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Adults only art show back in Maple Ridge

Art Church will feature adult artist and entertainer Brent Ray Fraser, and about 60 other artists
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Brent Ray Fraser, an adult entertainer and artist, will be performing at the event. (Special to The News)

A world renowned adult entertainer who has appeared on Got Talent shows across Europe and in Canada will be highlighting a 18-plus art show in Maple Ridge.

Brent Ray Fraser, who reached the semi finals last year on Got Talent España and painted a bull live on television with a uniquely male body part – will be bringing his act and art to the Art Church Art Fair, an art exhibition for adults only.

Art Church was started in 2017 and is put on by local artists Caitlin Legault and Rianne Keel. This will be the first year since 2019 that they will be holding an in-person event.

This year they are excited to announce they have lined up about 60 artists who will be exhibiting everything from paper crafts to clay work, and leather work. There will be illustrators, sticker makers, painters and ink drawings.

Even though we’ve only had three shows before the pandemic, two online shows during the pandemic, everybody’s been asking about when we’re going to start it up, start up art church

“As soon as we put out the call to having artists, we had at least 55 spots were filled in two days,” noted Legault, adding that many couldn’t wait for the show to come back.

Since the show is for those 18 years and over, there will be a lot of “low-brow” art.

“Anything kind of goes with our artwork,” explained Legault.

“We know that some of our artwork can be controversial, depending on the content, but we really welcome that open dialogue around it,” she said.

In addition to the exhibit, there will be roving performing artists from the Wizard’s Art Council, and live performances by Fraser who will be setting up an art installation.

Legault is also excited to host: Vancouver artist Jimmy Cummins, also known as “I, Braineater”, who has worked on art pieces to go on skateboards, and covers for famous bands; art collective Creators Coven, a group of “witchy” artists from East Vancouver led by Alex Marx; and her Art Church partner Keel, also known as The Human Prism, who is an artist, illustrator, and designer whose colourful works are also included in dresses and jewellery.

A full concession will be available with popcorn and hotdogs. A number of food trucks will be on site and with their liquor licence they will be serving beer and spiked lemonade.

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“It’s just supposed to be a really fun event to sort of loosen people up around the art culture,” she said.

The opening ceremony and land acknowledgement will be taking place at 12:30 p.m. with Kwantlen First Nation drummer Dennis Leon.

Art Church, said Legault, is a platform for LGBTQA2+ artists and artists from the black, Indigenous, or people of colour, communities.

They also support artists with disabilities – or anyone who may be marginalized by other art communities.

“Art Church is an inclusive space and we believe that anybody can be an artist,” said Legault, adding that it’s about the process not the product.

“We try to create a fun, exciting experience for anybody who visits our event. We try to shake off the pretentious, kind of, boring vibe that we feel a lot of other places can have,”she said.

Art Church takes place from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 20, at the Albion Fairgrounds, 23588 Jim Robson Way in Maple Ridge.

Tickets are $15 at the door.


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Colleen Flanagan

About the Author: Colleen Flanagan

I got my start with Black Press Media in 2003 as a photojournalist.
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