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Innisfil artist hosting art auction to raise money for tornado victims

Local artist Maria Kelebeev said she was inspired to 'donate to the relief somehow' and came up with the idea of an auction of her art, slated for Sunday afternoon

Local artist Maria Kelebeev is hosting a one-time, in-person outdoor art auction this Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. in the parking lot of the Innisfil Community Church with all proceeds being donated to the victims of the recent Barrie tornado disaster.

Kelebeev is a contemporary artist/painter and the owner of an art studio in Innisfil called the Hannatess ArtHaus. She relocated her studio in October of last year into a store front studio shared with The Spare Room Gallery & Studios located at 12 Lakeshore Muse.

When the tornado touched down in Barrie last week, Kelebeev’s daughter was supposed to be in a home day camp located in the neighborhood where the tornado took rampage.

Thankfully, her daughter did not attend daycare that day. However, her sister’s children were at the camp.

“I was driving home from Barrie and saw the eruption in the community in response to this tornado,” Kelebeev recalls. “It was like a scene from the movies.”

Kelebeev says the damage to the day camp home was "minimal" but that all the children – including her nieces – were evacuated from the area immediately as there was a threat of a gas leak from the damaged homes.

“They were so brave,” she says about her nieces. “They are OK, it was just a scary time… not so much the storm, but the police and sirens, it scared the children.”

Kelebeev was brought to tears when she witnessed first-hand the damage that occurred to the neighborhood and is thankful no one got hurt.

But Kelebeev wanted to do more to help in the aftermath of the natural disaster.

So, she reached out to some Facebook relief groups that were promoting helping those affected by the tornado and eventually, got in touch with a group called Barrie Families Unite (BFU) who have been providing support to those displaced by the recent tornado. 

“I wanted to know how I could help,” she shares. “I wanted to donate to the relief somehow.”

BFU supports the Salvation Army and Red Cross by providing additional access to essentials (food, clothing, medical aids/devices and infant needs). As well, they assess situational crises' and help replenish people's homes with basic household needs when they experience a disaster, abuse, infestation or are transitioning from homelessness into a home. 

Kelebeev informed the group she would be hosting an auction featuring paintings she had done previously of the Town of Innisfil. All pieces are completed by her and are works and sketches of specific places in Innisfil such as the Innisfil Beach Park.

All pieces are done on canvas and bids start at $50 per piece.

“I got the inspiration from this town,” she says about her paintings. “So, I want to give them back in some capacity to this community.”

Kelebeev notes that some of her artwork has already appeared throughout the Town of Innisfil, including a personalized piece which is on display at the local Starbucks; the local Johnny Burger also recently purchased a piece from her for their restaurant.

“I hope money will get raised,” she says about the upcoming auction. “It’s also another opportunity to interact with the community.”

Kelebeev says that if certain pieces are not bid on, she may relocate the paintings inside the Innisfil Starbucks to sit on display until they are sold, with the funds still being donated to the tornado relief group.

“As soon as (that tornado) happened, the Red Cross and the whole community came together.” she reports. “It was amazing and exciting.”

The auction will be held this Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Innisfil Community Church parking lot located at 1571 Innisfil Beach Road.

To view Kelebeev's work, visit her website here. You can also visit her Instagram page @hannatess_arthaus

For more information on Barrie Families Unite, visit: www.barriefamiliesunite.com