Vernon Public Art Gallery

Wild Times
2025-03-13 10:00 - 2025-05-13 17:00 (America/Vancouver) | Vernon Public Art Gallery, 3228 31st Ave, Vernon, British Columbia, V1T2H3, Canada
Isabelle Hayeur

Topham Brown Memorial GalleryMarch 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.

Isabelle Hayeur, Pyrocumulonimbus, 2021, inkjet on photo paper mounted on aluminum panel, 42″ x 41″ / 107 cm x 104 cm

Art from the Heart
2025-03-15 10:00 - 2025-04-10 17:00
SD#22 Elementary Students

Community Gallery & Up-Front GalleryMarch 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.

Caleb T: Heart, mixed media collage, Hillview Elementary, Gr. 3
