Welcome to 2019! After busy Christmas and New Year’s festivities, it’s now time to get back to daily life.
First up is the sad news that Paolo Fortin has decided to close downtown Peterborough art galleries Evans Contemporary, Coeur Nouveau, and Star X effective January 1, 2019.
In more positive arts news, there are new exhibits in January featuring works by Shelley Niro and Arnold Zageris at the Art Gallery of Peterborough, Jane Eccles and Ron Benner at the Visual Arts Centre of Clarington, Alice Olsen Williams at Artspace, and the ‘On The Move’ and ‘Monochrome and Black and White’ exhibitions at the Kawartha Artists’ Gallery and Studio.
Evans Contemporary, Star X, and Coeur Nouveau close their doors
As well as closing the Evans Contemporary, Star X, and Coeur Nouveau, Paolo Fortin has also announced that the Ad Hoc Arts Committee will no longer be organizing or presenting the First Friday Art Crawl. (Photo: Evans Contemporary / Instagram)
As of January 1st, Evans Contemporary and associated galleries Star X and Coeur Nouveau in downtown Peterborough have closed their doors.
Evans Contemporary director Paolo Fortin has also announced that the Ad Hoc Arts Committee will no longer be organizing or presenting the First Friday Art Crawl.
He says they are taking a hiatus to develop new approaches to presenting contemporary art and gaining greater exposure for artists. Part of this plan includes advocating for an autonomous and sustainable artist driven space for artistic creation within the city. The committee is greatly bolstered by the success they have seen and appreciation shown by those who enthusiastically attended each month.
A venture well executed, and we wait with anticipation to see what will happen next.
Art Gallery of Peterborough presents ‘women, land, river’ by Shelley Niro
‘Unity’ (2008, black and white inkjet print, 101.6 x 304.8 cm) by Shelley Niro from the series Borders-Treaties. (Photo courtesy of Art Gallery of Peterborough)
Curated by Lori Beavis, this exhibition of work by acclaimed Canadian multimedia artist Shelley Niro addresses self representation, resiliency, education and the colonial experience. As a Mohawk woman, Niro’s work focuses on representing and examining contemporary experience from her perspective.
Spanning her career of 30 years, this exhibit reveals ongoing themes in her work. As the title suggests, the emerging themes are women who are her close to her such as friends and family and familiar places — namely the Niagara region, her home territory of Six Nations in southwestern Ontario, and The Grand River which runs through Six Nations Territory.
The exhibit opens on Saturday, January 19th and runs until Sunday, March 31st. Join in the opening reception at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 19th, with the artist in attendance.
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.
Art Gallery of Peterborough presents ‘Antarctica’ by Arnold Zageris
‘Antarctica’ is a visually stunning series of images captured by Canadian photographer Arnold Zageris. In this photographic exhibit, we are treated to the ever-changing and elusive light of this distant place, brought to life through the lens of an accomplished artist.
Zageris has spent quite some time there, visiting this most mysterious continent numerous times in order to see more of its elusive beauty.
Known for his striking landscapes, Zageris has travelled far and wide photographing remote vistas of breathtaking beauty. Often he camps alone on site with only a tent and a camera, as I learned while reading his book On the Labrador. Zageri has published a few books detailing his experience of capturing these captivating images; his stories prove both entertaining and informative. Antarctica is featured in the most recent publication, and the book reveals many fascinating facts alongside beautiful imagery.
The exhibit opens on Saturday, January 19th and runs until Sunday, March 31st. An opening reception takes place at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 19th, with Zageris in attendance.
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.
Visual Arts Centre of Clarington presents ‘In These Threads’ by Jane Eccles
This series by painter and performance artist Jane Eccles at the Visual Arts Centre of Clarington (VAC) depicts dresses worn by women from all walks of life, from cultural icons to everyday extraordinary people.
‘Margaret’s Dress’ by Jane Eccles. (Photo courtesy Visual Arts Centre of Clarington)
As part of her process, Eccles has researched the stories behind each dress and produced paintings that explore the narratives of lives lived. Drop in and see these evocative biographical pieces in person this January.
The exhibit opens on Sunday, January 20th and runs until Sunday, March 17th. An opening reception will be held on Sunday, January 20th from 2 to 4 p.m.
On Saturday, March 9th (the day after International Women’s Day), VAC and Clarington Museum and Archives will host a collaborative program that highlights women’s stories from Clarington and beyond. The day will begin at VAC with a performative reading by Eccles from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., where she will narrate the stories of the women behind her dress paintings.
Participants will then be invited to a musical performance by local singer-songwriter Anne Walker at the Clarington Museums and Archives (62 Temperance St, Bowmanville). Walker’s music captures the spirit of rural Ontario life and the local women who were the backbone of it.
The Visual Arts Centre of Clarington is located at 143 Simpson Avenue in Bowmanville. Hours of operation are 10 a.m to 9 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Friday to Sunday. Admission to exhibits and artist talks is free. For more information, visit www.vac.ca.
Visual Arts Centre of Clarington presents ‘Trans/Mission: Barley-Corn-Maize’ by Ron Benner
Based in London, Ontario, Ron Benner is an internationally recognized artist whose longstanding practice investigates the history and political economy of food cultures.
Benner’s ‘Trans/Mission: Barley-Corn-Maize’ is a site-specific photographic and mixed media installation that responds to VAC’s unique gallery space and its history, as it was once a barley mill. This marks the first of what will be a series of annual commissions at the VAC.
The installation — which will remain in place at VAC until November — opens on Sunday, January 20th, when there will be an opening reception n conjunction with the opening of Jane Eccles’ show.
The Visual Arts Centre of Clarington is located at 143 Simpson Avenue in Bowmanville. Hours of operation are 10 a.m to 9 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Friday to Sunday. Admission to exhibits and artist talks is free. For more information, visit www.vac.ca.
Artspace presents ‘Star Song’ by Alice Olsen Williams
A detail of one of Alice Olsen Williams’ striking quilts from her exhibition ‘Star Song’. (Photo courtesy of Artspace)
The distinctive quilts of Alice Olsen Williams combine motifs and themes unique to her Anishnaabe culture with new modern materials. She also incorporates traditional North American quilting blocks introduced by European settlers into her work, using these to surround the Anishnaabe motifs that are central to her pieces.
These bright cheerful creations are expressions both of cultural meaning, and indigenous activism. Olsen William sees the act of sewing these quilts as a connection to traditional work done by women across the world, both in the past and the present.
Drop by Artspace and see these beautiful textile pieces in person. The exhibition will be on display from Saturday, January 12th until Saturday, February 16th. There will be an opening reception from 1 to 4 p.m. on January 12th, featuring an artist talk at 2 p.m. with Olsen Williams and Caroline Langill.
Artspace is located at 378 Aylmer Street in downtown Peterborough and offers barrier-free access (to all but Gallery 2, formerly known as the Mudroom) and free admission during regular open hours: 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.
Kawartha Artists’ Gallery and Studio presents ‘On the Move’ and ‘Monochrome and Black and White’
‘On the Move: Travelling Through The Ages’, a members’ show at the Kawartha Artists’ Gallery and Studio dedicated to the history and modes of transportation, continues this month until Sunday, January 20th.
It will be followed by the new ‘Monochrome and Black and White’ exhibit, which opens on Wednesday, January 23rd and runs until Sunday, February 24th. An opening reception will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, January 27th.
Kawartha Artists’ Gallery and Studio is a not-for-profit artist’s co-operative, located at 420 O’Connell Road in Peterborough. Hours of operation are Wednesday to Sunday from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. The gallery is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.kawarthaartists.org.
