Autumn Brings Exquisite Art Exhibits To Owen Sound And Area

September brings with it cooler, shorter days, the return of kids of all ages to school, and a plethora of local art events to keep your evenings and weekends as full as you’d like them to be.

Here in Owen Sound, where our manufacturing facilities are located, we’re incredibly fortunate to be a part of a rich and diverse arts community. Here are just a few of the exhibitions and events you can look forward to this fall in Owen Sound, Ontario, and area.

XIAOJING YAN’S ‘FLOATING’ AT THE DURHAM ART GALLERY

Chinese-Canadian installation artist Xiaojing Yan from Markham, Ontario, displays her ghostly, ethereal works at The Durham Art Gallery through the month of September.

‘Floating,” Xiaojing Yan at the Durham Art Gallery.

“I filter Chinese thoughts through English words, English words through Chinese culture, and my images through the concepts of my art – all the while my core sense of Self remains suspended above and between these two worlds,” she says.

The Durham Art Gallery is open Tuesday to Friday from 10 to 5pm; and Saturday, Sunday and holidays from 1 to 4pm.

CELEBRATION OF TOM BUNCE AT THE ARTISTS’ CO-OP

Tom Bunce exhibits his acrylics on canvas in the Legacy Gallery for the month of September. Co-op manager Morag Budgeon wrote of Tom’s work in this month’s Grey Bruce MOSAIC magazine: “Our countryside is distilled into strong lines and colour, with dramatic, bruised skies taking a centric role. In an interesting twist of style, Tom often portrays quintessentially local buildings juxtaposed in his landscapes, the architectural features rendered with exquisite precision.”

Tom Bunce acrylic on canvas. Photo credit: Artists’ Co-op

The Artists’ Co-op, located in the MacKay Building at 942 2nd Avenue East in downtown Owen Sound, hosts a lineup of guest artists for September, as well. Painter Charmaine Jenner, watercolour and acrylics artist Richard McNaughton, weaver Gladys Sinclair and jeweler Leslie Lacombe are all on display as guest artists this month.

TOM THOMSON ART GALLERY

The immersive and interactive ‘Betwixt & Between: An Untold Tom Thomson Story’ exhibit is on now at the Tom Thomson Art Gallery in downtown Owen Sound. This innovative exhibition has unfolded in several stages over the summer, with an augmented reality mobile app being unveiled to help users interact with the material.

You can read about the creation and development of this fascinating exhibit on the Tom Thomson Art Gallery website.

VALERIE NICHOL’S ACRYLICS & MIXED MEDIA AT GALLERY DE BOER

Valerie Nichol’s artwork has been displayed across Ontario over the last two decades and this month, you can see her work at Gallery de Boer in Owen Sound.

Memories of the Beach – 6” x 6” mixed media on canvas, Valerie Nichol.

Although she got her start in sculpture, she’s a painter at heart. As she says on the Gallery de Boer website, “The one element that sculpture never had was color. The new acrylic gel allows the color to seem wet and jump off the canvas. I love color.”

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL WOODWORKING AT INTERSECTIONS WOOD GALLERY & STUDIO

Stephen Hogbin’s woodworking gallery showcases unique artwork featuring wood as the medium, while the Intersections studio offers woodworking classes for artists of all skill levels.

Woodworkers at the Intersections Wood Gallery & Studio in downtown Owen Sound.

This coming month, Pierre Rousseau teaches an intermediate level woodworking class for those with previous fundamentals or college experience. Each participant will construct a blanket chest, toy box or tool case over the course of 10 classes, from September 14th through November 16th. See the course calendar on the Intersections Wood Gallery website.

SANTA FE GALLERY CELEBRATES BRUCE PENINSULA SOCIETY OF ARTISTS

Formed in 1997, the Bruce Peninsula Society of Artists (BPSA) has long provided a network for local artists to meet, share ideas and learn from each other. In celebration of the non-profit collective’s 20th anniversary, the BPSA exhibit will run from an opening event September 16th through to Thanksgiving.

You’ll find the Santa Fe Gallery at 828 3rd Avenue East in downtown Owen Sound, and online at http://www.dragonflyridgestudio.ca/.

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