can encourage them to become members and volunteers.”

Volunteers are essential, says Melemis, helping out with everything from set up for Arts Fest to helping out at concerts.

“Not only do they help us run our events, but because we solicit grants for various things, including Arts Fest when we can boast about an increase in membership it really helps our cause,” she said.

The membership drive will include local advertising and mailings, and will continue in earnest through the end of April. Donations can be made via Canada Helps, and complete membership information is at phahs.ca.