St. Albert Place Visual Arts Council (SAPVAC)

From plotting sequences surrounding human evolution to figuring out the Marvel Cinematic Universe saga, determining timelines can be a bewildering task. But when it comes to pegging the start of the Yuletide shopping season, artistic folks in St. Albert have no problem establishing such a date. 

To wit, the movers and shakers on the St. Albert Place Visual Arts Council (SAPVAC) gladly point to the third weekend in November as the launch of that seasonal safari, in the form of its annual Country Craft Fair, occupying St. Albert Place at 5 St. Anne Street for two days.

“I think it kicks it off,” said Sandra de Medeiros, vendor organizer of the fair which this year takes place Nov. 16 and 17. “It’s still after Remembrance Day, which a lot of people like. It’s not right after Halloween, when every other crazy place start doing shows and putting up Christmas decorations.”

That said, de Medeiros added that the fair isn’t strictly a holiday season event, despite a myriad of goods available to enhance that spirit of giving.

“You can get a lot of great gifts at all kinds of different price points. It’s really a show for everyone, and we see people come in time and time again every year. They have specific vendors that they love, and the new vendors also seem to do well.”

said Sandra de Medeiros

The draw for up to 3,000 patrons who check out the fair each year is the wide array of items up for sale, all of them locally made and hand crafted. Uniquely-designed jewellery, quilts, housewares from wooden bowls to glass goblets, leather works, bath products and a wide variety of art greet visitors looking to buy something too unconventional for chain store shelves. Depending on the items, prices could vary from as low as $5 to around $500.

One product that went over well with patrons in 2024 was an assortment of dog cookies, the first time pet food was ever sold at the fair. “People were clamoring to get to them,” de Medeiros recalled. 

This year, one merchant plans to sell pickled food and a variety of sauces at the fair. “It’s a first for sure, at least since I’ve been doing the fair,” noted de Medeiros.

Creating gift diversity is one goal de Medeiros strives to meet each year. Vendors are screened annually to ensure an even distribution of gift types are available at the fair. “What we try to do is limit the amount of participation in various categories. You’ll only find three or four jewellery people, or three people who do knitting or textile stuff,” said Medeiros. That strategy opens the door for vendors of other unique items to exhibit their products. 

Visitors have a choice to check out a number of sites showing off works in St. Albert Place. Up to 40 vendors who pay an entry fee for a spot at the event get to showcase their wares in the main corridor of the complex. Other artists—who are members of the Floral Art Society of St. Albert, St. Albert Painters Guild, St. Albert Paper Arts Guild, St. Albert Potters Guild, and St. Albert Quilters’ Guild—display their work in the nearby Visual Arts Studio. Additional artwork is also available for sale
at the WARES store.

Regulars to the fair don’t seem to have a problem seeking out their favourite vendors each year. Some of those merchants, including a leather worker and one vendor who makes items like keychains out of reclaimed spoons, have even made a huge impression on de Medeiros. But the organizer was particularly struck by one woman who makes and sells pysanka—coloured Ukrainian eggs normally trotted out in time for Easter.

“She does quite a few of them and they’re absolutely beautiful.People love them. And she’s always near the back. We always give her the same spot so people know where to find her.”

said Sandra de Medeiros

Visitors have a choice to check out a number of sites showing off works in St. Albert Place. Up to 40 vendors who pay an entry fee for a spot at the event get to showcase their wares in the main corridor of the complex.

SAPVAC Background

The St. Albert Place Visual Arts Council (SAPVAC), which advocates, promotes, and supports local visual arts, can trace its origins as far back as 1962, when the St. Albert Arts and Crafts Guild was formed. Six years later, the town council provided two portable buildings in Salisbury Park as a home base
for the growing arts community. 

By 1974, the community continued to expand, warranting a need to create a space to house cultural and civic services. The following year saw the formation of the St. Albert Further Education Council, which handled school classroom art instruction previously administered by the Guild. 

That space to combine civic and cultural functions became a reality by 1983, with the opening of St. Albert Place. The facility, which housed the city’s Council Chambers, included a visual arts studio named after potter and instructor Sybil Laubenthal. Additionally, the city created a cultural services department, the first municipality in Canada to do so.By 1985, the Guild had disbanded, with membership moving towards individual guilds of their own. In its place eventually emerged SAPVAC, a not-for-profit charitable organization that houses the St. Albert Floral Art Society, the St. Albert Painters’ Guild,
St. Albert Paper Arts’ Guild, St. Albert Potters’ Guild and the St. Albert Quilters’ Guild. Also included is the Art Gallery of St Albert and the City of St. Albert Cultural Services Department. (Source: The City of St. Albert)