There are four different art exhibitions opening around downtown this Saturday — a virtual cornucopia of ideas.
As soon as you enter the Bowman Art Gallery, check out the cabinet of “Queer-iosities.”
“I am pleased and surprised. We have contributions from a real
cross-section of the community both by artists who identify themselves
as homosexual and those who identify themselves as heterosexual who
wanted to show their support for the issues gays, lesbians, bi-sexuals
and trans-gendered people face,” said Leila Armstrong who wanted to do
something in honour of Gay Pride day. She contributed a drawing of Jo
from the Facts of Life, her “girlhood idol.”
There are 23 contributions from artists as far away as Montreal and Saskatoon, including a variety of items, ranging from the quirky to stark political commentary.
Items include not only art but also items from personal collections like an autographed Team Canada hockey jersey from gold medal winning Olympic hockey player Danielle Goyette, which local artist Sonis McAllister contributed as well as a selection of beavers from Josephine Mills.
McAllister contributed some of the strangest pieces including a bowl made of fur and a child’s dress purported to be worn by Ru Paul as a child. There are a variety of items including woodcuts of Oscar Wilde, a cheeky pop art style painting of Betty and Veronica from Len Komenac and Rick Gillis’s Teddy, which features a mannequin’s head.
There are a couple heart wrenching pieces including a contribution from an anonymous elementary school student — a heart wrenching depiction of gender roles. The “male” side includes illustrations of dinosaurs, sharks and blood, while the female side is all about peace and love.
No less heart wrenching is a piece featuring pink badge Germans forced gays to wear during the Second World War, placed on top of a copy of deportation papers.
Also at the Bowman are “Shreds of Thread,” a collection of fibre art from local artist Jana Mackenzie which will be in the Music Room.
There is also an interesting interactive exhibit in the main gallery from Loralee Sand Edwards.
iGallery: curated auto-paparazzi features a variety of self-portraits. Plus attendees will be able to take self portraits of themselves which will be uploaded to a website.
Over at the Yates Theatre Waterfield Gallery, artist Bev Mazurick shows how she has been inspired by music.
“It’s a display of abstract art. Each piece is represented by a specific song which she played on a loop while she painted,” described Bowman Arts centre curator Darcy Logan.
“The paintings convey her experiences while listening to the songs,” he continued.
the opening reception for all of the exhibits is Saturday, may 28 from 7-10 p.m..
They run until July 10.
