On average, most visitors to an art gallery gaze at a work for about 30 seconds to a minute before moving to the next piece.
For some, a quick glance is enough. Others linger, absorbing the artist’s technique and rediscovering the joy of looking at different perspectives of art.
In our fast-paced, heavily digitized world, the Art Gallery of St. Albert is a serene space that can allow us to take a moment and smell the roses. Curator Emily Baker recently announced a fresh roster of 2024 exhibitions that pay homage to the diversity of dynamic Alberta artists.
“We like to go as broad as possible and have a large range of materials and artists exploring different themes,” said Baker. “This year we’ve had more submissions on parenthood and motherhood than any other year. Part of it might be the pandemic. It was a time when work life collided with being a parent. Artists are now starting to process those changes and building ideas, and we’re starting to see that coming out.”
Samantha Williams-Chapelsky's abstract collection, Time and Terrain – Connecting to Land and Sky is currently on display until March 9. The thickly textured paintings are at once dynamic and tranquil.
“This collection is a breath of fresh air. It is full of colour, light, joy and it brings energy into the space,” Baker said. “She can mix any colour, and she has the confidence to make one beautiful, broad stroke and it’s just right.”
Threading Through Time features Raneece Buddan’s series of cultural works that express her African-East Indian heritage. Born in Jamaica and now a resident of Fort McMurray’s mosaic, she studied pottery, textiles and clothing fashion and has woven them into a personal history. The exhibit runs March 11 to April 25.
Once again High Energy 29, a riveting series of artworks depicted by St. Albert High School students, returns May 2 to May 25. Last year’s event attracted 100 students exhibiting 120 pieces.
“It’s such an amazing show and students in this community have incredible teachers. The students feel safe enough to explore and High Energy gets to showcase what they create.”
In addition, St. Albert’s Kazaleous family is offering six annual Christopher Kazaleous Memorial Prizes to participating art students from Grades 10 to 12. In addition, the six winners’ art will be featured at the Arden Theatre’s staircase gallery.
In Violet Light, showcased from May 30 to July 6, pairs April Dean’s printmaking and stop-motion photography with Taiessa Pagola’s felted sculptural plants. In melding creamy plants with violet light Baker describes the effect as “haunting and gorgeous.”
Fire in Her Hands, a salute to the late, great Elke Blodgett, will linger from July 11 to Aug. 10. An exhibition of the nationally acclaimed pottery artist was planned in 2017 and slated to open 2020. COVID hit and Blodgett’s raku exhibition was postponed.
“This will be her vision — the beauty, elegance and power. We will let the pots speak for themselves.”
E. M. Alysse’s 1 Milk/2 Sugar is a rich, but complicated view of motherhood. The exhibition, compiled from 40 works of drawings and ceramic pieces, runs Aug. 15 to Sept. 28.
“She tells her story of motherhood, which is raw, beautiful and difficult at the same time. Life can be so busy that as a mother, you feel you’ve lost control of your body. Yet you sit between the mundane and the magic of raising a child.”
Entering fall, the gallery features visual artist Dwayne Martineau’s work from Oct. 4 to Nov. 16. He is a photographer, musician, and composer who is fascinated by the physicality of light.
Strange Jury is a series of dark immersive panels hung from the gallery ceiling. He used an old-school camera to take photos of trees and layered the negatives onto massive panels. A glow shines through the panels and a spooky soundscape permeates the air.
“It’s really otherworldly. When I saw it, I felt as if the trees were judging me.”
Closing the season is Guilded — Gobsmacked, an exhibition traditionally reserved for St. Albert Place Visual Arts Council artists. As the season’s most diverse exhibit, it attracts five disciplines: painters, potters, paper artists, quilters and floral arts artists. The 2023 show drew 60 visual artists.
The Art Gallery of St. Albert is located at 19 Perron Street.
