ABOUT THE CENTRAL ONTARIO ART ASSOCIATION

Doug Mays' demo. He subsequently finished 3 more during the course of the weekend.

The Central Ontario Art Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing individual and group opportunities in art instruction, encouragement of art appreciation, pooling of area efforts and resources, development of area leadership in visual art and fostering inter-group co-operation and participation in visual arts.

Our membership is widely dispersed and very diverse, embracing all media and all levels of artistic development. Through workshops, informal paint-outs, sketching trips, annual juried and members’ exhibitions, and quarterly newsletters, our widely spread group of over 300 artists network and mentor each other.

History of the Central Ontario Art Association

The formation of the Central Ontario Art Association (COAA) has been a three-tier development. In 1953, there were no more than three organized art groups in the counties of Dufferin, Peel, Wellington, Waterloo and Halton. The following year in 1954, a group of art teachers met together at the MacDonald Institute in Guelph and formed the Teachers’ Council, leading to the development of our organization, then called, the Five Counties Art Association. With the support of the founding members and the sponsorship of the Community Program Branch of the Ontario Department of Education (later the Youth and Recreation Branch) and the Ontario Arts Council, the association grew and flourished.
Bridgewater Art Retreat, near Tweed - a fantastic weekend with great painting & quality time with truly wonderful, fun, talented people.

The Member’s Show Reception at the Art Gallery of Hamilton. January, 2016