Blog Posts

Bats in the Belfry: the Origins of Bat Sh#t Crazy

1/8/2024

We are thrilled to announce the first exhibition of this year,
Bats in the Belfry: the Origins of Bat Shit Crazy

featuring the artwork of accomplished artists
Jen Dyck and Steve Mennie

January 13 to March 10, 2024

This exhibition, encompassing painting, drawing, and collage, promises to take visitors on a thought-provoking journey exploring various themes and observations reflective of our contemporary times.

Combining Dyck and Mennie unveils a unique perspective on the world. Dyck, known for her collage works, and Mennie, recognized for his drawings and paintings, present an exhibition that delves into the intricacies of contemporary existence.
Opening Reception: Saturday, January 13, 2024, from 1 to 3 pm

The Lake Country Art Gallery invites artists, art enthusiasts, the curious, and the extended community to join us for the Opening Reception on Saturday, January 13, from 1 to 3 pm. Opening receptions will allow attendees to meet the artists, engage in conversations, and gain a deeper understanding of the exhibition.

under 200

11/29/2023

UNDER 200

December 2 to December 21, 2023

Alison Beaumont; Angelika M.Offenwanger; Anne Gidluck; Asana Hughes; Angela Hansen; Angelina Rosa; Anke Sabo; Ann Willsie; Barbara Bell; Blair Dunlop; Carol Rohrlack; Chris Arlidge; Carley Rangen; Carol Zuckerman; Diane Blakeley; Danielle Harshenin; Delora Lalande; Dianne Postman; Denise Patrick; Danielle Erickson; Donna Stubbe; Eveline Wallace; Faye Eden; Frieda Martin; Fay Wolfenden; Gabrielle Strong; Helene Letnick; Heidi Maskell; Isabella Ford; Jill Devenish; Judy Hamilton; Judith Jurica; Julianna Lord; Jolene Mackie; Joan Norkum; Jennifer Soderquist; Jamie Shiu; Joanne Salé; Kara Barkved; Karen Murray; Kathryn Ross; Kelly Swallow; Leah Robertson; Leona Senez; Lynette Stebner; Michelle Droettboom; Michael Griffin; Moozhan Ahmadzadegan; Mary Hinz; Margo Jensen; Margaret Kyle; Maureen Lejbak; Marlene McPherson; Monique Jansen; Nickie Burditt; Nic Robins; Nancy Archer; Paula Charter; Pippa Dean-Veerman; Paul Lewendon; Phyllis Irwin; Robert Guenette; Ramona Hoeft; Ralf Rohrlack; S.C. Jean; Shelley Johnson; Sirjena Aujla; Sharlene McNeill; Susan Moore; Sarah Parsons; Sharilynn Upsdell; Sara Wiens; Tess Letailleur; Tina Siddiqui; Valerie Thompson; Yuliya McMahon

Artist Preview: Friday, December 1, 5:00pm to 7;00pm
Front of the Line: Saturday, December 2, 9:00am to 11:00am

Open to the Public: Saturday, December 2 at noon

FIELDWORK

9/29/2023

FIELDWORK

September 30 to November 25, 2023

Annie Briard
Tara Nicholson
Melany Nugent-Noble
prOphecy sun
Andreas Rutkaukas
Leah Weinstein

Developing out of several micro-residencies and informal collaborations, artists Annie Briard, Tara Nicholson, Melany Nugent-Noble, Andreas Rutkauskas, Dr. prOphecy sun and Leah Weinstein explore land-based forms of creative research and interdisciplinary practice. Investigating the concept of fieldwork as divergent from the Western scientific construct, these artists utilize various forms of art to explore our rapidly shifting environment, including sound recording, data gathering and visualization, sculpture, video and photography. Drawing on forms of narrative, activism and empathic witnessing, this exhibition asks what role ‘site’ plays within the notion of fieldwork. The exhibition seeks to consider how artists and their audiences might respond to the climate crisis through creative means.

September 30 to November 25, 2023
Opening Reception: October 14

Moored

7/21/2023

Lylse Barmby
Jane Everett
Lilly Thorne

July 22nd to September 24th

Moored

The Lake Country Art Gallery presents its summer exhibition, Moored, featuring an installation of artworks by the Davis Road Collective. Comprising three women artists, Jane Everett, Lilly Thorne, and Lysle Barmby, the collective unites their creative skills from various western cities, driven by a shared concern for the encroachments of industry and recreation on the pristine interior of BC.

As the delicate balance of lakes and forests faces escalating threats from clear-cutting, the pine beetle epidemic, and a paradoxical form of 'recreation' that clashes with the very environment it aims to appreciate, the Davis Road Collective explores these pressing issues through their unique artistic expressions. Through a harmonious blend of photography, drawing, and textiles, this exhibition invites viewers to deeply contemplate their impact on the natural world.

