27 | Friday, May 31, 2013 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com M I N D F U L A R T B R O N T E I N A R T Potter and photographer Susan Brown (pictured) held a special one-day reception earlier this month during Mental Health Awareness Week at her Mindful Art exhibit at the Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre. Half the proceeds from the exhibit are going to Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital's Navigator Program, which is an outreach mental health program for children and youths. The art exhibit comes down Thursday, June 6. The cultural centre is located at 2302 Bridge Rd. For more information, visit www. mindfulart.ca. photo by Eric Riehl Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog) Karlene Bland (left), Connie James and Carol Sanders hold up samples of their work that are part of a current exhibit at Sovereign House called Bronte Through Artists Eyes. The opening reception for the exhibit, last Sunday, coincided with the Bronte Historical Society's official opening of the historic Sovereign House, 7 West River St., to the public for the season. The art exhibit consists of the works of a number of area artists featuring images of Bronte. The show comes down on Wednesday, June 5. For gallery hours and more information, visit www.brontehistoricalsociety.ca. photo by Nikki Wesley Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog) Advertorial Ten Thousand Villages Oakville hosts annual fair trade rug sale From Friday May 31 to Saturday, June 15 the Oakville Ten Thousand Villages store will host the annual Fair Trade Oriental Rug Sale. From intricate florals to hand-spun natural dye wool tribals, every Bunyaad rug has been designed and hand-knotted by highly skilled and fairly paid adults. "When artisans know they are paid for every knot they tie, they are empowered to focus on the fine details of intricate rugs that will last for generations," says Shakeela Rajabee, manager and rug program coordinator. Bunyaad works with more than 850 families throughout 100 villages in Pakistan. "It's a win-win situation," says Rajabee. "Artisans in Pakistan earn a living wage and Canadian consumers get an heirloom quality rug with an excellent mission behind it. Home decorating has never been more beautiful!" Ten Thousand Villages is the oldest and largest Fair Trade organization in North America. Through a network of forty-seven stores, as well as through hundreds of Festival Sales and E-shopping, Ten Thousand Villages Canada sells artisan-crafted personal accessories, home decor and gift items from around the globe. The organization creates opportunities for artisans in developing countries to earn income by bringing their products and stories to our markets through longterm, fair trading relationships. As a non-profit program of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), the relief and development agency of Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches in North America, Ten Thousand Villages has its roots in the work begun by Edna Ruth Byler in 1946. Ten Thousand Villages is a member of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), a coalition of handicraft and agricultural producer organizations, and Fair Trade organizations from the North and the South. For more information, visit the store at 226 Lakeshore Rd. East, call 905-337-2377 or visit www.TenThousandVillages.ca.