The final shows of the year are on now! Holiday season is really just around the corner and it’s going to be a fun one! Excitement at the Opening: The gallery was buzzing with pride and joy from a very diverse group of artists at our last opening event. Over 60 people came to enjoy the opening of the show ‘A Spectrum of Perspectives’ including the artists, who ranged in age from 4 to 84. For many of these artists it was their very first time having their work displayed to the public, which is very exciting! We look forward to seeing more from these artists in the future, they work out of Spectrum Art Studios which offers a variety of workshops and classes. The 29th of September was the last day to see the show, it’s all packed up and delivered back to the proud artists. Preparations are beginning for our next show now, if you want to see some more photos from any of our shows follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for all the latest information and updates.
Beaux Arts Bazaar:
Here it comes again, Beaux Arts Bazaar! The gallery will become host to a large variety of talented artists and crafters to offer a lovely local Christmas shopping experience. In the past we have been lucky to have the Quesnel Farmers Market join us at the Rec Centre for their Saturday Christmas Markets unfortunately due to restrictions they were unable to have their event for the past few years. This year is their exciting return, giving you even more wonderful vendors to shop from! The Holiday season is a busy time for us in the Gallery & Gift Shop, we are very grateful for the support of the community and our dedicated volunteers! With the busy season comes the need for some helping hands, if you or anyone you know would be interested in volunteering with the Gallery & Gift Shop we would LOVE to hear from you! Please stop in for more information on how you can get involved in the Gallery or with the Beaux Arts Bazaar! Thanks for reading and until next time, best regards Shae Lightening Hello everyone, New Exhibit: Here at the gallery we are preparing for our exciting new exhibit, ‘A Spectrum of Perspectives’ from Quesnel’s own Spectrum Art Studios. This show is a unique collection of work by over 15 emerging artists from ages 4 years and up, who are studying under the talented artist & teacher Tanya Shymko. The title represents the spectrum of colours, ages and influences we see through art, this is evident when observing the wonderful range of pieces together in one room. We will be hosting an opening reception at the Gallery on Thursday, August 18th from 7:00PM-9:00PM with all of the artists in attendance. The opening reception is a chance to hear where the inspiration for the show came from and meet the artists who put so much work into this exhibit. There will be coffee, tea, and treats and a brief introduction from the artists who made this show possible, we hope to see you all there! The variety of mediums filling up our space right now is bringing so much colour and joy to the white walls, I’m sure it will inspire and delight anyone who walks in for the next few weeks until the show ends on September 29th. If you can’t make it to the opening reception, be sure to check out the show on our regular business days, Tuesday through Saturday 10:00AM-4:00 PM. Temporary Closure: Due to scheduled maintenance of the building the Rec Centre will be closed from September 5th-18th meaning the Art Gallery and Gift Shop will be inaccessible and therefore also will be closed. We are planning on starting back up on the 20th of September where you can still catch the showing of ‘A Spectrum of Perspectives’ for its final weeks in our Gallery. Behind the scenes we will be working on some exciting new projects for the future, keep up with our blog posts to be the first informed! With Summer coming closer to an end we will be relying on the incredible support of our volunteers to keep the Gallery and Gift Shop up and running for its regular hours. We are deeply grateful to our volunteers and supporters in this wonderful community. If you are interested in volunteering, please come visit or give us a call at the Gallery! Hello wonderful people of Quesnel! When’s the last time you stopped into the gallery and gift shop? I’ve been spending most of my time here lately, if you’ve popped in recently you may know who I am, and if not I’d love for you to stop in and say hi! My name is Shae Lightening and I’ve been with the gallery for several months now, and I have to say it’s been an inspiring and motivating experience to be a part of the incredible art community we have here in Quesnel. The future of the Art Gallery and Gift Shop is bright and full of new ideas. I'm very excited to be a part of it all and can’t wait to share that excitement with all of you. It’s always changing here, we have to be adaptable with so many talented local artists bringing in a variety of wonderfully unique items. The gift shop is full of original artworks, from cards to sculptures and all sorts of interesting items in between, there is sure to be something to treat yourself or someone you love. Although making a trip to the gallery is a treat in itself, you never know what might catch your eye while you stroll past the paintings, or what conversation could spark while surrounded by art. The local talent we showcase in the gift shop is genuinely inspiring, it might even put you in the mood to do some crafting and creating of your own! The Gallery and Gift Shop are open Tuesday through Saturday 10 am to 4 pm -- come on over and see the incredible local talent we have on display.