"The concepts and conversations explored in the Moored exhibition unfold right here in Lake Country. We proudly boast about the area's natural beauty, yet a leisurely stroll along the lakeshore in Okanagan Centre exposes an uninterrupted string of moored boats cluttering the water...This is precisely why we cherish the presence of artists among us, as they possess the power to reveal our true essence and shed light on our ever-evolving nature. They serve as reminders of beauty while simultaneously sounding the alarm. Few question the substantial allocation of tax dollars toward road maintenance and the accommodation of more cars. But where does this lead us? What does the future hold?"
Wanda Lock, Curator

CATTYWAMPUS

6/22/2023

Gallery Members Pop-up Exhibition

June 25 to July 16

Cattywampus

an imaginary fierce wild animal...

Community and Gallery members have submitted over seventy artworks that capture their own furry feline beast for this exhibition.

SPECIAL EVENT Cat-themes arts gala SUNDAY 25th June 11am-3pm
Looking for something interesting and fun to do this Sunday? Come on out to Lake Country Art Gallery for a fun Cat themed Art Gala and OHS Adoption Event! Cat themed edible art, kittens and cats available for adoption, a photo booth, Bone Appetite vouchers, cat stickers and cat-inspired original artworks by over 60 artists!

THANK you to the Okanagan Humane Society, to all the bakers and makers, to the artists and to our event sponsors Bone Appetite.

Two MFA students from UBC Okanagan present thesis exhibitions side by side in the gallery. May 6 to June 16, 2023

5/3/2023

ZOORKHANEH_Nasim Pirhadi

Extract from Artist Statement (complete statement can be found in gallery brochure)
Nasim Pirhadi's work actively confronts and explores the social instability and how it relates to the ways Iranian women fight for their rights. One response of this confrontation is through a recreation of a zoorkhaneh within a gallery space. A zoorkhaneh is a traditional gym that only men are allowed to enter and participate in, and whose name translates to House of Strength. There is an old belief that women are not purified enough to enter these sacred places, and that the inherent corruption of womanhood makes them undeserving of titles like ‘hero’ or ‘champion’. By recreating a zoorkhaneh in a gallery space, I control and arrange, populated with the reimagined tools that define a new sort of zoorkhaneh. In creating a zoorkhaneh in the gallery space, I challenged the exclusionary practices in zoorkhanehs by creating alternative space where people regardless of their gender can gather and engage in activities that are traditionally associated with these places. This project involves installation, video and photo performances that invite people who enter this environment to explore the cultural significance of these space, work out with the wooden tools and challenge patriarchal norms and values. By the space of zoorkhaneh, I want to challenge dominant narratives and create a more diverse and inclusive cultural landscape.

I Died as a Mineral_Heraa Khan

Artist Statement
Through my artistic practice, I delve into the natural world and our connection to it. The unbridled desire of humans to succeed and advance has disrupted the essential tenet of coexistence between the realms of humanity and the natural world, causing an imbalance that has led to ecological catastrophes and environmental calamities. Using Indo-Persian miniature painting methods that originated in the 16th century as a starting point, my artistic practice involves re-envisioning these techniques with modern imagery and cross-cultural concerns to subvert conventional expectations. My work repurposes accounts of calamities and past events into significant and relatable visuals, blending the cultures of both the East and the West. I explore ideas expressed by Jalaluddin Rumi and Jeanette Armstrong in their poetry that advocate the importance of balance and equality of all living forms as a way to move forward towards a more harmonious and sustainable future. By combining Eastern traditional painting techniques of using handmade materials such as wasli (paper), qalam (brush), and
paints made from North American indigenous knowledge of natural pigments (Beam paints), with contemporary environmental concerns, the artwork conveys a multifaceted and intricate significance.

the Mother(load)

3/9/2023

March 11th Open House celebration of our Gallery Members concluded with an Annual General Meeting at 3pm.

Gallery Members along with Guest Artist Angelina Rosa responding to the themes and questions that were presented in the last exhibition State(s) of Being, and continue the conversation by diving into the subject of motherhood and the creative process.

Whether an artists and a mother, a child of an artist, or an observer, this exhibition asks members to reflect on the challenges, joys and clichés associated with motherhood and the role of an artist.

Forty Nine artists responded to the theme - thank you to the following Gallery Members for taking part in this exhibition:
Alice Pallett; Alison Beaumont; Amber Powell; Amy Bradshaw; Angela Hansen; Angelina Rosa; Anke Sabo;
Carley Rangen; Carney Oudendag; Caron Smed; Ceren McKay; Courts Champion; Denise Patrick;
Destanne Norris; Devon L Muhlert; Erin Scott; Eveline Wallace; Faye Eden; Heather Burton; Jacqueline Rieger;
Jill Meredith; JG Touchstone; Judith Hamilton; Joyful ArtHouse Kids; Karen Stewart; Kate Brown;
Kelsie Balehowsky; Kerry McLeod; Lisa Figueroa; Lynette Stebner; Margaret Kyle; Marlene McPherson;
Maureen Kaczkowski; Michelle Droettboom; Olya Krasavina; Pamela Cinnamon; Paulette Deyholes;
Pippa Dean-Veerman; Rena Warren + Larkin Dunn Warren; Rhonda Giesbrecht; Roberta Sutherland;
Roxana Meaney; Sara Wiens; Stefanie Denz; Suzanne Chavarie; Tess Letailleur; Tim Vant; Yolanda Robinson

See the responses from local school students on a recent gallery tour
- click - RESPONDING - or navigate to the ARTWORDS page, where you will also find the
Bree Apperley essay on State(s) of Being, writing about the challenges of pursuing an art career as a woman and as a mother.

