Two new shows are set to open at the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre this week — one focusing on local crafters and the other on local youth and the environment.
The main gallery will exhibit local metal and woodwork in conjunction with the Year of the Craft, an ongoing celebration of artisanal work. The side galleries will highlight the work of Arrow Heights Elementary students.
Most of the work being shown as part of the Year of the Craft was completed at the community woodwork shop, where local artisans pay a monthly fee to use the space. The pieces include jewelry, sculpture, and furniture, as well as a number of miscellaneous pieces that defy definition.
The student’s project is called, Our Home, Their Home, and focuses on the local birds that reside in our wetlands. The exhibit was funded by the Revelstoke Arts Council as part of the Art Starts program, and organized by teachers Michelle Gadbois, and Tara Johnson, who enlisted local artist Tina Lindegaard to mentor the children throughout the project. It was the first time the acclaimed artist had ever worked with students, who ranged from fifth to seventh grade.
“It was really amazing,” said Lindegaard. “It was the first time I’d participated in this kind of project, and I learned as much, if not more than the students. Helping the students to interpret their studies through art and creativity, made the information so much more exciting and relevant to each of them.”
For inspiration, the students were taken on a number of field trips out to the local flats to gain some first hand experience with their artistic subjects. In addition the their paintings, they also built birdhouses.
“My favourite part was being able to go down to the wetlands and sit in the quiet doing art,” said sixth grader Andie Reynolds.
PHOTO: Arrow Heights Elementary teachers Tara Johnson (left) and Michele Gadbois (right) with artist Tina Lindegaard.
Gadbois and Johnson made clear that the year long educational endeavor was a massive success, and that they could visibly sense the profound effect it had on their students, who learned about the value of protecting and caring for their local environment while improving their artistic skills.
“I feel proud of myself because the sketches I’ve done recently are way better than before,” said seventh grader Catherine Gingras.
The exhibits open with big changes underway at the gallery. The building features a fresh coat of paint, and new community gardens.
The changes come about as a result of three years of hard work, as well as grants received from the city of Revelstoke, the provincial government, the Arts Council, and the Columbia Basin Trust.
“There has been a huge transforming going on, it has been a long time coming, and it’s all beginning to come together,” says Jackie Pendergast, the gallery administrator. “You obviously get into this kind of work because you want to make a difference, and together, we certainly have.”
The opening reception will take place Friday, June 12th, from 6–9 p.m., and the exhibit will run until Friday, July 3.
“It should be a very eclectic show, and we have some wonderful pieces to look at,” said Pendergast.
