Has your life been lacking a bit of culture? Well, good news! The MacLaren Art Centre is once again inviting guests back inside to enjoy their brand-new fall season, full of wonderful exhibitions and engaging programs for all ages.
Here is a taste of this season's exhibitions:
Michael Farnan’s Canoe Fight: From Reverence to Redress is on view until Oct. 24. Featuring the canoe — an Indigenous technology that was deployed by white settlers to expand the colonial state into the Canadian interior — this exhibition demonstrates how beloved Canadian cultural symbols actively inscribe Canadian settler culture as the natural inheritor of both land and power in the area and beyond. Farnan is a Victoria Harbour-based artist whose work has been exhibited throughout Canada.
Small World: An exhibition by Chum McLeod is on view until Oct. 24, and features intricate dioramas of hardscrabble bunny characters in a closed and strange universe. Battling floods, visiting a travelling circus, solving arcane domestic mysteries or ice fishing alongside their skidoos, the bunnies are completely engaged in the dramas in which they find themselves.
Polyempath Polyethylene by Kelly Jazvac: A Montreal-based artist, presents an installation of new work in which she continues to engage with the prevalence of synthetic materials in contemporary life. Featuring sculptures five years in the making, works are paired against the uncanny meeting of bodies and landscapes, using sewing techniques to alter waste from commercial advertising. This exhibition is on view until Oct. 31.
Art By Alexandra: In response to a cancer diagnosis, Barrie-based artist Alexandra Grondors has been creating works that reflect art as a vehicle for healing and connecting with your community. Vivid in both colour and texture, the work conveys joy, independence, and positivity during dark times.
Along with the exhibitions, you can look forward to an exciting calendar full of art programs for all ages and experience levels. A few programs include Master Painters and Mixed Media Masterpieces (for kids), From Life with Andy Fabo and Textile Art Exploration (for adults), and Family Sundays (for the whole family!). For those who love the MacLaren Art Centre's Art Auction, it will also be returning this year in a new way!
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Finally, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the MacLaren Art Centre, and they have plenty of events planned to celebrate. Stay tuned to their website for more details!
Featured image: Coady Fitzgerald