Check out an interesting array of artwork, events and talks this April. Receptions for the SPARK Photo Festival are scattered throughout the month, and Friday, April 7th is particularly busy with many openings happening on the same evening. There will be wine, music and refreshments available, not to mention a wide selection of work on display.
The annual fundraisers for the Art School of Peterborough and Artspace are also happening in April, and there will be a curator’s Talk at Artspace and a lecture on professional practice for artists at Catalina’s.
Evans Contemporary presents William Carroll’s “City”
William Carroll’s muse is New York City itself. During long walks in the quieter reaches of the city, he sketches various buildings and cityscapes. Using these drawings as a reference, cityscapes and emblematic stand-alone representations of buildings and structures become small evocative paintings. The resulting images are simple in colour scheme and composition, and present us with distilled sometimes almost abstracted representations of this world famous city.
The opening reception will happen on Friday, April 7th from 6 p.m. until 11 p.m. Artist Joel Davenport will be taking over the outdoor courtyard DJ booth, so there may be dancing! There will also be a sizzling barbecue serving up treats which you can savour in exchange for donations to the YWCA Crossroads Women’s Shelter.
William Carroll’s show will continue until May 13th 2017.
Evans Contemporary is located at #2 Banker’s Common in downtown Peterborough. For more information, visit www.evanscontemporary.com or contact Paolo Fortin at evanscontemporary@gmail.com.
The Rare Birds Salon featuring guest speaker William Carroll
The Rare Birds Salon is a great thing to have happening! It is a monthly event featuring various guest speakers involved in the arts. Hosted by Annie Jaeger and Paolo Fortin, these events are meant to gather the arts community together to connect, socialize, and discuss relevant issues and ideas.
On Thursday, April 6th, the guest speaker will be William Carroll, who has an opening at Evans Contemporary the next night. The topic will be professional practice for visual artists. William teaches professional practice at the Pratt institute in Manhattan and lectures professionally in many different venues and institutions on the topic.
An artist himself, William has over 30 years’ experience working in the New York art world — so to make a bit of an understatement, he probably knows what he’s talking about. The event begins at 8 p.m. with announcements, followed by the presentation at 8:30 p.m. sharp.
These events are held at Catalina’s, located at 131 Hunter St. W. in downtown Peterborough, where drinks of all kinds are available for purchase in a cozy inviting ambiance. The Rare Birds Salon will run from 8 p.m. until 12 a.m.
Star X features the Drool Collective
The Drool Collective, a group of nine young artists, will be taking over the Star X gallery for the month of April. The artists are Ruba Osman, Sebastian Beligan, Alana Batten, Jemma Woolidge, Sklyar Ough, Anwyn Climenhage, Emily Duffey, and Avery Morris.
For this exhibition, the collective will focus on images that draw inspiration from some lesser-known Peterborough locations.
Don’t miss the opportunity to come out and meet them and view the work in a festive atmosphere at the opening reception which will be held on Friday, April 7th from 7 p.m. until 11 p.m..
The show will be up as of April 1st and will run until April 30th.
STAR X is located in Peterborough at 129-1/2 Hunter Street West on the third floor. Hours of operation are Saturday from 12 noon until 6 p.m.
Acme Art & Sailboat Company features Teresa Anne Van Neste
Teresa Anne Van Neste’s paintings will be showing at Acme this April, along wth a series entitled “Nude Clouds” by resident artist Joe Stable.
The opening reception happens on Friday, April 7th, from 6 to 10 p.m., in conjunction with neighbourhood openings at Star X Gallery and Evans Contemporary and a variety of SPARK Photography Festival events. It’s definitely a good night to be out and about!
After the reception, viewings are available between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. from Thursday to Saturday or by appointment.
Acme Art and Sailboat Company is located at 129-1/2 Hunter Street West, 3rd floor, in downtown Peterborough.
Artspace hosts curator’s talk for Olivia Whetung’s “tibewh”
A curator’s talk about the current show at Artspace, Olivia Whetung’s “tibewh”, will be happening at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 6th.
The show consists of meticulous beadwork representing various bodies of water along the Trent-Severn Waterway, which Olivia created using topographical maps as a reference. The show is both visually interesting and conceptually rich and this talk will no doubt delve into many aspects of the work which may not be evident at first glance.
“tibewh” will be on display until Saturday, April 22.
Artspace is an accessible space located at 378 Aylmer Street in downtown Peterborough. Regular hours of operation are Tuesday to Friday from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Parking is available in the municipal lot on Hunter Street between Aylmer and George. For more information, call 705-748-3883 or visit artspace-arc.org.