We look forward to seeing you at the gallery and gift shop in the coming weeks, and I would love to hear what your thoughts are on our current Gallery Show. I’m here all summer long Tuesday through Saturday 10-4 , stop in and say hello!
- Shae Lightening (Gallery Assistant) Hello People of Quesnel,
How are you this fine day (as long as it's not hailing outside)? Things here at the gallery are looking pretty blue. Not sad, literally blue. Our current show by indigenous artist, Darin Corbiere, is called "Ingrained Stories: What the Wood Said to Me" and it's on until June 25th at the Quesnel Art Gallery and Gift Shop. This exhibition is a departure from what we normally show at the gallery, but it is relevant to current events in BC and couldn't be shown at a more important time. Darin Corbiere's works are at times unsettling, detailed, and powerful, featuring ink drawings on pieces of wood. The works are shown under black light, which brings out the colours of the ink, while drawing viewers in to see the details. On top of using this unconventional lighting system, there are stories posted on the walls accompanying most of the works. Darin Corbiere mixes indigenous mythology with personal stories and beliefs to create a fantastic experience in this exhibition. He discusses Sitting Bull, Mother Earth, the Catholic Church, and stories surrounding origin and sexuality. This show could not have come at a more important time; when these are the voices and stories that need to be heard. James Darin Corbiere is from Wikwemikong, an Indigenous community on Manitoulin Island, Ontario. He is Anishinaabe, and was living in Prince George, BC, until recently. He now resides on Vancouver Island, and came back for a few days to install the show. We also have prints available in the gift shop for purchase, and images of the show online if you are unable to attend in person. Do not miss this timely, and significant show. I will post updates on what's coming up in the gallery in a separate post. - Tanya Nielsen (Member-at-Large) Twitter: @QuesnelArt Facebook: Quesnel Art Gallery Instagram: quesnelartgallery Hello, Everyone!
Happy, sunny days are here in Quesnel, and we are celebrating this at the gallery with a new show. 'Resonate' features the works of Judith DesBrisay and Cheri Maisonneuve and is running from now until May 28th! Come in and see it or check out the show on social media, we have posted images of it on Facebook. 'Resonate' celebrates the works of two of Quesnel's favourite, long-time practicing artists and their shared medium, resin. A couple of the works are done as a collaboration between these two artists, but the majority are either the abstract working of DesBrisay, or portrayals of the ocean by Maisonneuve. The works are breath-taking, and very shiny, do not miss this show or the opportunity to purchase one of these works through the gift shop or through emailing us at [email protected]. This is the last month to submit a proposal for our 2022 exhibition year! If you are interested in showing at the Quesnel Art Gallery next year, make sure that you get your submission in by May 31st. We have an online application found here. We will be reviewing submissions in June and informing people of their status by June 30th. We are already excited about some of the submissions we already have and we can't wait to put together the full line up! We also have a Community Show opening up July 3rd and running until the 29th. It is a new venture for us, and we are calling it the 'A Summer Garden'! Bring us your works related to the theme of what you think of, or see, in your garden during the summertime. We will start taking in works at the end of June, so start working on those masterpieces! If you have any questions about the 'Summer Garden' show, please contact us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or our website. We're looking forward to filling the gallery with sunshine, flowers, and all good things green. We are also thinking about ways to have workshops this summer! We missed hosting them last year, but we made up for it with the tile kits for the community mural (which you wholly embraced, thank you so much for that). We are thinking about potentially doing more kits for another project, and a couple of guest lectures. It is going to be an exciting summer! The members' meeting is being held on Zoom on May 31st, at 2pm, if you are interested in attending and learning more about what's going on at the gallery, send us an email at [email protected] and we will send you a link. Our AGM is coming up as well on June 21st, 2pm, email us (again) to let us know that you want to attend and mark the date on your calendars! Our next show opens up on June 3rd, and it is "Ingrained Stories - What the Wood Said to Me" with Darin Corbiere. That is everything for now, keep checking our social media and our website for more updates! - Tanya Nielsen (Member at Large) Twitter: @QuesnelArt Facebook: Quesnel Art Gallery Instagram: quesnelartgallery Good day, People of Quesnel!
