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The 2019 exhibition schedule at Touchstones Nelson: Museum of Art and History includes a high calibre of creative and cultural diversity that members, visitors and patrons have come to expect from the organization.
Art and history convergence exhibitions are a mainstay of the Touchstones Nelson programming focus. Stunning history exhibitions will begin and end the year; the first curated by archivist and collections manager, Jean-Philippe Stienne, focusing on 100 years of Kiltie history is on until May 19, and the last under the guest curatorial vision of Greg Nesteroff, with an exhibition that examines Kootenay news — black, white and read all over — from Nov. 2 to Feb. 17.
Douglas Bentham’s first full-fledged gallery installation, The Tablets, is on from now until May 26. It presents a collection of metal assemblages of richly textured bronze and brass panels constructed from an array of salvaged materials.
Touchstones’ dedication to representing indigenous artists continues this year with an awe-inspiring collection of aboriginal abstract works titled Beyond Recognition. The artists represented in the collection hail from coast to coast and span five decades. Curated by Michelle McGeough, the exhibit runs June 8 to Aug. 11.
Running concurrently in Gallery B will be a showcase of new works from indigenous artist Brenda Draney, entitled Medium of Exchange, from May 25 to Aug. 4.
Internationally renowned artist and academic Gu Xiong will engage the community with an installation and research residency supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, which will focus on regional and resonate history of Chinese immigration patterns here and across B.C. The Unknown Remains is on from Aug. 24 to Nov. 3.
Spoken-word artist Shane Koyczan lends his talent to the group exhibition WORD, which explores and expands our appreciation of text-based artwork, along with artists Graham Gilmore, K.C. Hall, Nicole Dextras, Joi Arcand, and Don Mabie. It’s on from Nov. 9 to Feb. 23.
More information for the upcoming exhibitions can be found online at touchstonesnelson.ca. Drop by 502 Vernon St. to pick up your free 2019 exhibition season magnet at the Touchstones Shop (limited number available.)
Kiltie Band 100 Year Celebration
March 2 – May 19 | Gallery B
Curator: Jean-Philippe Stienne
There cannot be anything that evokes Scotland more than the sound of a Pipe Band. It’s this sound, along with the kilt-clad members of the Kootenay Kiltie Pipe Band that will usher in the opening of Kiltie Band: 100 Year Celebration. The exhibition features a fascinating look back at the rich history of Nelson’s own Highland Games, photographs from Burns’ Night celebrations, parades and public events from the archives and admire the uniforms and instruments.
Douglas Bentham | The Tablets
March 2 – May 26| Gallery A
Curator: Arin Fay
With an international reputation for large-scale sculpture spanning more than four decades, The Tablets represents Saskatoon-based sculptor Douglas Bentham’s first full-fledged gallery installation. The Tablets presents a collection of metal assemblages of richly textured bronze and brass panels constructed from an array of salvaged materials; an homage to memory and monumentality, language and culture. (Loaned by The Art Gallery of Swift Current on behalf of Mr. John Mann.)
Beyond Recognition: Aboriginal Abstraction | Bob Boyer, Benjamin Chee Chee, Robert Houle, Alex Janvier, Katia KaK’wa Kurtness, Ann McLean, Kimowan Metchewais, Susan Point, Rick Rivet, Helen Wassegijig, Linus Woods
June 8 – August 11 | Gallery A
Curator: Michelle McGeough
Opening Reception: June 7
This exhibition brings together works from the Indigenous Art Collection that find inspiration in a number of Indigenous traditions. (Michelle McGeough, Curator)
Brenda Draney | Medium of Exchange
May 25 – August 4 | Gallery B
Curator: Arin Fay
Opening Reception: June 7
Brenda Draney is Cree from Sawridge First Nation. She lives in Edmonton and studied painting at Emily Carr University in Vancouver before she received the RBC Canadian Painting Competition in 2009 and long-listed for the 2013 Sobey Art Award. She is the 2014 winner of the Eldon and Anne Foote Visual Arts Prize. Draney’s practice is based on her experiences and the relationships formed between her current hometown of Edmonton and the northern community of Slave Lake, Alberta, where she was raised.
Gu Xiong | The Unknown Remains
August 24 – November 3 | Gallery A
Curator: Arin Fay
August 10 – October 27 | Gallery B- *Archival focus*
Curator: Gu Xiong, Arin Fay
Opening Reception: August 23
Gu Xiong, is a multimedia artist from China, who now lives in Canada. As a professor at the University of British Columbia, Gu has exhibited nationally and internationally. The Unknown Remains will explore the production of the global industry and culture beyond the migrant situation, while implying how the Canadian immigrant culture flows into the global community. (Gu Xiong)
WORD (Text Exhibition) | Graham Gilmore, Joi Arcand, K.C. Hall, Nicole Dextras, Don Mabie, Shane Koyczan
November 9, 2019 – February 23, 2020 | Gallery A
Curator: Arin Fay
Opening Reception: November 8
The WORD group exhibition investigates text as the subject matter and also the vehicle for meaning and method. This exhibition explores, refutes and blows open the threads of commonality through the work of artists: Graham Gilmore, K.C. Hall, Nicole Dextras, Joi Arcand, Don Mabie, and Shane Koyczan. The intent is to illustrate how art allows for inexhaustible iterations of expression via myriad disciplines, aesthetics and artistic interpretations.
Kootenay News
November 2, 2019 – February 17, 2020 | Gallery B
Guest Curator: Greg Nesteroff
Opening Reception: November 8
This exhibit will present the story of Nelson’s print media, from a weekly hand-cranked paper to a bustling daily with a circulation larger than the city it served, to today’s online publications.
