41st Annual Members’ Show
April 8 to May 27, 2023 in our Main Gallery
Presented by the Campbell River Art Gallery and the Campbell River Arts Council
It’s a favourite time of year when the gallery is filled with the exciting variety of artwork that comes from local imagination and experience. Join us for the Members’ Show, the time honoured tradition of celebrating the many talented artists that live in Campbell River and the region.
Miss the opening reception? Check out the video here.
Photos by Wild Shay Photography.
Mu’la || Gratitude
John Albert Sharkey (Guy), Chuck Jules, Shawn Decaire, and Jennifer Joseph
Curated by: Nadine Bariteau
January 28 to April 29, 2023 in our Satellite Gallery
Mu’la means Gratitude in Kwakwala. This state of appreciation fosters a sense of our collective responsibility and shared humanity. Each artist’s work is a manifestation of their gratitude. Chuck Jule’s gratitude goes to the people of the Hive, the space where he practices his art. Jennifer Joseph is truly grateful for the teachings passed down from her ancestors, particularly those shared by her mother and grandmother with whom she learned to weave. Guy Sharkey’s gratitude goes toward Beau Dick, his mentor for 30 years, who taught him the traditional way of carving. Finally, Shawn wants to pay tribute to the late Jorge Lewis who taught him 20 years ago to make his very first Manat’si (drum).
This exhibition is a reminder that everyday we can be thankful for someone or something that has come across our path, and this makes room for the power and possibility of change.
Programs
Drum Making Workshop series with artist Shawn Decaire. The four part series taught participants to build, design, paint, and play the drum.
Traditional Brain Tanning of a Hide demonstration with artist Shawn Decaire. In connection with the current exhibition Mu’la, Decaire wishes to create a space of knowledge sharing and community connection. At this demonstration Decaire discussed the traditional, pre-contact, way of processing raw hide to tanned leather, while discussing Indigenous historical and ceremonial uses of the finished material.
Ceremonial Fire and Community Feast: The event started at the Campbell River Spit for a ceremonial fire to send off Shawn’s drum ‘Goliath’ made with Jorge Lewis, who has since passed away. Decaire said the ceremony will “pay respect to Goliath and the relationship with Jorge Lewis and myself, and to send Goliath back to the spirit world.”
Following the ceremony everyone was invited to gather at the gallery at 4 p.m. for a feast. People were encouraged to carpool to the Spit from the Gallery.
nothing we do is worth getting hurt for.
Eleanor King solo exhibition, curated by Jenelle M. Pasiechnik
January 14 to March 25, 2023
Eleanor King’s solo exhibition nothing we do is worth getting hurt for at the Campbell River Art Gallery examines the history of heavy industry and its relationship with the lands and waters of Ligwiłda’xw and Huu-ay-aht territories. The artist brings together multiple media such as: video, Google Earth mapping, sound, composite photography, screen printing, and sculpture in a site-specific installation to hold a conversation about our treatment of the environment, the sustainability of that treatment, and the future.
About the Artist
“Combining music, sound art, social practices, improvisation and other modes of creation, the art of Eleanor King is difficult to classify, but remains reliably enjoyable. Whether stacking reams of vinyl records skyward in a sculpture, creating a working bar as part of an art installation, tracing old tape reels to make a drawing, amplifying the sounds of underground streams for a public artwork, or playing in Halifax-area bands, King and her art often provide new ways of connecting with the present moment—as well as with ideas about music, sound, memory, community and technology.” – From Canadian Art