New banners at Arts Centre

By Mark Ribble

Shoppers and visitors to the uptown area of Leamington may have noticed recent additions to the outside façade of the Arts Centre building on Talbot Street West that bring attention to the centre itself.

Recently, Leamington Arts Centre teamed with Speedprint to produce attention-getting banners and signage for the outside of the building.

According to Arts Centre Director and Curator Chad Riley, the centre put out a call for sponsors and Speedprint answered that call.

“On behalf of the LAC we are extremely excited about this project and the visibility it will bring to the gallery and the programs we offer,” said Riley. “We couldn’t be more pleased to partner with our friends at Speedprint on this project. They are the professionals and we ended up with top quality banners, great designs and a great experience start to finish. A big thank you to Speedprint, Brian Cornies and his team for putting all this together. Making the arts visible and bringing awareness to the LAC is so important to the sustainability of the LAC and to the artists in the region.”

There are five banners that hang on the back of the building and very large one that adorns the front — all created by Speedprint with input from Riley and the Arts Centre.

According to the agreement between the two, Speedprint’s logo will adorn any banners at the Centre for the next three years.

“Speedprint sees the value of arts and culture in the community and is pleased to partner with the Leamington Arts Centre on their banner project,” said owner and manager of Speedprint Brian Cornies. “We have worked closely with LAC Director Chad Riley over the years on various events such as the Photo Contest, Arts at the Marina and the Mill Street Market.”

Cornies added that it was an opportunity for the company to give back to the community.

“When Chad approached us about commemorating the 50-year anniversary of the LAC with banners on the outside of the building it was a natural fit for us to be the sponsor,” he said. “We are able to give back to the community and at the same time showcase the kind of work we are able to produce.”

The two entities are both looking forward to working together to keep arts and culture alive in the community.

Brian Cornies, left, and Chad Riley under the new banners at the rear of the Leamington Arts Centre.