We are moving fast through April here at the Quesnel Art Gallery and Gift Shop, but slowing down enough for you to come and see our new show, "The Cowboys and Cowgirls of the Cariboo" with Nicole Johnston. The show features photos from ranches around the Cariboo region, and they are gorgeous! We are also getting some copies of Nicole Johnston's book featuring photos from the show. We are just waiting for them to be dropped off (any day now), so keep your eyes on social media to know when we have them in. The prints from the show are also for sale, you can find an album of them on Facebook, with the prices listed. If you are interested in multiple copies, please let us know and we will contact the artist to place your request. We will also have an interview with the artist, Nicole Johnston, available on our website, soon. She talks about her photography, the ranches she visited, and what inspired her work. "The Cowboys and Cowgirls of the Cariboo" is showing until April 29th, do not miss it, it is a fantastic show! Speaking of shows, we are doing an early Call for Proposals for our 2022 Exhibition Year! If you are interested in showing at the Quesnel Art Gallery and Gift Shop in 2022, please fill out this form and we will contact you, requesting photos of your work. We are accepting applications until the 31st of May, and will contact you by June 30th to let you know if you are accepted or not. Let us know if you have all the works completed, or if you just have an idea right now. This is an excellent opportunity to show your work, or light the fire if you need a deadline to finish those projects you have on the go (you know who you are, don't deny it). Now that it is April, the 2021/2022 year Membership fees are due. If you want to renew your membership but do not want to come into the gallery, you can update them on the website, and pay by e-transfer, debit, or credit card. We will update your information here and send you a new card. Use this card to get 10% off in the gift shop, and on art supplies at Big Country Printers! (That reminds me ... I need more coloured pens.) We also have a member's meeting on Zoom on April 19th, at 2:00pm. We will be discussing the comings and goings of the gallery, future projects, and other stuff related to arts in Quesnel. If you are interested in attending, please email Marguerite at [email protected], and she will send you a link to the meeting. Our next show will be "Resonate," with Judith DesBrisay and Cheri Maisonneuve. It promises to be a fantastic show, and opens on May 6th, 2021. This is it for now, I will share more news with you in the upcoming month. Now, go sit outside on your lawn/deck/balconey/driveway, or go River Walk or somewhere that has a patio, and enjoy the sunshine. You have earned it. - Tanya Nielsen (Member at Large) Twitter: @QuesnelArt Facebook: Quesnel Art Gallery Instagram: quesnelartgallery Hello, People of Quesnel!
It is the middle March, the snow is melting, and don't forget to reset your clocks one hour ahead because the days are getting longer as we head into spring. We may not have flowers outside, but we are featuring a lot of colour in the Quesnel Art Gallery and Gift Shop with the Kidz Art Show, featuring works by the young artists of the area! This is our favourite show of the year (along with all the other shows). We have some amazing works up from now until the 27th of March, so come and see it soon! If you are unable to come in, we are posting images of the show on social media and we have a wonderful interview featured in the Quesnel Cariboo Observer. A special thanks goes to School District #28 for sponsoring the show and for helping us with the set up. We also heard some exciting news from our friends at the College of New Caledonia in Prince George. They are doing a "Call for Expressions of Interest" for a new work of art for their main campus entrance. They are looking for a new installation that celebrates diversity and reconciliation. They do NOT require full proposals at this time but are looking for statements of interest from local artists. If you are interested, send in your CV and/or Artist's Bio, a one page letter of interest, and 6-10 images, by MARCH 26TH, 2021; the information on the project can be found here. It looks like an amazing opportunity to have your work art welcoming new visitors, students, and employees, especially when the school is fully open again. It has been one year since we first went into lockdown because of COVID-19. This was a difficult time for everyone, but the vaccinations are rolling out, it is getting warmer every day, and soon, we'll be able to sit outside with small gatherings (as long as no one jinxes it). We have some good news to tide you over until then. Summer will be here before we know it, and with that comes the new "A Summer Garden Community Show"! This will be our community show of the year, open to works from members of the community, based around the idea of summer gardens. The show will run during the month of July and we will start accepting works at the end of June. I know that there's a lot of time between now and then, but this also gives you a lot of time to prepare. We are also running our Call for Proposals for 2022 early this year, and the form is a little different. If you are interested in doing a show with us, fill out the form before May 31st and we will notify people by the end of June. We are still working on a survey for you to fill out, but we hope to have it out soon (I mean it). We want to hear from you about the kind of shows, workshops, and projects you like, what you think about some potential upcoming new projects, and your interest in different kinds of volunteer work (if you're one of our volunteers or interested in helping). The truth is we are going to be busy, busy, busy this year! Which actually isn't much different from other years, but we are excited about our upcoming shows like "The Cowboys and Cowgirls of the Cariboo" with Nicole Johnston in April, and "Resonate" with Judith DesBrisay and Cheri Maisonneuve in May. We have a some new ideas for the summer projects, which we hope you will enjoy, and, as always, the gift shop features some great new works by local artists. Some of which are available online, including our memberships which need to be renewed in April. Keep in touch, and your membership in good standing, to be up-to-date with what's going on in the gallery. - Tanya Nielsen (Member at Large) Twitter: @QuesnelArt Facebook: Quesnel Art Gallery Instagram: quesnelartgallery Hello People of Quesnel!
