Pearl Lorentzen
Lakeside Leader

The Lesser Slave Lake Regional Arts Council is holding its first online art auction. The proceeds will go toward earthquake relief in Turkey and Syria.

On February 6, the Kahramanmaras earthquake killed at least 50,000 in Turkey and Syria, says a BBC article. It left 1.5 million people homeless. As of Feb. 27, many thousands still didn’t have shelter because of a shortage of tents.

Since the earthquake, Syria and Turkey have been on Corinna Horsman’s mind. She’s a member of the arts council and an artist.

“I have so many pieces of art that I’ve painted,” she says.

Her first thought was to sell a few to raise money for relief in Syria and Turkey. Then she thought, why not do something bigger. She sent out a call for art and had a good response.

The art auction opened on Monday, March 6. It closes on Saturday, March 11. All items are posted on the Arts Council’s Facebook page.

“Some of the art is so beautiful,” says Horsman. The auction has “a good variety,” she adds.

The auction will have about 30 art pieces, from a variety of artists and a range of art styles.

A friend asked Horsman if jam was okay. Her response was “jam is art.”

So there will be some homemade jam for sale in the auction.

Paintings include oil painting, dot art, and acrylic.

There are also some pottery coffee mugs and Kicking Horse Coffee.

Local knitters and crocheters also contributed.

One of the auction items is a food experience. This is for up to five people to learn how to make cabbage rolls. The tentative date is April 1 from 1 to 5 p.m. in Marten Beach.

All money raised will go toward disaster relief.

This is the Arts Council’s first auction. A year ago, it held two art events to raise money to support Ukraine, shortly after Russia invaded it. It holds various arts events throughout the year in Slave Lake.