The City of Barrie is hosting a Culture Night Out at the MacLaren Art Centre the evening of Tuesday May 28. The city is currently updating its Culture Plan and Public Art Strategy. While the event will be attended by local artists and municipal leaders, we wanted to sit down with local artists to see firsthand how they have been navigating the independent art scene in Ontario.

Monica Loney, a Metis visual artist, and David Dino White, a musician from North Bay, is embarking on a Hoppy Camper Tour visiting local breweries across Region 7 and beyond.

The Hoppy Camper Tour combines Monica’s line art with David’s acoustic guitar songs. The two have completed the first weekend of the tour in the rural communities of Huntsville and Neustadt, Ontario. The latter of which hadn’t had the opportunity to attend live musical performances in town.

By supporting these local breweries in rural areas, David and Monica hope the Hoppy Camper Tour can open the eyes of municipalities to help support local artists who bring in audiences which contribute to the economic prosperity in these towns.

“We end up in places where people appreciate art, and they are small businesses, and they do want to share in the struggle of making something out of whatever's on hand,” says David. “Inflation has affected everything in the world, except live music. A show at your local bar on a Friday night has been $10 since 1972.”

The next stop on the Hoppy Camper Tour is May 31 at the Woodbrothers Brewing Company in Glenrobertson, Ontario followed by a show June 1st at Cold Beer Brewing Company in Arnprior, Ontario.