Apt613’s Brian Carroll interviewed Brenda Small of the Glebe Art in the Garden Tour (July 5-6, 10am-4pm). Brenda Small is one of the artists in the tour, a member of the organizing committee, a member of the jury, and is responsible for advertising.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Apt613: What is the Glebe Art in the Garden Tour?
Brenda Small: It is a tour where you go from site to site to look at artists’ work. This year, there are 14 sites in the Glebe and 24 artists. Some of the sites have guest artists, and most of the sites have an artist who lives there, plus an artist from outside. Or an artist who doesn’t have a suitable garden.
How long has the tour been around?
I started helping out with the tour about 12 years ago. I think it was going for six or eight years before.
I think the people who started it years ago had nice little gardens, and they wanted to show their art there. They had more space to talk to people and to set up their art, rather than a small living room. I’ve been on house art tours, and they’re nice. But, being outside in the garden, it’s nicer. The disadvantage is rain, but fingers crossed. The time I’ve been involved with it, it hasn’t been completely postponed because of rain.
How can people see samples of the artist’s work in advance?
They can go to the website. And on that, there are links to websites that some of the artists have. There is also a map where people can find out where an artist’s work is displayed.
On the Railway Line by Brenda Small. Photo provided.
How did artists qualify for the tour?
They apply. We send out a call to artists in late January to February to all the places in town where you’d send them. And we post it in art stores like Wallack’s. People write an email and ask for an application. We email them the application. They fill it out and send three examples of their art. At the beginning of May, we look through it all and decide how many artists we can have. How many old ones are returning? Which of the new applications would we like to accept?
Presumably, there is a committee?
There are four of us. The other people on the committee are Martha Bowers; she’s our main organizer. And Eileen Durand, whose husband is one of the artists in the tour. And Marissa Romano, who helps out as well. She has a garden, but she’s not an artist. She gets two artists to display in her garden; I’m one of them.
What are the goals of the tour, and what is its original raison d’être?
Number one, so that artists who aren’t necessarily associated with galleries have an opportunity to have a show and to show their art. Not all art galleries will take your art. Even if you’re a very, very good artist, if you go to an art gallery, they’ll say, “We really love your art, but do you have 15 or 20 paintings on the same theme?” Even if they did at one time, they might have sold 14 of them, and they’ve got six left that they’d like to display and sell.
The other reason is—I think the artists who started, and certainly the people who offer their gardens now, say, “Hey, I have a nice garden. Come and share it with me.”
Is there a question I should have asked you?
It’s a weekend thing because everybody who goes to it has a chance to talk to the artists, talk about how they paint. There are budding artists there, and even experienced ones who are curious about what (other) artists have done and how they’ve done it. Somebody who has done acrylics but never watercolour. They look: “Wow, that just looks so hard. How do you do it?” So there’s a lot of opportunity for discussion with the artists. That makes it for the artist. You’re not just sitting there hoping somebody will buy your art.
Glebe Art in the Garden Tour is in The Glebe, Saturday and Sunday, July 5-6, 2025, 10am to 4pm. Admission is free. Visit their website for info.
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