The Ten Collective Art Show

In April 2019, I had the privelege of photographing The Ten Collective’s annual art show and sale in Almonte’s beautiful and historic Mississippi Valley Textile Museum. If you haven’t been, be sure to make it an annual part of your must-see events calendar.

From TheTenCollective.com:

About The Ten Collective

In the Fall of 2017 Eileen Hennemann invited nine other artists to gather for a presentation on an idea she had for a show. A budget and venue were suggested and a rough agenda for a two-day exhibit. The group was christened The Ten Collective and over the following months, the trademark, branding and promotional material were created by Allan Stanley of HennemannStanley.com.

For three months the ten artists wrote blog pieces to share on the website and promoted the show on social and print media, and on Rogers Cable. Several local businesses offered support by sharing their premium products during the event. The first show was very successful, and the second and third shows even more so, with approximately 1,400-1,600 people visiting over two days, and most of the artists’ work being purchased.

The name “The Ten Collective” is now well known as it has become part of the fabric of the charming town of Almonte. It is proud to present its exhibition in a National Historic Site of Canada, the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum.

Thank you to our supporters, patrons and visitors for wanting to be part of the art community and spending time experiencing and enjoying the work of The Ten Collective artists ~ a group of ten Canadian artists featuring diverse backgrounds and styles 



When Opportunity Knocks

My brief time as a new resident of Almonte/Mississippi Mills has opened many doors – photographically speaking – for me. Almonte, and the five other hamlets that make up Mississippi Mills are islands of comfortable small-town life in a sea of rural farmland, livestock and weathered barns… with weathered barn doors that beckoned me inside.

Among the most rewarding of those opened doors was the barn door I walked through at Arlee and Diane Sheets’ Rock-N-Horse Farm. I had little to no knowledge of farm life nor of the animals with which we would spend hours upon hours, learning and photographing their unique personalities. Arlee, like all farmers is a tirelss worker, but he is also a very patient teacher who took the time to explain aspects of farming and animal husbandry. No question was too dumb for Arlee, or at least he never voiced that thought aloud.

The opportunity to get to know Arlee and Diane, and to photograph the many aspects of Rock-N-Horse Farm over the past eight months has been unbelievably rewarding. The century-old barn is full of atmosphere, charm and history. I like to think that through my photos of the farm, I’ve been able to capture not only some of what makes the Sheets family farm so special, but also to tell something of that story that all farmers share. 


Four decades in and this image of Marvin Sheets, Arlee’s father, may, for many reasons, be my prodest capture to date.

Like photographers, young know the value of a good beam of sunlight, especially on a chilly darn in the barn.

Frosty had a challenging start to life when he was born outdoors mid winter. His frozen nose and tongue are  now. He remains among my favourite barnyard critters.

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