The Old Schoolhouse Art Gallery's 2022 Season

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - The Old Schoolhouse Art Gallery’s 2022 Season kicks off at 6 PM on Friday, July 1, with Jane Newman’s solo exhibit ‘Ordinary Magic.’

This is also the first season in which the gallery has a manager.

Bianca Lee explained, “The gallery manager gets to see behind the scenes of the artists presenting their work and that's kind of special. You go to the gallery and see everything in its finished state, but I get to actually see what happens as they're setting everything up. I was doing that today as Jane Newman was bringing in all her works and deciding where things would go.”

She is really looking forward to the return of Friday night receptions.

“It's very exciting for the artist, and for everyone to see the unveiling of their work. There's a special energy about those nights. I'll get to see all my neighbours again, who've all been in hiding for the last two years. It will spark a lot of interesting conversations and a lot of interesting connections with people,” said Lee.

“Sometimes you know somebody as an acquaintance and you have no idea the talent that they have, or the special interest that they have, or the interest that you might share and never have known about. So I'm looking forward to getting to know people on a deeper level.”

This will be the first reception in two years.

“Now that we have been denied that opportunity, we'll appreciate it in a new way,” chirped Lee.

The food and beverages will be outside, where people can talk to the artists and socialize.

Lee believes this will also cut down on the number of people in the make viewing area and make it more intimate.

“You can go outside and talk to the artist and talk to friends and neighbours and go back in if you want to look at a piece again. I just think it expands the space a bit more.”

‘Ordinary Magic’ opens on Friday, July 1st. This show has been delayed for two years because of COVID. Jane Newman has been an artist for close to 40 years and has a huge collection to draw from. She uses found objects in her artwork, which will also be exhibited in the Cortes Museum’s ‘Art in the Garden’ series.

Kira McDuffy and Maji Laverne will be bringing ‘Sacred Dreamscapes’ to the gallery on Friday, July 15th. McDuffy is a psychotherapist who lives on Cortes Island. Her friend Laverne is a professional artist, who visits every summer. There is a lot of personal symbolism in their work.

David Ellington's show ‘Falling Boundaries’ opens on July 29th. His family has been on Cortes for generations and he lived here before moving to Victoria to pursue a career in photography. The theme of his show is the relationship between the land and our colonial past.

The Annual Members Show opens on August 12th. Every artist is invited to submit two pieces of art.

“There's no theme this year, so we'll get a wide variety of work. That's really a way to engage the membership and also encourage people who maybe don't have enough work to do their own solo show, but they are able to share what they are working on and make connections with other artists in our community and get some encouragement and feedback,” said Lee.

Judith Williams show, ‘Water/Colour: a mirror of water’ opens on Friday, August 26th.

“This is a show about water. It has been 11 years in the making. Water from Bute Inlet was collected to paint with. There was a major landslide in November 2021. And what caused the landslide was interesting and horrifying. There are seven permits pending for water extraction and 18 hydroelectric systems. The paintings are minimalist and there's a cabinet to engage people with rich historical background, including photographs” - Judith Williams