BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//MERA - ECPv6.17.4//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://meraschoolhouse.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for MERA REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Toronto BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20250309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20251102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20261101T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20270314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20271107T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260802T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260802T160000 DTSTAMP:20260706T165912Z CREATED:20260629T201116Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260706T165912Z UID:10002202-1785679200-1785686400@meraschoolhouse.org SUMMARY:Meet the Artist - Michael Flahault DESCRIPTION:We are thrilled to have Kingston artist\, Michael Flahault\, kick off our “Soaring Through Summer” event. Enjoy an array of unique portraits\, landscapes and\, yes\, some works related to planes. \nMichael has kindly offered MERA a wonderful painting to be raffled on August 8 at 6 pm \, the evening of our one-day festival Soaring Through Summer. \nAbout the Artist \nGrowing up in Paris and London\, Michael was immersed in world-class art\, receiving instruction from accomplished school art teachers and additional training through extracurricular classes arranged by his parents. While his early career was rooted in traditional realism\, his work has since expanded to explore contemporary figurative and conceptual themes\, drawing on psychology\, relationships\, symbolism\, and the search for meaning. \nAs a member of the American Society of Aviation Artists (ASAA)\, he studied under artists including Keith Ferris\, whose work is held by the Smithsonian Institution\, and received multiple ASAA awards. In the early 2000s\, the ASAA secured him gallery representation through Art for Life in New Jersey and New York\, where limited-edition giclée prints of his watercolours were exhibited and sold. \nIn 2003 and 2004\, the Canada Aviation Museum commissioned four watercolours for its aircraft displays. Under the patronage of General Maurice Baril\, then Chief of the Defence Staff\, Michael authored the proposal that became the Canadian Forces Artists Program (CFAP/Operation Apollo)\, through which artists are sponsored to document the Canadian Armed Forces worldwide. He later served as the artist representative on the program’s Selection Advisory Committee alongside representatives from the National Gallery of Canada\, the Canadian War Museum\, the Canada Council for the Arts\, Library and Archives Canada\, the Canadian Armed Forces\, and the Senate. \nHis work has been commissioned or collected by the Canada Aviation Museum\, the Canadian Forces Museum of Aerospace Defence\, Bell Helicopter\, Execair (Innotech)\, SimuFlite\, CAE\, the Canadian Business Aircraft Association\, the O’Keefe family\, Guy Lafleur\, and private collectors as far away as Australia. \nAlongside his painting practice\, Michael has spent many years as a software developer specializing in historically accurate flight simulation. Michael holds degrees in International Relations from Concordia and McGill Universities and also studied at Carleton and Kuwait Universities. His academic background continues to inform an artistic practice that seeks to unite technical craftsmanship with the exploration of ideas\, inviting viewers to discover meaning through observation rather than explanation. \nArtist’s Statement \nMy paintings explore the concept between what is seen and what is understood. Working primarily in oils\, I use the visual language of traditional realism to examine contemporary questions of identity\, relationships\, memory\, faith\, absence\, and the quiet psychological moments that often shape our lives more profoundly than dramatic events. Rather than illustrating narratives\, I’m trying to create images that invite sustained observation. Symbolic elements are often present but rarely announced. A gesture\, the direction of light\, an overlooked object\, or the relationship between figures may suggest multiple interpretations without insisting upon a single conclusion. \nI believe a painting is most rewarding when it continues to reveal itself over time. My practice draws upon both historical painting and contemporary conceptual art. I admire the technical discipline and visual poetry of the great realist traditions while embracing the idea that a painting can communicate through ambiguity as much as certainty. Beauty\, craftsmanship\, and intellectual curiosity are not opposing values but complementary ones. Ultimately\, I hope my work encourages viewers to slow down\, look carefully\, and bring their own experiences to the painting. If a work raises questions rather than answers them\, or reveals something new on a second or third viewing\, then it has achieved what I set out to accomplish. URL:https://meraschoolhouse.org/event/meet-the-artist-michael-flahault/ LOCATION:MERA Schoolhouse\, McDonald’s Corners\, 974 Dalhousie Concession 9A\, McDonalds Corners\, Ontario\, K0G 1M0\, Canada CATEGORIES:Art exhibits,Community ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://meraschoolhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/A-Suburban-Fall-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260913T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260913T160000 DTSTAMP:20260824T204532Z CREATED:20240903T212825Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260824T204532Z UID:10000628-1789308000-1789315200@meraschoolhouse.org SUMMARY:Meet the Artist - A Kaleidoscope of Colour by The MERA Art Circle DESCRIPTION:A Kaleidoscope of Colour is an art exhibit that features the work of the MERA Art Circle. \nCome and enjoy the creativity of several of the members of this group. The MERA Art Circle that meets on Friday mornings at MERA for companionship\, artistic encouragement\, getting critique of our work\, and sharing new tools and techniques. Variety of shapes\, colours\, style and media. And variety of personalities\, inspirations and backgrounds. The group presents a show every year at MERA and these are the factors that make up this year’s show. Works range from abstract to realism\, collage to watercolours\, acrylic paints to mixed media. \nMost art pieces are for sale at reasonable prices. You can meet several of the artists and see all the work at the Meet the Artist event\, Sunday\, Sept. 13\, 2-4 PM at the MERA Schoolhouse\, 974 Dalhousie Concession 9A in McDonald’s Corners\, ON. \nYou can view the exhibit for the entire month September. MERA is open at other times as well\, when you can come and look at the art in the quiet of Dean Hall. To arrange to see the exhibition at other times\, please contact Tim Booth at timothybooth9@gmail.com.