The Comox Valley Art Gallery enters the new year with a new look inside and out, new thematic programming and new community engagement opportunities.
On Jan. 26, Approaching Painting opens. This thematic program offers a spectrum of art-based practices and perceptual responses to traditional and contemporary painting. Through presentation of artists’ work and creative process, interpretive collaborations, exhibition, and make art projects and workshops, the community will have an opportunity to engage with the work of local painters, including Scott Bertram, Nicole Crouch, Robert Moon, Carole Thompson, Madeleine Wood, and interpretive collaborators Cathy Coates and Cedar Waslewski.
On opening day, the community can participate in a make art project event led by Bertram and Crouch from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Beginning at 1 p.m., all the artists will be on hand for a public reception with artist talks. Coates will perform her movement rooted responses to the paintings and a sound piece in the window space will present auditory responses of a community choir.
Workshops on Feb. 15 and 18, led by community facilitator Waslewski, will give participants an opportunity to explore new perceptions and creative responses to the exhibition.
Approaching Painting runs until March 23 and will offer a closing day make art project event led by Thompson and Wood from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
During the run of the exhibition, each artist will spend a week at CVAG in GATHER:PLACE. This new gallery space offers a visible site in which artists can conduct creative research, and engage visitors and students in their creative process and ideas.
During CVAG’s new hours, Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., visitors can enter the gallery presentation spaces through its newly developed welcoming hub adjacent to SHOP:MADE, a new presentation space for works created by local artisans.
Registration for workshops, purchases, gallery publications, and tickets can be made in the new shop. More info at: www.comoxvalleyartgallery.com
