This month’s artNOW features current exhibitions at the Art Gallery of Peterborough and the Art Gallery of Northumberland, the application deadline for artist proposals for Erring at King George, ‘The Hissing Folly’ by Cole Swanson at the Visual Arts Centre of Clarington, and wildlife photography by Dave Ellis at Boyd Heritage Museum in Bobcaygeon.
Also featured is First Friday Peterborough, Family Day fun at the Art Gallery of Northumberland, the return of the ‘The Joy of Bob’ competitive painting event at The Theatre on King in downtown Peterborough, and the 5th annual Artspace Book + Zine Fest at the Peterborough Public Library.
Our regular artsNOW writer, Shannon Taylor, is on hiatus as she had a baby in January. Congrats to Shannon from all of us at kawarthaNOW!
Current exhibitions at Art Gallery of Peterborough and Art Gallery of Northumberland
Several exhibitions are continuing through February in Peterborough and Cobourg.
The Art Gallery of Peterborough is presenting three exhibitions: ‘locked in a way’ (a collaboration between filmmaker Matthew Hayes and dance artist Victoria Mohr-Blakeney), ‘217’ ( a series of graphite drawings and 3D printed objects by Sasha Opeiko based on images from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant), and ‘duet’ (an exhibit bringing together the work of the late abstract painter Jack Bush and Bush-inspired digital drawings by Francisco-Fernando Granados).
The Art Gallery of Northumberland is presenting ‘Traces’ (a collaborative exhibit of drawings by Peter Large and fine art photography by Felicity Somerset) and “About Face” (self-portraits, portraits of family and friends, and more formal portraits by Christopher Smith).
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 Gallery of Northumberland is located at on the third floor of the west wing of Victoria Hall (55 King St. W., Cobourg). Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The gallery is closed on Mondays. For more information, visit www.artgalleryofnorthumberland.com.
Deadline for Erring at King George proposals on February 2
The deadline for proposals for Erring at King George — a multi-arts festival presented by Artspace in partnership with Public Energy Performing Arts and the Art Gallery of Peterborough which is planned for May 2021 — is Sunday, February 2nd.
Professional, emerging, mid-career and senior artists, along with curators and collectives working in all mediums, are encouraged to apply. They are looking for site-specific pieces that take the history of King George Public School in Peterborough’s East City into account.
Experimental and socially engaged proposals are encouraged. The proposals can be for one space or for multiple spaces inside King George Public School, or the exterior and the grounds around the building.
For more information about the site or the application process, visit artspace-arc.org/calls/call-for-submission/ or contact Hannah Keating at hannah@artspace-arc.org or 705-748-3883.
‘The Hissing Folly’ by Cole Swanson opens at the Visual Arts Centre of Clarington on February 2
For the 2020 iteration of its Loft Gallery Commission Program, the Visual Arts Centre of Clarington is presenting ‘The Hissing Folly’, an installation by Canadian artist Cole Swanson at the Loft Gallery.
Curated by Sandy Saad, ‘The Hissing Folly’ looks at Durham Region’s ecological landscape and poses questions around human relationships with invasive species; namely phragmites (also known as European common reed), an invasive perennial grass that has been damaging ecosystems in Ontario for decades.
Working with the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority, phragmites have been collected and removed from the Thickson’s Woods Land Trust of Durham Region to become part of Swanson’s multidisciplinary installation. Through the tradition of thatching, Swanson uses a low-cost and ecological method to build roofs out of the local vegetation for his structure.
Designed primarily for decoration, the resulting structure also suggests a greater purpose through its appearance: phragmites as a historically valuable construction material with creative potential compared to its adverse effects on biodiversity in Canada.
The installation opens on Sunday, February 2nd, with an opening reception from 2 to 4 p.m. featuring the artist. The exhibition will continue until January 3, 2021.
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. from Tuesday to 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.
Wildlife photography by Dave Ellis at Boyd Heritage Museum in Bobcaygeon on February 6
Kawartha Lakes wildlife photographer Dave Ellis will be showing his work on Thursday, February 6th at Boyd Heritage Museum in Bobcaygeon.