Annual 50/50 Art Draw show and sale is coming up at Artspace
Artspace’s annual fundraiser, the 50/50 Art Draw, is fast approaching. This event features work (donated by artists) up for sale for the night of the event, which is always a great time with music, snacks, and libations. At least 50% of the proceeds go to Artspace, with the remainder to the artists involved.
The call is out to artists for submissions, and there will be a preview of the work to be sold from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday April 28th. So whether you are an artist or an art appreciator, you should mark this down on the calendar.
The event itself will be on Saturday, May 6th at 7 p.m. and will feature the Art Draw and the Fire Sale (where remaining works from the Art Draw will be sold). During the Art Draw, emcees will draw a ticket and call out a number, and the ticket holder with that number will choose a piece of art off the wall. Tickets are $25 for the party and Fire Sale only, and $100 for the party, Art Draw, and Fire Sale. Both ticket prices include a complimentary drink.
Artspace is an accessible space located at 378 Aylmer Street in downtown Peterborough. Regular hours of operation are Tuesday to Friday from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Parking is available in the municipal lot on Hunter Street between Aylmer and George. For more information, call 705-748-3883 or visit artspace-arc.org.
The Art Gallery of Peterborough presents “Not a Freak Show: Growing Up Gay in Rural Ontario” by Spencer J. Harrison
Spencer J. Harrison’s work focuses on identity and the need for inclusion. The circus tent acts as a catalyst for discourse and as an assertion of presence. It functions as both an object and a gathering place, and reminds us of the unfortunate fact that people often label and ostracise others for being different.
Spencer is very active in his personal and professional life advocating for and working with the LGBTQ community. This summer he will be the director of Camp Fyrefly, a new national camp for LGBTQ youth. Spencer has fundraised $80,000 to run the camp this summer, which subsidises almost the entire cost for campers. This three-day leadership retreat would normally cost $1,000 per camper. Thanks to Spencer, the cost has been brought down to a mere $25 including lodging and food! For more information about Camp Fyrefly, please visit www.fyrefly.ualberta.ca/Ontario .
The opening reception for “Not a Freak Show: Growing Up Gay in Rural Ontario” will be held on Saturday, April 29th at 2 p.m. The show continues until June 25th.
The Art Gallery of Peterborough is located at 250 Crescent Street in downtown Peterborough and is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday. It offers free admission, barrier-free access, and a gallery shop. Parking is available in the Del Crary lot. For more information, call 705-743-9179 or visit agp.on.ca.
The Art School of Peterborough hosts the 21st Annual Art Auction “The Artist’s Garden”
The Art School of Peterborough’s annual fundraiser will be held at Princess Gardens (100 Charlotte St., Peterborough) on Saturday, April 8th. This fundraising initiative, 21 years old this year, is integral to keeping the Art School accessible to all by making affordable programming and quality instruction available and providing supplies for youth programs.
Doors open at 6 p.m. with a silent auction commencing at 6:30 p.m., and the live auction takes place from 8:30 p.m. until 10 p.m.. There will be live music by the Ron Marenger Big Band and refreshments for all. Tickets are only $8 in advance and $10 at the door. Members are granted free admission.
The live auction will feature artwork by Anne Cavanagh, Anne-marie Kornachuk, Art Cunanan, Bernie Mitchell, Bill Lockington, Brian Atyeo, Brianna Gosselin, Bronson Smith, David Baker, David Hickey, George Kovac, Jenni Johnston, John Climenhage, Lisa Martini-Dunk, Lucy Manley, Marcia Watt, Jose Miguel Hernandez Autorino, Nancy Chalut, Olga Szaranski, Pam Buckler, Paul Nabuurs, Richard Hayman, Rob Niezen, Roz Hermant, Sandy MacFarlane, Sharon Taylor, and Stephen Snider.
The Art School of Peterborough at 178 Charlotte St. in Peterborough. For more information, please call 705-742-3221 or visit artschoolptbo.org.
SPARK Photography Festival takes over the town!
The SPARK photography festival is in full swing this month with 52 different locations and even more participating photographers from the area.
There will be opening receptions throughout April, all of which can be found at www.sparkphotofestival.org.
For highlights of the festival, read our story Annual SPARK Photo Festival returns in April.
Christensen Fine Art presents “Anima” by Roz Hermant
Christensen Fine Art is pleased to present “Anima”, a series by photographic artist Roz Hermant, as part of the SPARK Photo Festival.
Photographic images are the focal point of Roz’s mixed media work. The exhibition will run for the month of April with an opening reception on Friday April, 7th from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m.
Christensen Fine Art is located at 432 George Street North in downtown Peterborough. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, visit www.christensenfineart.com.
