Up and down the pacific northwest coast there are stories shared of the great flood. They speak about the rising waters, the urgency to escape to higher ground and coming down to start over again after the water recedes. In my home community, Wuikinuxv, it is said the People who survived the flood climbed the mountain known as Kvauma (seat of the eagle) to escape the push of the ocean water. In making a lot of the work for this show I was thinking about the art we make and the work we do after loss…after a series of losses. What happens when catastrophe and heartbreak are normalized in our bones? Where do we place focus? Do we look at what has been taken, or to what remains and can be reclaimed?
Join us for the Opening Reception of our three newest exhibitions by Filipe Figueira, Solène Chatain, and Mindy Hemstalk on Saturday August 29th, 2pm – 4pm. All are welcome!
In the Main Gallery, Filipe Figueira’s exhibition In Positive Space features abstract landscapes celebrating the wild beauty, joy, and passion of the Pacific coast. In the Eve Smart Gallery, Solène Chatain’s exhibition Abandoned Hands features ceramic sculptures speaking to the complex relationships between human ingenuity, industry, technology, and the natural world. In Joe’s Lounge, Mindy Hemstalk’s mixed media sculptures honour the wild intelligence of the land, reassembling broken objects into new forms.
All three exhibitions are on display August 27th – September 20th. Join Filipe Figueira for an Artist Demo on Aug. 27th, 2pm – 4pm, and join Solène Chatain for an Artist Demo on Sept. 20th, 2pm – 3pm.
to Aug 15th. In the world of weaving sculptural forms with willow, two powerful – and at times disparate – influences come together.
Basketry is an ancient craft that has been practiced in virtually all human societies. Weavers then and now learn exacting techniques and styles to make their works useful and durable.
The pieces in this exhibit were inspired by Dawn’s daily walks in the forest and along the ocean shore, and the great diversity in Nature. Today the word “diversity” is used often in our ever-changing society. But before the word ever left a human’s lips, Nature had the concept perfected. Species, all species, are fully interdependent on their neighbours. Thus, Nature does not merely tolerate diversity, it thrives in it. It celebrates it. It stakes everything on it. Let us do the same.
