Cannabis and creativity

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This article was published 09/02/2022 (1304 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A River Heights cannabis store is supporting local artists while raising money for charity.

Cottontail Cannabis Co., located at 671 Corydon Ave., is selling an assortment of prints by Winnipeg-based artists with proceeds going to the Rainbow Resource Centre as part of their new initiative, “The Creative Quarter.”

Pieces range from $15 to $20. Twenty-five per cent of the cost goes to charity while the rest gets given to the artist.

Brad Dutton, who does marketing and media for Cottontail Cannabis Co., said that sales were slow during the first quarter, but he hopes the second will result in a larger donation for Rainbow Resource Centre.

“None of the proceeds go to the store. We have this nice space, and we figured it would be nice for artists who typically don’t have their art in physical spaces,” Dutton said.

Cottontail Cannabis Co. had eight pieces in its last quarter and have seven this round. The idea is to change the charity every time, Dutton said, but they decided to stick with the Rainbow Resource Centre since they previously didn’t raise as much as they hoped to.

The Rainbow Resource Centre offers support to the 2SLGBTQ+ community through counselling, education and programming for people ranging from children through to 55-plus. It also supports families, friends and employers of 2SLGBTQ+ individuals.

The idea to sell art for charity was a “team effort,” Dutton said. The store was in the works for a while, but its grand opening had been pushed back due to construction delays.

Cottontail Cannabis Co. officially opened on June 11, 2021.

“We thought it would be a really good move that’s relevant to the community,” he said. “I’m a big fan of artwork and design, so I reached out to artists I follow and really like.”

Dutton hopes Cottontail Cannabis Co. will be able to expand on “The Creative Quarter” as the idea gains more traction. This could include merchandise and a larger space in the shop dedicated to local art, he said.

Artists interested in participating in The Creative Quarter can email Dutton at info@cottontailcannabis.ca. Traditional and printed media are both accepted. The price for traditional media is capped at $200 and printed pieces can’t exceed $80.

“As much as we can, we like to choose stuff that fits the bill (with cannabis) — like 60s psychedelic posters — and things that complement the space,” Dutton said. “But really, it’s about the art and trying to sell pieces for charity.”

For more information, visit www.cottontailcannabis.ca or on Instagram under the username @cottontailcannabis

Artwork can also be viewed and purchased online for in-store pickup.