Environmental themes continue to surface at the Agnes Jamieson Gallery in Minden Hills, with the latest exhibit, ‘Letters to the Earth: Between Despair and Hope’ on display until Nov. 28.
Shannon Kelly, manager of cultural services, said “it seems to be a consistent theme, especially with curated group exhibitions coming from outside.”
The topic is often well received by Highlanders, though, “especially with forest fire smoke affecting people directly in our area, ice storms, and flooding. We’ve had a lot of climate challenges we’ve had to deal with that actually do affect us. It’s not the other side of the world anymore,” Kelly said.
The exhibit is curated by Carmel Brennan, and features work by 25 artists.
“The idea stemmed from her personal response to the environment, specifically during the pandemic. She had a lot of time to sit and think; prior to that she hadn’t really given all that much thought to environmental issues,” the curator said.
Kelly added the mixed media exhibition invites our community to participate in an ongoing conversation about the environmental crisis. “Brennan believes we must not only begin this conversation, but continue it, asking: how can our actions and creative practices truly make an impact today?”
To participate in ‘Letters to the Earth’, artists were asked to handwrite a personal letter to the Earth and submit it to Brennan alongside their artwork.
County artist Valerie Ashton has two pieces in the show, titled ‘Heron Homeland’ and ‘A Cautionary Tale’.
In addition, Michelle Letarte’s piece is called ‘Reconstructed Haliburton Forest’, which Kelly described as a “mixed media photo transfer and acrylic on canvas … so just beautiful.”
The opening reception will take place Saturday (Sept. 26) from 1-3 p.m. Opening remarks and a dance performance by contributing artist Noriko Yamamoto will start at 1:30 p.m. All are welcome. Refreshments will be served. Admission is by donation.
Kelly said there had not been a dance performance during her time with the gallery.
“I’m excited about that.” She said Yamamoto had described her offering as “a mime dance performance.”
‘Letters to the Earth’ has been exhibited at the Aurora Cultural Centre, Georgina Centre for Arts & Culture, the Station Gallery in Whitby, and Newmarket’s Old Town Hall.
Born in Birmingham, UK, Brennan holds a master’s degree in Contemporary Art and Archaeology. A retired visual arts educator, she is a past president of the Ontario Society of Artists and has curated major exhibitions for the Uxbridge Artist Collective. In 2022, she curated ‘Breath. Heart. Spirit: OSA 150 Years’.
The Agnes Jamieson Gallery is a public space with year-round visual exhibitions of local and regional art. The gallery is part of the Minden Hills Cultural Centre, which also includes the Heritage Village and Nature Place Interpretive Centre. The gallery is fully accessible. The Minden Hills Cultural Centre is at 176 Bobcaygeon Rd., and is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission by donation.