We're back!!! Did you miss us? Because we missed you. The gallery is officially open again after being closed for the long month of January. We were so excited at the thought of seeing you again that we didn't care that we were opening up again in the middle of a sudden drop in temperature. It is cold outside, actually, it is beyond cold outside. So cold, that we decided to warm things up in the gallery by having a beautiful summertime show. Simple, Summer with Lesley Kuhn will be up in the gallery until February 26th. It is a gorgeous show, featuring beautiful, sunny works that will help you get through these freezing days. If you cannot get to the gallery, check out the images on social media and on the website! We are posting an interview with the artist, and if you are interested in one of her works, let us know. We can process transactions over the phone or by e-transfer. A special thanks goes out to Joan Ramsey Harker for sponsoring the show! While we were closed, we had a nice scrub down and redecorated the Gift Shop. We also did a full inventory of everything. Did you know that we have over 1000 items in the shop? It doesn't look like it, but we do. I know because I counted each and every one of them myself. While this inventory check was a long time coming, we couldn't have done it without the help of our volunteers, and of course, a big THANK YOU to Community Futures North Cariboo for funding this project so that we could have someone set up a digital database. In the next few months, we are upgrading our consignment system so that we are no longer processing sales transactions by hand. This is going to be a huge change for us and we are going to have to work out the kinks as we go, but it is going to lead to some great things for us. We hope that you will be happy about what's coming up for us, but for now, just be happy that we are really excited to not write up receipts by hand. So excited. Since we are dreaming big, and planning for the future, we decided to open up the CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR 2022!!! We want to get a head start on the next year, and that means looking for upcoming exhibitions now. We are accepting proposals from now until May 31st, 2021, 5pm. If you are interested in showing next year at the Quesnel Art Gallery, please fill out this form, and we will review all applications at the beginning of June. We have included a new policy for our artists, if they bring their own sponsors, they will receive the discounted commission fees instead of having to volunteer for them. That being said, the Quesnel Art Gallery and Gift Shop is always looking for new volunteers. We rely on them to keep the gallery doors open from Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm, and to keep things running well. We understand the concerns about working in a public space, but we do have safety procedures in place to stay safe... and we are not a heavy traffic place. If you are looking to spend some time outside of your home, you could volunteer for a few hours a month with us, talk with a few people, and help out our arts community. I think that is everything for this month. Stay tuned for an upcoming survey on our programs, the Kidz Art Show in March, and any other exciting information I can share. It's good to be back! - Tanya Nielsen (Member at Large) Twitter: @QuesnelArt Facebook: Quesnel Art Gallery Instagram: quesnelartgallery Greetings Quesnel!
