PAST EXHIBITS

Found: The Art of Re-Use

Hmmmm. That looks familiar…..That’s one of the initial reactions that people can have to art created from reused or recycled material. In different ways and for different reasons, Brent Bukowski (Kaslo), Shyra De Souza (Calgary), Mark Mizgala (Vancouver) and brothers Cedric and Nate Bomford (Winnipeg and Vancouver Island, respectively) all make use of reused or recycled material in their work. Finding materials in back alleys, old houses, thrift shops and landfills, they look past an object’s original use to reinterpret both its function and meaning. Join us for this exciting exhibition of art that challenges preconceptions by offering a new take on old materials

Meghan Hildebrand: Restless Fables

Meghan Hildebrand’s colourful semi-abstract works explore storytelling and re-imagined landscapes. Her ambiguous narratives and playful dream-like imagery draws the viewer in, inviting them to create their own story. In Restless Fables, Hildebrand investigates the relationship between nature, culture and identity through the motifs of masks, animals, maps and globes.

David Alexander: The Shape of Place

This travelling exhibition from the Kelowna Art Gallery presents paintings which survey Alexander’s international career of over 30 years. His lively renderings convey an immersion into the Canadian landscape. Alexander received his BFA from Notre Dame University in Nelson in 1979, and later completed his MFA at the University of Saskatchewan. His art is in many public, private and corporate collections throughout the world, including the Vancouver Art Gallery, Museum of London, University of Toronto and Concordia University in Montreal, Museum of Art in Iceland, and Canadian Embassies in Berlin, Beijing and Krakow

2014 Members’ Show and Sale

The ‘Members’ Show and Sale’ exhibition events are excellent opportunities to get a visual measure of our membership and reciprocate the support that our members give us as an organization.

Nelson at War

Did you know that the Boeing Aircraft Company operated a temporary production plant in the Civic Center during WW2, and that Boeing required the workforce of about 150 workers to be 65% female? Nelson At War will offer a glimpse into this and other aspects of Nelson’s involvement in World Wars 1 and 2, as well as the Boer War. The exhibit will feature historic photos and news clippings from the Touchstones Nelson Archives, as well as artifacts from the Permanent Collection, such as a scale model of the SS Formidable, the aircraft carrier from which Hampton Gray flew his final ill-fated mission in the dying hours of WW2.

Susan Andrews Grace: Underwritten

Nelson artist and writer Susan Andrews Grace explores the sacredness of life on earth in her new body of work featuring textile-based printmaking, collage, sculpture and

installation. She contemplates the “language of the earth’s beauty” through forms that echo the paths of insects etched in wood and the amorphous shapes in clouds. Reflecting on her Catholic upbringing, Grace refers to religious iconography, but infuses it with her own imagery, drawn from earth-based notions of the sacred.

Abandoning Paradise: The Northern Gateway Project

Over the course of a year, Glenn Clark (Penticton) and Peter Corbett (Winlaw), traveled across northern BC, painting the landscapes which would be impacted by the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline. A selection of their plein air sketches and studio paintings will be shown alongside pertinent information about the region and the scope of the pipeline project.

City in Flames: A Journey Through Nelson’s Fire History

This exhibit will tell the stories of fires that have changed lives and transformed our community over the decades. It will also celebrate the 100th anniversary of the fire hall on Ward St. in Nelson, and look at changes in firefighting methods and equipment.

Graham Gilmore: I Love You, In Theory

Graham Gillmore’s large, colourful, text based paintings have garnered him international acclaim. His solo exhibition I Love You, in Theory will feature a wide cross section of work, from his iconic paintings on panel and canvas, to large works on paper, small etchings and sculpture with found materials. His methods and materials are unique and honed, resulting in work that is both beautiful and rough, precise and seemingly random. His use of idioms and found text conveys a mixture of humour

Kootenay Studio Arts at Selkirk College: Graduation Exhibition

This exhibit features the work of graduating students from the Kootenay Studio Arts at Selkirk College. Student work from each of the four studios: Clay, Fibre, Jewellery & Small Object Design and Metal will be displayed. KSA’s programs place emphasis on the skills necessary to become a successful and professional arts practitioner. Hands-on studio work combined with the study of design, drawing, history, and professional practices leads to an in-depth understanding and refined ability to apply the essential elements for success in the industry.