Chetwynd Community Arts Council breaks Guinness World Record

CHETWYND, BC – The Chetwynd Community Arts Council has broken the Guinness World Record for the most people painting blindfolded simultaneously, with 338 active participants from the community. 

Chetwynd Community Arts Council member Julia Nelson said she is proud of the community members who took part in the event. 

“I know when I look out into the community and into the people that we’re painting today, that people are very, very proud of being part of something,” said Nelson. 

Nelson’s idea started out as breaking the world record for the most people painting simultaneously. 

She pitched the idea to Guinness, who said Nelson would need to find 5 600 people to participate to break the record. 

“We don’t really have 5,600 people in Chetwynd,” laughed Nelson. 

Guinness then suggested painting blindfolded, an idea that Nelson and the arts council thought would be fun. 

According to Nelson, the event took a year and a half to plan. 

“We had been sitting down for a monthly meeting right up until the beginning of 2022. Then we started sitting down every couple of weeks. When summer hit, we started sitting down every week,” said Nelson.

“So we’ve been sitting down planning once a week to make this all come together.”

The event was initially supposed to take place at spirit park, but due to unpredictable weather, the location was moved to the district of Chetwynd Rec Centre and took place September 17th. 

Nelson says the event wouldn’t have been a success without the help of the other arts council members.

“I couldn’t be more privileged and more proud to work with the women on the Chetwynd Arts Council. They are, strong-willed, talented, accepting and all-inclusive,” said Nelson.

 “It’s this diverse group of powerhouse women that come together that just make the entire community better and they make me better for knowing them,” said Nelson.

For Nelson, the participation of the community made all the hard work worthwhile. 

 “It’s just been such a pleasure to bring our community together for such a big project,” said Nelson. 

 “We’ve spent so much time being separate during the pandemic. So, when we come together, it’s such joy in creativity. I feel like it’s kind of changing lives and it, and it just feels good.”