State(s) of Being

12/27/2022

Janine Hall,
Joice M. Hall,
Lindsay Lorraine,
Mary Smith McCulloch,
Rhonda Neufeld

January 7th to March 5th

In a CBC radio interview with Mary Pratt some years ago, Pratt tells the interviewer about the struggle between motherhood and being an artist. She describes making healthy meals for her children, watching them lovingly as they eat the food she prepared just for them, and simultaneously wishing them to hurry and finish so she could continue painting at the kitchen table.

This tug between being a mother and an artist is rarely discussed in art and society. Filmmaker Pamela Tanner Boll made a documentary released in 2008 titled, Who does she think she is? Boll follows five women who reject society's pressure to choose between motherhood and professional artistic practice. Economics, responsibility, family, independence, creative drive, and social norms add to the larger conversation of women's representation in the male-dominated art world.

the State(s) of Being features the work of career artists Janine Hall, Joice Hall, Lindsay Lorraine, Rhonda Neufeld, and Mary Smith McCulloch.
These five artists have a professional art practice while still fulfilling the challenges, responsibilities and joys (and sometimes not so much joy) of motherhood. This exhibition makes time and space to support and reinforce the role of women artists and asks why to this day, women are still underrepresented in the art world.

2022 Under 200: Year-End Fundraising Exhibition

11/29/2022

2022 UNDER 200

December 3rd - 21st

with Front of the Line early access December 2nd

Exhibition and fundraising sale of original art by gallery members

LC Art Gallery member artists were invited to participate in the Lake Country Art Gallery’s largest show of the year!

Watch for your favourite artists or discover some new works to gift add to your collection.

Access new and original artworks by:
Alice Pallett, Alison Beaumont, Allana Weston, Angela Hansen, Angelika M Offenwanger, Anke Sabo, Ann Willsie, Anne Gidluck, Asahna Hughes, Audrey Peat, Blair Dunlop, Carney Oudendag, Carol Zuckerman, Cheryl Turner, Danielle Erickson, Denise Patrick, Dianne Postman, Dianne Schnieders, Don Makela, Elaine Hatch, Eveline Wallace, Fried Martin, Graciela Blancarte, Heather Burton, Isabella Ford, Judy Hamilton, Kali Koshey, Kara Barkved, Kathryn Ross, Kathy Hale, Kayleigh Mace, Kerry MacLeod, Leanne Spanza, Linley McKennna, Lisa Hewitt, Liz Earl, Lynette Stebner, Margaret Kyle, Marlene McPherson, Maud Besson, Maureen Lejbak, Melissa Dinwoodie, Michelle Droettboom, Minnie Klashinsky, Moozhan Ahmadzadegan, Nancy Archer, Olya Krasavina, Paul Lewendon, Paulette Deyholos, Ramona Hoeft, Robert Guenette, Sarah Parsons, Shannon Wylie, Sharlene McNeill, Sheila Tansey, Shelley Johnson, Susan Yost, Tia Maria Soroskie, Tina Siddiqui, Valerie Thompson, Valerie Fortey

open to the public from Saturday December 3rd continuing six days per week Tuesdays through Sundays from 9am to 4pm

December 2nd from 6pm - Front of the Line:
Early access and VIP treatment through ticket entry - tickets available now!

December 10th - find us in the foyer of George Elliot Secondary School where we'll provide everything you need to print your own gift wrap paper

December 17th 4pm-8pm - Night Market: Winter Artisan Market

For more information about special features that will take place as part of the Under 200 Exhibition 2022, stay tuned and check for our newsletters in your email inbox.

Annual Fundraising Goal: Event ticket sales plus 30% of art sales help to support exhibitions & programs at the Lake Country Art Gallery and Art House while 70% of art sales support your favourite local artists.

We Meet Again

9/26/2022

We Meet Again

an exhibition of works by Jim Kalnin, alongside works by these twenty one artists and former students of Jim's:

Roseanne Bennett; Lee Claremont; Glenn Clark; Carin Covin; Rob Fee; Caitlin Ffrench; Bev Gordon; Natasha Harvey; Lois Huey-Heck; Judith Jurica; Kerry MacLeod; Christian Nicolay; Shauna Oddleifson; Amber Powell; Crystal Przybille; Sarah Ronald; Joanne Sale; Charles Scholl; Tia-Maria Soroskie; Rena Warren; Ingrid Mann-Willis

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