artNOW: November brings COVID-safe exhibits to local galleries

As the pandemic continues to plague us this month, art galleries are re-opening with staunch safety measures in place.

The First Friday art crawl continues to happen in downtown Peterborough at reduced capacity, with new paintings by Rocky Green at the Atelier Ludmila Gallery. The Art Gallery of Northumberland hosts its 42nd annual juried show, and Artspace in Peterborough will be showing a series of 10-day micro exhibits (and is also presenting a virtual Q&A session writing exhibition applications and grants).

The Agnes Jamieson Gallery in Minden is showing ‘TRUSS’, four installations of sculpture by Carey Jernigan. Artsweek Peterborough is presenting Artsweek SHIFT: Downtown, featuring poetry, spoken word, and visual art in downtown Peterborough.

So, if you’re feeling very cooped up, you can venture out with your mask and visit any of these exhibits. In some cases you may need to make an appointment, but they are open for viewing.

And last but not least, don’t forget the Art Gallery of Peterborough’s It’s All About ARTISTS! online auction in support of local artists is on now, closing on November 7th

 

 

Atelier Ludmila Gallery presents ‘a private view’ by Rocky Green during First Friday Peterborough

Rocky Green’s ‘a private view’ at Atelier Ludmila Gallery is a series of paintings depicting scenes from the life of the artist.

These deftly painted pieces depict quiet moments, little bits of everyday life — a private viewing of excerpts from the artist’s life. As the title insinuates, all viewings will feel private since only five viewers will be allowed in at a time at Atelier Ludmila.

Read more about ‘a private view’ at Green’s blog at rocky-green.com/2020/10/22/a-private-view/.

To see the show in person, drop by Atelier Ludmila Gallery from 6 to 10 p.m. during First Friday Peterborough on Friday, November 6th.Atelier Ludmila Gallery is located on the second floor of the Commerce Building (129 1/2 Hunter St. W., Peterborough). The gallery is open from noon to 4 p.m. or by appointment throughout the week. To book an appointment, email ludmilaprojects@gmail.com.For more information, visit atelierludmila.com.

There will be other studios in the vicinity open. Joe Stable will be featuring his moose paintings (and moose t-shirts) at ACME Art and Sailboat Company, located on the third floor of the Commerce Building (129 1/2 Hunter St. W., Peterborough).

In all studios, COVID-cautious measures in place of course. These include reduced capacity, physical distancing, mask wearing, and frequent hand sanitizing.

For more information about First Friday Peterborough, visit firstfridayptbo.com.

 

Art Gallery of Northumberland hosts its 42nd Annual Juried Show

This November marks the 42nd year of the Annual Juried Show at the Art Gallery of Northumberland. Supporting artists in the area and fostering community, the gallery is happy to be able to continue with its annual tradition during these challenging times.

The winner of the Juror’s Choice is ‘Crossroads’, a collage by Elayne Windsor, and the runner-up is ‘The Chronicles of Eleanora II’, a tryptich of three graphite drawings by Rolf Busch.

The jurors were Andrea Carson Barker, Linda Jansma, and Olexander Wlasenko.

A People’s Choice award will be determined by votes cast by visitors coming to the gallery to view the exhibition, which runs until Wednesday, November 11th.

The Art Gallery of Northumberland is located on the third floor of the west wing of Victoria Hall (55 King St. W., Cobourg). Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday to Wednesday by appointment only.

To book an appointment, call 905-372-0333 or use the online form at www.artgalleryofnorthumberland.com/agn-reopens/, where you’ll also find information about the safety measures in place to stop the spread of COVID-19.

 

 

Agnes Jamieson Gallery in Minden presents ‘TRUSS’ by Carey Jernigan

Carey Jernigan’s exhibition ‘TRUSS’ at the Agnes Jamieson Gallery in Minden is comprised of four sculptural installations, ‘Patternmaker-Play’, ‘Patternmaker-Stress’, ‘Crossing’, and ‘One in Three’.

In these installations, Jernigan explores history, current world events and issues of violence against women. The two ‘Patternmaker’ installations are based on the experiences of employees of a steam-powered pumphouse in Hamilton and feature gears and kinetic movement, while ‘Crossing’ speaks to borders, and invites us to question both the safety and validity of national borders, making use of ladders and glass to bisect a room, creating a border that is both unsafe and arbitrary.

‘One in Three’ makes reference to the fact that one in three women will experience some form of intimate partner violence or sexual violence during her lifetime. The installation feautes a series of cubes, which represent a search for order during difficulties experienced in life.

VIDEO: TRUSS by Carey Jernigan

Jernigan trained as a furniture maker with Heidi Earnshaw Design, and her sculptures and interactive artwork feature wood, light, and memory. She explores industrial processes, material culture, and the people and places they shape. Her work has been featured in New York at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, in Canada at Craft Ontario, the Workers’ Arts and Heritage Centre, Harbourfront Centre, Parkdale Film & Video Showcase, the Khyber Centre for the Arts, the Anna Leon Owens Gallery, Eyelevel Gallery, and the Nova Scotia Public Archives, and in Portugal at De Liceiras 18.

‘TRUSS’ will be on display at Agnes Jamieson Gallery until Sunday, November 29th.

The Agnes Jamieson Gallery is located in the Minden Hills Cultural Centre at 176 Bobcaygeon Road in Minden. For more information, call 705-286-3763 or visit mindenhills.ca/agnes-jamieson-art-gallery/. A limited number of people are allowed in the gallery at one time. Masks are required and physical distancing is practiced in the space, with floor markings to remind you to stay apart, and hand sanitizer is also readily available.

