Submitted by the QCI Arts Council
This year the opening of the Annual All Island Art Show will take place at the Visitor Info Centre in Queen Charlotte Friday evening February 18, from 7 to 9 pm. The space will be transformed into a gallery filled with the eclectic and colourful artworks by islanders from all communities.
This year we have as many as 57 entries with very different mediums being used. There's a large number of colourful paintings submitted: watercolours, acrylics on canvas, wood and paper, and freshly made oil paintings. There are drawings, prints and photographs. The ceramic artists on island have put together an interesting selection of work, from 'Northern Lights' and 'Promise of Spring' to 'Clay Critters'. There are artworks created out of yellow and red cedar; from a woven Haida clam basket, to a skilfully made cedar box, to elegantly curved knitting needles. We have quite a number of intricate textiles: wool (button) blankets, quilts, batik, intriguing textile sculptures and a translucent fabric composition that resembles stained glass. Then there's real stained glass, used in traditional and non-traditional ways. And last but definitely not least, there is Haida jewellery on display.
The artworks are created by a mixture of established and emerging artists, and artists who submit their work for the first time. The show embraces everyone, as we think it's important to encourage artists to learn from this experience and grow in their work. That is also the reason why each year we invite an adjudicator to come up and critique the work. The adjudicator this year, Frances Grafton, is a visual artist and teacher at Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design. Her work has been displayed at several galleries in Vancouver and Victoria and her latest work will be exhibited at the Richmond Art Gallery later this year. She received her MFA and B.Ed., majoring in Art, from UBC. Besides the adjudication, Frances will also host a mask-making workshop and give an artist talk during the weekend.
If you can't make it to the opening, come out and support the many (hidden) talents these islands nurture, during opening hours of the Visitor Info Centre, Tuesday to Saturday from noon to 5pm. We hope you will enjoy the exhibition!