GPAG: FIGUEIRA, CHATAIN, HEMSTALK | Opening Receptions

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.

GPAG: ARTIST DEMO | Solène Chatain

Join us for an Artist Demo with Solène Chatain on Sunday, September 20th, 2pm – 3pm. All are welcome!

Based in Powell River (qathet), Solène Chatain is a mainly self-taught ceramic sculptor focusing on handbuilding techniques including slab building and carving. Chatain has exhibited her work in several group exhibitions in Powell River (qathet) as well as on Vancouver Island. She has also taught ceramic sculpture workshops in Powell River (qathet) and in Esquimalt. Her current series, ‘Iron Age Frescoes’, explores the fusion of silica and iron, two materials essential to creation throughout human history.

Art Exhibition: GPAG – SOLÈNE CHATAIN | Abandoned Hands

Exploring what we make by hand, what we build through technology, and what we leave behind, Solène Chatain’s ceramic sculptures reflect on the complex relationships between human ingenuity, industry, technology, and the natural world. Handbuilt and carved ceramic forms are combined with discarded fragments of rusted machinery gathered from beaches, forests, and industrial sites, transforming remnants of human industry into objects of contemplation. Through these sculptures, Chatain explores the tension between holding on and letting go, between progress and consequence, between the handmade and the technological.

Join us for the Opening Reception on Sat. Aug. 29th, 2pm – 4pm; and for an Artist Demo on Sun. Sept. 20th, 2pm – 3pm. All are welcome!

GPAG: Artist Talk with Lisa Blackwell

Join us for an Artist Talk with Lisa Blackwell on Saturday, August 15th, 2pm – 3pm. Free to attend and all are welcome!

Informed and inspired by the practice of observing the living world and the forces of nature, Lisa Blackwell’s exhibition Earthly Emergence features handbuilt sculptures created from clay. Lisa Blackwell grew up in Sechelt, on the unceded territory of the shíshálh Nation, and is now living on the unceded territory of the Lekwungen people in Saanich BC. Considering an Indigenous perspective is integral to her work, as an act of decolonization and reciprocity. She was taught handbuilding by Sto:lo ceramics artist and cultural caretaker, Laura Wee Láy Láq, and has been working in clay for the past thirty years. Blackwell attended Alberta University of the Arts and in 2023 earned a BFA, Majoring in Ceramics with Distinction, and also won the Board of Governors Award for top ceramics student. She has taught, sold, and exhibited her pottery in California, Alberta, and British Columbia. At the heart of everything she makes is her growing understanding of ecology in all of its complexity.

Art Exhibition: GPAG – LISA BLACKWELL | Earthly Emergence

to Aug 18. Informed and inspired by the practice of observing the living world and the forces of nature, Lisa Blackwell’s exhibition Earthly Emergence features hand built sculptures created from clay. Blackwell views the biological imperative of growth and the mutual symbiotic relationships between flora, fauna, and fungi as sources of hopefulness and optimism; these primordial connections, represented by Blackwell’s biomorphic sculptures, have much to teach us about cooperation, altruism, and collaboration. An exhibition on display in the Main and Eve Smart Galleries July 23rd – August 18th.

Join us for the opening reception of this exhibition on Saturday, July 25th, 2pm – 4pm. All are welcome!

Pottery Prowl 2026

July 4 & 5.

Wander the Sunshine Coast and visit 23 local potters. Step into their studios, meet the makers, and find pieces that bring a little joy home.
Horseshoes Bay to Langdale Ferry Terminal, 
Saltery Bay to Earls Cove Ferry Terminal
https://www.bctransit.com/sunshine-coast/

Open Studio: Beth Hawthorn Ceramics

Dec 9, 5-9 pm; Sat Dec 10, 11-4pm. I’m glazing this week so lots of new mugs, tea cups, bowls, incense holders, vases and I’ll also pull out my basket of seconds. Please come say hello and have a festive drink with me.

Hackett Park Artisan Fair

The Hackett Park Artisan Fair is an annual gathering of local and regional vendors. The Fair has been an annual tradition on the Coast for 34 years, and attracts close to 5000 visitors seeking to discover the creations of artisans who are jury selected based on talent, originality, and the unique items they have to offer for sale. In keeping with our ongoing tradition, the fair will coincide with the popular Festival of the Written Arts (August 11th-14th, 2022, celebrating 40 years!)
This year’s Fair will take place in the lower field of Hackett Park and at the Arts Centre.
We will have live musicians in Hackett Park’s new amphitheatre and fun activities at the Arts Centre. There will be a large variety of artisans, artists, entertainers, and food vendors!
Entrance by donation!