 

Artspace presents three micro-exhibitions in Peterborough

Artspace in Peterborough is hosting three 10-day micro-exhibitions in rapid succession in November through December: ‘Breaking Down Stereotypes’ by the First People’s House of Learning from November 4th to 14th, ‘Around’ by John Climenhage from November 18th to 28th, and ‘Attention is a Task We Share’ by Robin Love from December 2nd to 12th.

These three shows all deal with community and perspective. ‘Breaking Down Stereotypes’ is photo-based exhibit based on the first-hand experiences of indigenous youth in the post-secondary community, ‘Around’ is a series of paintings of local scenes around Peterborough from the perspective of painter John Climenhage, and ‘Attention is a Task We Share’ deals with ways of knowing and questions our Euro-centric education system.

‘Breaking Down Stereotypes’ by The First People’s House of Learning

As the title clearly states, ‘Breaking Down Stereotypes’ aims to break down stereotypes and deals with hurtful comments based on wrongly held assumptions and racist beliefs that indigenous students are faced with as they attend Trent University. This will be an eye-opener for some.

Though the people who see and experience these realities are very much aware since they bear the brunt of it, those who are not targets of cruelty and injustice can be completely oblivious. An exhibit like this, coming from community experiences, can teach those who are blissfully unaware, and sometimes in complete denial, that racism is a real threat, and sadly, alive and well in our community.

The fact that this is experienced by young people today, here and now, should be a wake-up call to anyone and everyone who thinks racism is a thing of the past.

The exhibit will run from Wednesday, November 4th until Saturday, November 14th.

‘Around’ by John Climenhage

This series of bright impressions of the streets and byways of Peterborough is familiar and refreshing.

Painted in John Climenhage’s signature style the scenes are lively, full of light and movement. The familiar and sometimes drab is brought to life with a sense of immediacy in these paintings, allowing the viewer to appreciate the everyday moment, and see the streets of Peterborough in a new light. The show will run from Wednesday, November 18th to Saturday, November 28th.

Also make sure to check out the exhibit of Climenhage’s paintings at various downtown Peterborough locations as part of the Artsweek SHIFT: Downtown project curated by Justin Million (see below).

‘Attention is a Task We Share’ by Robin Love

This installation is made up of two pieces, ‘Short Talk on Process’ and ‘Things Take the Time They Take’. Looking at learning environments critically, these pieces deal with the way such environments are structured to reinforce the dominant culture and ideology.

Challenging Euro-centric ways of learning, artist Robin Love sets up environments which emphasize process over outcome, and which allow accident and improvisation to inform the learning process. This points to possibilities within education for diversity, and acknowledges that there are many ways to learn and come to know and understand things.

This show runs from Wednesday, December 2nd until Saturday, December 12th.

 

 

Physical distancing, limited numbers allowed in the gallery space, mask wearing, and sanitization are all in practice at Artspace to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Artspace is located at 378 Aylmer Street in downtown Peterborough and offers barrier-free access and free admission during regular open hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Tuesday to Friday, by appointment on Wednesday, noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday. 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.

 

Artspace hosts a virtual Q&A on writing exhibition applications and grants on November 18

Each year, Artspace offers a workshop on writing for grants and applications.

This year, the workshop will be offered differently. On Wednesday, November 18th, Artspace’s assistant curator Hannah Keating will go live on Artspace’s social media accounts to answerquestions about the application process, including writing effective project proposals or artist statements and navigating online submission platforms.

You can submit questions until 4 p.m. on November 18th by emailing Hannah at hannah@artspace-arc.org or sending Artspace a private message through Facebook or Instagram.

 

Artsweek Peterborough presents Artsweek SHIFT: Downtown curated by Justin Million

Artsweek 2020, Peterborough’s biennial 10-day multidisciplinary arts festival, has been postponed until September 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In lieu of the festival, this year Artsweek Peterborough is presenting Artsweek SHIFT, a six-month initiative of pop-ups, online, and COVID-safe in-person events. All the events are free.

First up is “Downtown”, curated by poet Justin Million, which celebrates local visual artists, poets, and spoken word artists who live and work in Peterborough’s downtown core, and who have kept on working throughout the pandemic.

Following a first event in October, November brings “An Afternoon of Spoken Word & Poetry #2” featuring readings by Katherine Heigh, Justin Million, Shaun Phuah, and Nick Taylor.

The event takes place from 3 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, November 7th in the back parking lot of The Theatre On King at 171 King Street in downtown Peterborough.

Bring your own chair and wear a mask (audience members are required to wear a mask at all times during the event).

 

 

There’s also “Menacing Beauty – The John Climenhage Storefront Project” on now and running until Friday, November 13th at various downtown Peterborough restaurant and bars.

“Climenhage’s paintings are unmatched in how they chronicle the changes affecting our urban, rural, and even wilder landscapes,” writes Justin Million, curator of Artsweek SHIFT: Downtown.

“John’s work executed during the pandemic is fresh, it’s immediate, it’s crucial,” Million adds. “These are paintings devoid of folk, rife with the menacing stress of long shadows creeping into what would otherwise be idyllic city scenes.”

The paintings will be on display at Dreams of Beans (138 Hunter St. W.), Providence (131 Hunter St. W.), Rare (166 Brock St;), The Sapphire Room (137 Hunter St. W.), Sam’s Place Deli (188 Hunter St. W.), St. Veronus Cafe and Tap Room (129 Hunter St. W.), The Garnet (231 Hunter St. W.), and The Night Kitchen (168 Hunter St. W.).

For more information about Artsweek Shift, including upcoming events, visit artsweekpeterborough.ca/artsweek-shift/.