\nMERA (McDonalds Corners/Elphin Recreation & Arts) is committed to facilitating and promoting activities and programs for all ages which help bring this rural community together and to promoting awareness and understanding of the arts and well-being. For more information\, please visit our website www.meraschoolhouse.org. URL:https://meraschoolhouse.org/event/kaleidescope-of-color-mera-art-circle/ LOCATION:MERA Schoolhouse\, McDonald’s Corners\, 974 Dalhousie Concession 9A\, McDonalds Corners\, Ontario\, K0G 1M0\, Canada CATEGORIES:Art exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://meraschoolhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Art-Circle-sept-2026.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260930T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260930T113000 DTSTAMP:20260924T185346Z CREATED:20250610T143740Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260924T185346Z UID:10000643-1790762400-1790767800@meraschoolhouse.org SUMMARY:Private rental DESCRIPTION:Private rental September 30\, 10-11:30am for a private rental. URL:https://meraschoolhouse.org/event/art-exhibit-installation/ LOCATION:Ontario CATEGORIES:Art exhibits END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20261004T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20261004T160000 DTSTAMP:20260922T132310Z CREATED:20251016T150956Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260922T132310Z UID:10001973-1791122400-1791129600@meraschoolhouse.org SUMMARY:Meet the Artist - Gloria Lee-Shoebridge DESCRIPTION:Gloria-Lee Shoebridge will be hosting a vernissage of her most recent wood sculptures and paintings at the MERA Schoolhouse in McDonald’s Corners on Sunday\, October 4th from 2:00 – 4:00 pm. The show will remain open until October 31st. Visitors can drop by on the chance the Schoolhouse is open or arrange for a private tour with Gloria. 613-715-4150. \nGloria is a mostly self-taught artist. Her early years were nurtured by the natural world that surrounded her in the idyllic Souris River Valley in southern Saskatchewan. It has continued to inform her artistic vision and continued attention to details in nature ever since. \nThis October show presents many found forest remnants\, most which are on the journey transforming from tree to earth. It is this juncture that most intrigues Gloria and deals with the art of invisible mending\, similar to the Japanese art form of Kintsugi. It means the practice of repairing damaged or worn out parts\, which become part of the article’s history and aesthetic. \nThese repairs relate to the wounds and scars that become part of who we are. And how they contribute to our wholeness – healing the world\, one stitch at a time. \nAll net proceeds from the sales will be donated to support The Friends of Lanark Highlands Barbers Lake defence against a proposed gravel pit that threatens the lake. \nVisit the website URL:https://meraschoolhouse.org/event/meet-the-artists-gloria-shoebridge/ LOCATION:Ontario CATEGORIES:Art,Art circle,Art exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://meraschoolhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/poster_horizontal_2.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20261107T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20261107T120000 DTSTAMP:20261019T172501Z CREATED:20261019T172331Z LAST-MODIFIED:20261019T172501Z UID:10002619-1794052800-1794052800@meraschoolhouse.org SUMMARY:Meet the Artist at MERA: Pierrette Matthews DESCRIPTION:Meet the Artist at MERA November 7th\nThe Art of Pierrette Matthews \nBorn in Montreal\, Pierrette learned to speak English at twenty five years old while doing a Master’s Degree in International Studies in Geneva. Armed with a new language and a strong accent\, she met her future husband John Matthews\, a sculptor\, when she came back to Canada in 1976. While perusing another baccalaureate and Master’s Degree in Education\, Pierrette and John had a son Justin in 1985. Pierrette dedicated most of her working life to education. This career cumulated into the formation of a bilingual private school called Educarium\, for which Pierrette was the owner and principal for eleven years. \nAfter a very dark time touching every aspect of Pierrettes life\, she returned to her first interest since adolescence which is visual art. She bought a small house in Lanark that she has redesigned and renovated entirely. She created several gardens all around her home and she is surrounded by a beautiful pond and forests. She joined the MERA Art Circle in 2024. She works on her mixed media collages in the winter and in her garden in the summer. What you see on the walls is her soul: inquisitive\, creative\, resilient\, colourful and happy. \nYou can meet Pierrette at the Meet the Artist event\, Saturday\, November 7\, 12-3 PM at the MERA Schoolhouse\, 974 Dalhousie Concession 9A in McDonald’s Corners\, ON. \nYou can view the exhibit for the entire month November. MERA is open at other times as well\, when you can come and look at the art in the quiet of Dean Hall. To arrange to see the exhibition at other times\, please contact Tim Booth at timothybooth9@gmail.com. URL:https://meraschoolhouse.org/event/meet-the-artist-at-mera-pierrette-matthews/ LOCATION:MERA Schoolhouse\, McDonald’s Corners\, 974 Dalhousie Concession 9A\, McDonalds Corners\, Ontario\, K0G 1M0\, Canada CATEGORIES:Art exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://meraschoolhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/P.-Matthews1-scaled.jpeg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR