Current Exhibitions

meryl mcmaster | as immense as the sky

September 26, 2020 – february 28, 2021 | gallery a

Opening Event: Friday, september 25 (7-9 pm)

As an artist with both Plains Cree and European-Canadian ancestry, Meryl McMaster has a unique world view that is expressed in her larger-than-life photography. Self-portraiture featuring desolate landscapes and elaborate costumes and props, the works in As Immense as the Sky evoke a dreamlike sense of wonder, a touch of loneliness and a wave of emotion.

McMaster, born in Ottawa in 1988, holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from OCAD University and has received a number of awards including the Canon Canada Prize and the Sobey Art Award long list. Collections featuring her compositions include the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, Ottawa Art Gallery, and the Canadian Museum of History.

Thank you to the Canada Council For the Arts and the Ryerson Image Centre for their support on this project.

METIS ART AND HISTORY – OTIPEMISIWAK: The people who own themselves

November 28, 2020 – february 21, 2021 | Gallery B

group exhibition

Mirroring the discussion of today’s global issues, this exhibition turns to art, collaboration and history to help charter a path forward to understanding and reconciliation. Partnering with the West Kootenay Métis Society, Métis Art and History – OTIPEMISIWAK: The People Who Own Themselves enlists the community, working with traditional art forms in artist-led workshops throughout the year, to create the work featured in the large-scale exhibition.

The exhibition will also feature an archival component, which will be culled from the Shawn Lamb Archives, as well as other regional archives and organizations. Métis Art and History – OTIPEMISIWAK: The People Who Own Themselves is a living, changing project that will be created and constructed with influences from both the historical documents and current affairs that shape our current consciousness.

The opening Event has been postponed due to the newest Covid recommendations. Stay tuned for new dates and details.

This exhibition is made possible by the partnerships with Don and Nicole Courson, President and Vice-president of the West Kootenay Métis Society, as well as Maurice Trudel, Indigenous Youth Internship Program Lead, Diversity and Inclusion Branch of the BC Public Service Agency, and the work of artist and educator Michele Morin and Nicole Courson, who have been undertaking traditional Métis art workshops including pointal painting and beading for the past several months facilitated by Lesley Garlow, Touchstones Nelson Museum Indigenous Educator and Curator Arin Fay. This project was generously funded by the BCAC Youth Engagement Program (YEP).

Contributors also include: Brodie Douglas, Metis Historical Researcher with the Metis Nation British Columbia, Heather Devine, Associate Professor Department of History University of Calgary, Sherry Farrell Racette, and the beautiful work of Lisa Shepherd and Kristi Bridgeman.

Métis Art and History – OTIPEMISIWAK: The People Who Own Themselves is proud to include work from renowned Canadian artist Christi Belcourt and her works, ‘Wisdom of the Universe’ and ‘So much Depends Upon Who Holds The Shovel’. These works have provided the pattern and inspiration for the various workshops, and the work created plays an important role in the exhibition. We are also honored to have the work of Lisa Shepherd and Kristi Bridgeman included in this exhibition as well as work by George Littlechild, and many local artists and collectors.