We hope that you had a fantastic holiday. The dedication you showed at this year's Beaux Arts Bazaar was incredible! Thank you so much for coming in, calling us, and emailing your requests; it means so much to us, your local arts and crafts people, and the local businesses, how you supported all of us with your holiday shopping. Also, a BIG THANK YOU to KPMG, Fraserview Pharmacy, and Community Futures for sponsoring Beaux Arts Bazaar 2020. This year, we were able to not only continue our Bazaar, but to invite some of the vendors from the Farmer's Market to set up their wares. We promoted unique gifts, made by members of the community, arranged pick ups for those concerned about social distancing, and we kept people safe. On that note, thank you for wearing your masks and disinfecting your hands, you kept us safe too. Now that the holidays are over, we are taking a bit of a break. We are going to be CLOSED for the month of JANUARY to do some much needed cleaning and taking stock of our inventory. This is long overdue, and we are doing it in anticipation of some revamping that's coming later in 2021! We have some big changes planned for this year. Two of these changes are happening this month: we are announcing our call for submissions for 2022 early, and we are putting out a survey to find out what YOU would like to see us doing at the gallery. So keep an eye out for our newsletter, our blog posts, and our social media accounts. If you miss us during this time (as we will undoubtedly miss you), we are still selling memberships, mural cards/prints, and our new calendars on the website! The calendars are $20, all proceeds go to your favourite gallery (us, obviously), and you get to know everything that is happening in the gallery for 2021. Well, not everything, but you will know when our shows are happening. And that we are going to be reopening February 4th with our exhibition "Simple Summer" with Lesley Kuhn! That is all I can tell you for now. If you would like to learn about more of the things we doing this year, we are having a Members' Meeting this January 25th, at 2:00pm on Zoom. We'll be talking about some of the upcoming changes and our plans for the future. If you are interested in attending, please email us at [email protected]. Until then, keep safe, and we will see again either January 25th at the meeting, or February 4th for the opening! - Tanya Nielsen (Member at Large) Twitter: @QuesnelArt Facebook: Quesnel Art Gallery Instagram: quesnelartgallery Happy Holidays Everyone!
It's our favourite time of the year at the Quesnel Art Gallery and Gift Shop! It's time for Beaux Arts Bazaar. This annual show is an opportunity for the local artists and craftspeople of the Cariboo Region to sell their works for the holidays. We are packed with paintings, pottery, cards, soaps, ornaments, glass, drawings, knitting, and wood carvings. All of it available for your holiday shopping! We have some of our holiday favourites returning this year, such as cards and bookmarks by Lorrie Stolarski, Chickadees by Maggie Ferguson-Dumais, and glass ornaments by Sandy Fontaine. We also have new items such as wool snowmen by Lou Dobie, walking sticks by Ron Caskey, and photos by Sam Watters. Your local artists pulled through this trying time with some fantastic and unique gifts for the holiday shopping event of the year. We're lucky to have so many of the things you loved last year, as well as so many new items that we know you (or that someone special) will love. When we heard the unfortunate news about the Winter Farmer's Market being cancelled, we reached out to some of the vendors to see if they wanted to set up their wares in the gallery this year. We are happy to welcome Lavender Blue Soaps, Willow Tree Pottery, and The Mushroom Lady, to this year's Beaux Arts Bazaar. They have wonderful works set up for your perusal. The soaps are wonderful for stocking stuffers, the mugs are ready for hot cocoa, and the silk scarves will brighten up any outfit. The Quesnel Art Gallery and Gift Shop knows that this year has been difficult on local businesses, arts and crafts people, and especially difficult on you ... our community. We want you to know that we understand this, and that we understand concerns you may have about wanting to support local while following COVID-19 protocols. The Quesnel Art Gallery has a mandatory mask policy, and can supply you with one if needed. We are also posting photos of our items on our Facebook page so that you may shop from the safety of your home and make arrangements for pick up (payments can be made by e-transfer, or credit card over the phone). We're updating the photo album regularly, so keep checking it! If you cannot find what you are looking for here, please look for it at one of the other amazing local businesses we have in our community. A lot of businesses are going to great lengths to keep this community safe and could use a little support. Check out the Facebook page for the Quesnel Farmer's Market to find out how some of them are selling their wares this holiday season, or contact local businesses and vendors to find out what is being sold, where is it being sold, and what arrangements can be made to remain safe. Most importantly, make sure that you remain safe and healthy this holiday season; we want to able to ring in the new year with you. Oh, and almost forgot, our new 2021 calendars are now available in the gift shop and on our website (last plug, I swear)! Special thanks to Community Futures North Cariboo, KPMG, and Fraserview Pharmacy for sponsoring Beaux Arts Bazaar this year. - Tanya Nielsen (Member at Large) Twitter: @QuesnelArt Facebook: Quesnel Art Gallery Instagram: quesnelartgallery |
AuthorShae Lightening Archives
July 2022
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