I learned there were five kinds of time nestled within our usual sense of “time.” The current exhibition at the Old Schoolhouse Gallery, called Island Time by artists Ester Strijbos, Janny Thompson and Monica Nawrocki, seems like a good opportunity to find these in art.
Continue reading A review of Island Time: Finding TimeArt is not simple. It is rife with contradictions and has a mandate to baffle. This seems especially true when the artist has the ability to make the familiar unfamiliar. Naomi Carins is such an artist. Waterscapes, a solo exhibition of large representational paintings of island shorelines, continuing this coming weekend at the Old Schoolhouse Gallery, forces the viewer to reconsider what is realism, and what is abstraction.
Continue reading A Review of ‘Waterscapes’ at the Old Schoolhouse Gallery
The Thursday Afternoon Art Collective will be coming to the walls of the Old Schoolhouse Art Gallery at 6 PM on Friday June 9. The talents of Lisa Gibbons, Madhurima Braaten, Dayna Davis, Caz Ratcliffe, Denise Drury, Jane Newman, Karen McDiarmid and Darshan Stevens are on display in ‘Between Heaven and Earth.’ The exhibition closes on Sunday June 18.
“I’ve been doing art classes in the studio for the last maybe 10 years, mixed media art classes for different members of the community, children and adults,” explained Lisa Gibbons.
“A core group of really dedicated people just kept coming and emerged as this vital core group that we have right now. We were meeting just before the pandemic, but it was still in the form of a class. Then we had to take this break and, for me personally, I also had to take a break for health reasons. The studio was dormant. We were all in our own creative spaces at home. Gratefully, I was able to come back to the studio late last fall, maybe November, and this core group of women really wanted to continue coming back as well. We just naturally morphed into a collaborative group because everybody’s got so much experience now. So we left behind that old model that we were doing before, it’s just really beautiful how it’s blossomed, and we’re doing things together.”
Continue reading The Thursday Afternoon Art Collective brings ‘Between Heaven and Earth’ to the Old Schoolhouse Art Gallery
The Old Schoolhouse Art Gallery is looking forward to what may be their best season in years.
“There’s a post COVID enthusiasm which was first evidenced by the submissions that we had that have resulted in seven shows. There’s no hesitation about Covid rules, or what we should or shouldn’t do. We’ve been a nonprofit for a year and a bit, and the new manager has had a year behind her. Things feel more settled, and more focused on the magic of the shows than the behind the scenes business that the boards have to handle in any organization in a big time of change,” explained Oriane Lee Johnston (OLJ).
“One thing that Islanders can look forward to is a full season, starting from the 9th of June.”
Continue reading The Old Schoolhouse Art Gallery’s 2023 Exhibition Line-up
A number of Cortes Island matters were discussed at the new Electoral Areas Service Committee’s (EASC) Inaugural meeting. This is a special committee made up of the four Strathcona Regional District rural directors and the first stop before their concerns are brought before the full board. The initial discussion of Cortes Island’s proposed Grants in Aid; a Whaletown Community Club request for funding to install a wheelchair ramp at the Old Schoolhouse Art Gallery; and a proposed staff report about liveaboards: were all on the agenda today. As expected Gerald Whalley, the only director to have previously served on the Board, was elected Chair. The big news is that Cortes Island Director Mark Vonesch has been elected Vice Chair.
Continue reading Cortes Island matters at EASC’s Inaugural Meeting
