The Elora Fergus Arts Council is a multi-arts, non-profit, volunteer organization with a long history of providing opportunities for artists in Centre Wellington. In its founding year, EAC assumed the operation and funding of the INSIGHTS Juried Arts Show, which predated EAC by five years, and in 1986 expanded it to include a numbers of new disciplines. For many years the Exhibition took place ove
r the period of one month at the Wellington County Museum and Archives; since 2002 the show has expanded to two months in the summer. This show is considered the largest and longest run art exhibit run by a non- institutional group in Ontario. In 1987 it started an annual Youth Concert, an opportunity for young musicians to gain experience in performing before an audience. In 1987 it organized the first Elora-Fergus Studio Tour with eighteen studios participating. In 2005 their number has grown to 40+. In the fall of 1988, EAC acquired the Yamaha Grand Piano, presently housed in the Exhibition Hall of the Wellington County Museum. This has enabled many musical activities to take place. With the advent of the Grand Piano, the Gallery Music Group was formed in November 1988, with the advent of the Grand Piano. Six non-profit concerts a year are offered in conjunction with the Wellington County Museum. This group remains affiliated with EAC. In September 1989, EAC sponsored and organized Youth Arts Classes in conjunction with the Wellington County Museum. These continue to flourish, now entirely under the auspices of the WCM. The Elora Writer’s Festival ‘Words By The Water’ was initiated in 1994, and has continued to attract many well-known authors to an afternoon of readings. In 2003, a Writing Competition for youth and adults was added, and over 100 entries were received from across the world. The Writer’s Festival now features two distinct events. Puppets Elora was founded with support from EAC in 1994 and has continued to flourish, with original plays now being written for this group. This independent organization is affiliated with EAC. In 2002, a new committee was formed called Art In Public Places, with the purpose of enriching the exteriors and interiors of our community with the vibrancy and beauty of visual art. To date this committee has worked with Groves Hospital to embellish the corridors and lobby with rotating art displays. In 2005 EACH has been asked to bring the vibrancy of original art into our Municipal Building, through loans and acquisitions. In 2008, we expanded this program to include the Board Rooms at the Sportsplex, Fergus.
