April 17 @ 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
We invite you to celebrate the opening of our latest exhibition: Art and Soul
Art and Soul is made up of artwork created by secondary school students from School District No.22 displaying a maturity of handling various mediums and more importantly, demonstrating a strong conceptual approach.
Image Description: River Schaffner, Eternal Flame, 2025, Acrylic, Grade 10, WL Seaton
May 24, 2024 @ 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
SD 22 Indigenous School Students
Gathered
Exhibition on view from May 22 – June 13
Gathered celebrates the creativity, cultural knowledge, and artistic expression of Indigenous students from across School District No. 22. Showcasing work by students from elementary through high school, this exhibition highlights a wide range of media.
The exhibition reflects both traditional knowledge and contemporary influences, with many students drawing from their cultural heritage while engaging with present-day themes and personal experiences. The result is a vibrant and diverse collection that speaks to identity, community, and the evolving nature of Indigenous art.
Image Description: Juliet L, gr. 5, Baeirsto
March 15 @ 10:00 am – April 10 @ 5:00 pm
SD#22 Elementary Students
Community Gallery & Up-Front Gallery
March 15 – April 10, 2025
Opening Reception: March 15, 2025
Art from the Heart is the annual exhibition by elementary students from School District No.22. Their artwork delights viewers with their creativeness under the guidance of their art teacher. The opening day for the exhibition is Saturday, March 15th, please join us in celebrating this beautiful exhibition with all the artists and their loved ones.
Related Events
March 15 @ 11:30 am – 3:30 pm
We invite you to celebrate the opening of our latest exhibition: Art from the Heart
Art from the Heart is the annual exhibition by elementary students from School District No.22. Their artwork delights viewers with their creativeness under the guidance of their art teacher.
March 13 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
We invite you to celebrate the opening of our latest exhibition: Wild Times by Isabelle Hayeur.
Join us on March 13th from 6-8 PM at the Vernon Public Art Gallery for an evening of art and conversation. The community is warmly welcomed to attend, meet the artist, and enjoy brief talks where some will share insights about their exhibitions. We’ll be serving light bites and drinks, and entry is by donation.
March 13 @ 10:00 am – May 13 @ 5:00 pm
Isabelle Hayeur
Topham Brown Memorial Gallery
March 13 – May 13, 2025
Opening Reception: May 13, 2025
Major bodies of works in Hayeur’s studio practice are focused on environmental changes caused by human development or natural causes. Her photographs document the destruction of natural habitats and whole ecosystems. The exhibition titled Wild Times presented at the Vernon Public Art Gallery consist of photographs of landscapes affected by forest fires in Quebec and British Columbia in the 2020 and 2021 summer seasons. The photographs from sites near Las Saint-Jean depict the after effects of the wildfire which changed the ecosystems in the largest forest fire in the province’s history. The images captured in 2021 show the active fires in British Columbia. The oppressive plumes of raising smoke changed the appearance of the landscape and the thick smoke was hardly penetrated by the sun’s rays. The toxic smoke drifted through large areas and the images captured from satellite views exemplified the apocalyptic scale of the burning infernos.
Hayeur’s focus on environmental changes is also a critique of environmental stewardship and management of the forests. Western Canada and the United States have been affected by the climate change and, specifically, prolonged droughts contribute negatively to the fragile ecosystems. In her statement she points out that forest companies harvest timber from ecologically diverse ecosystems, but replant logged areas with monocrop species which inevitably do not contribute to the ecological diversity of healthy forests. She also questions the continuous suppression of forest fires which results in the excessive fuel load on the forest floor. Her works advocate indirectly for prescribed burning, a practice which reintroduces fire as natural part of a healthy ecosystem. Hayeur’s exhibition Wild Times contains images of cataclysmic active fires and resulting destruction of natural environments. The images of burnt forests invoke the feeling of existential angst which serve as powerful memento mori for all humanity to contemplate.
inkjet on photo paper mounted on aluminum panel, 42″ x 41″ / 107 cm x 104 cm
Related Events
January 9 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
We invite you to celebrate the opening of our latest exhibitions: Pictograph Roots by David Wilson Sookinakin, Once For A While by Chrystal Phan, and Home On Syilx Territory in collaboration with the Vernon & District Immigrant & Community Services Society and Mariel Belangier.
Join us on January 9th from 6-8 PM at the Vernon Public Art Gallery for an evening of art and conversation. The community is warmly welcomed to attend, meet the artists, and enjoy brief talks where some will share insights about their exhibitions. We’ll be serving light bites and drinks, and entry is by donation.
January 9 @ 10:00 am – March 5 @ 5:00 pm
Vernon & District Immigrant & Community Services Society Project
Community Gallery
January 9 – March 5, 2025
Opening Reception: January 9, 2025 from 6-8 PM
The focus of the project was to introduce recent newcomers to visitor protocols of engagement with local Syilx First Nation people’s culture and the land itself. The four-day series of workshops were focused on Land Acknowledgement, Allyship, traditional Tule mat making and the cultural importance of marshlands. In the final session the participants created a series of collages which will be on display at the gallery. The intent of the final workshop was aimed towards appreciation of culture and building relationship through art. The workshops were led by Syilx Nation members Mariel Belanger and her daughter Sienna.
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January 9 @ 10:00 am – March 5 @ 5:00 pm
Chrystal Phan
Community Gallery & Up-Front Galleryy
January 9 – March 5, 2025
Opening Reception: January 9, 2025 from 6-8 PM
Chrystal Phan is a representational artist who integrates the Vietnamese-Canadian experience into narrative oil paintings to challenge the ways in which we imagine Canadian identity, drawing particular attention to how the reification of racial stereotypes in art and media can actually reinforce social divisions that prevent racialized people from ever feeling “Canadian”. Using personal narratives Phan’s work collapses the boundary between public and private so that viewers can connect their own lives and experiences to the paintings at an intimate level.
Once for A While is a series of oil paintings that explore a Vietnamese family’s awkward attempts at integrating into Canadian life. Using examples from Phan’s own childhood and those of her friends, Phan’s intention is to capture humorous moments where cultural values have clashed.
Related Events
January 9 @ 10:00 am – March 5 @ 5:00 pm
David Wilson Sookinakin
Topham Brown Memorial Gallery
January 9 – March 5, 2025
Opening Reception: January 9, 2025 from 6-8 PM
Over the years, David Wilson Sookinakin has developed a signature style of paintings based on the traditional pictographs found on numerous locations throughout Syilx Nation Territory. He uses pictorial elements which often illustrate some of the stories and narratives passed down through oral tradition and storytelling. In addition to the traditional narratives, Wilson creates narratives which he invents to highlight the context of post-contact experiences of First Nations peoples. Nevertheless, Wilson’s artforms have been evolving over several decades of his prolific artistic career.
“My art is ever evolving and is a true representation of my identity as an Interior Salish person. It is natural evolution of pictographs from their ancient form to a contemporary interpretation using form lines unique to First Nations art. I am a storyteller through art and words and my message to the Interior Salish people and the world is that we Interior Salish have at least one beautiful and vibrant First Nations art form totally unique and must be shared with the world.”
David Wilson Sookinakin
2024, acrylic on canvas, 66 x 66 in