One of Ellis’ photographs of a bald eagle was featured on kawarthaNOW’s Instagram account in December 2019 and became the most-viewed and liked post for that month.
The exhibit takes place at 2 p.m. in the Sheila A. Boyd Art Room. Admission is by donation.
Boyd Heritage Museum is located at 21 Canal Street in Bobcaygeon. For more information, visit www.theboydmuseum.com.
First Friday Peterborough returns on February 7
After taking the month of January off, the First Friday Art Crawl returns to downtown Peterborough on the evening of February 7th.
As always, artists open their studios to the public, with galleries, art organizations, and other creative venues hosting special events.
Acme Art and Sailboat Company (129-1/2 Hunter St. W., 3rd floor) will be showing “Portraits of People I Like – Part One” by Joe stable, with new coloured copper drawings of dogs by Stable in the Copper Closet.
Meta4 Gallery (64 Hunter St., Peterborough) will be hosting a free Valentine’s Day themed activity from 6 to 10 p.m. where you can create a colourful “Cupid’s Arrow”.
For more details on First Friday, including a list of events and a map, visit firstfridayptbo.com and follow First Friday Peterborough on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Family Day fun at the Art Gallery of Northumberland on February 17
The Art Gallery of Northumberland is hosting a “Family Fun Day” from 1 to 3 p.m. on the Family Day holiday on Monday, February 17th.
You can create a masterpiece to take home, inspired by current exhibitions at the gallery, contribute your story to the gallery’s Family Story Wall, enjoy snakes, and check out an exhibition by the Art Gallery of Northumberland Youth Council.
The event is free.
The Art Gallery of Northumberland is located at on the third floor of the west wing of Victoria Hall (55 King St. W., Cobourg). Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The gallery is normally closed on Mondays, but will be open on Family Day. For more information, visit www.artgalleryofnorthumberland.com.
‘The Joy of Bob’ returns to The Theatre on King in downtown Peterborough on February 20
‘The Joy of Bob’ is returning for its 11th time to The Theatre on King in downtown Peterborough from 8 to 10 p.m. on Thursday, February 20th.
In this unique and fun competition, a live audience watches as three guest painters are challenged to follow an episode of ‘The Joy of Painting’, the instructional TV show hosted by late painter Bob Ross from 1983 to 1994.
In each 30-minute episode, Ross taught techniques for landscape oil painting, completing a painting in each session. Over the course of the show’s 403 episodes, Ross completed more than 1,000 landscape paintings.
Guest painters for the February 20th event are Kathryn Bahun, garbageface, and a random audience member.
The cost is $15 at the door, or pay what you can.
The Theatre on King is located at 171 King Street in downtown Peterborough.
5th annual Artspace Book + Zine Fest at the Peterborough Public Library on February 29
The 5th annual Artspace Book + Zine Fest is taking place in the Community Room at the Peterborough Public Library (345 Aylmer St. N. Peterborough) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, February 29th.
The event will feature artist-made zines, comics and graphic novels, letterpress prints and cards, the work of small presses, woodcuts, screen prints, handmade books, and other types of book and paper arts.
Participants include Heather L. Kelly of Aitchkay Books, Angela Hennessey, Bruce Gravel, bird, buried press, Black Panel Press, Jackson Creek Press, Cheryl Edwards, Marchens Landing Publishing, Melad Jajou Illustration, O Underworld! prints & press, Rob Niezen, The Penny Arcade, and many more.
In conjunction with the Book + Zine Fest, Artspace is hosting Bennett Bedoukian for a talk on writing, publishing, and operating O Underworld! prints & press of Havelock at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 26th at Artspace (378 Aylmer St. N., Peterborough). The talk is free and everyone is welcome to attend.
For a full list of participants at the Artspace Book + Zine Fest, visit artspace-arc.org/event/5th-annual-artspace-book-zine-fest/.
