A unique art auction returns for its 27th year
The most romantic art auction in Tantramar, Sweetest Little Thing, is returning for its 27th year this Valentine’s day, Saturday, Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. Hosted in the Owen’s Art Gallery, this auction is unlike any other, with karaoke, pies to the face, raffles, a photobooth, and art made by Mt. A. students, local artists, and from across Canada. This sweet event is one you don’t want to miss!
The Sweetest Little Thing event began on Valentine’s Day in 1999, and has been hosted annually since. Hosted by the Owens Art Gallery and Struts Gallery, the auction is incredibly important, as it acts as their biggest fundraising event of the year. Each dollar raised through admissions, the auction, raffles, and the photobooth, help support the two galleries’ programming for the upcoming year. Event organizers recommend coming well-dressed for a fun event that will be emceed by award-winning poet Freddy Hyun Smith and local actor Tolkien Merrigan.
The auction includes a wide array of artistic items, with over 100 art pieces available for bidding. These pieces range from paintings, photographic prints, sculptures, fabricwork, rugs, mugs, and even a puppet of Tantramar resident and musician Beverly Glenn-Copeland. The artists for this event come from across Canada, with works ranging from local New Brunswick based artists, and artists from Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia. The artworks are currently on display at the Owens Art Gallery.
Not in the mood for bidding?! There will also be two raffles, one for the “Super Prize Pack” involving Sweetest Little Thing and Struts merchandise and publications. The second prize is for a cake donated by Cranewood on Main Bakery and Café, a callback to the cake walk event that was hosted in earlier years. Event attendees can also take a picture in the Instant Lovin’ Photobooth, or sing their hearts out at karaoke, hosted by Juno Awards nominated artist Graeme Patterson. Finally, there is the highly anticipated pie vs pie vote. For a dollar, you can vote for one person to get pied in the face. You could vote for Paul Henderson, the Struts Gallery coordinator, or multimedia artist and educator Amy Siegel.
If you just cannot wait for Sweetest Little Thing, you can listen to this year’s Sweetest Little Thing jingle, subtitled “Flipping Rocks” by local punk band SNAKE NOISE. You can also check out previous year’s jingles and videos on their website, sweetestlittlething.ca!
Spend this Valentine’s Day surrounded by local art, talent, and fun! Tickets are by donation at the door and bidding is open at https://www.32auctions.com/slt2026.