Trustees: Sigrid-Ann Thors, Bonnie Thomas, Jay Gilman, Destanne Norris, Kyle Britton, Anne-Marie Clancy and Edward Woolley.
STAFF:
Executive Director: Dauna Kennedy
Curator: Lubos Culen
Learning and Community Engagement
Curator: Sierra Bronkhorst
Marketing & Events Coordinator: Chiara Mason
Gallery Shop Attendant: Chantelle Bullen
Gallery Ambassador: Ains Reid
Bookeeper: Tom Knight
Preparator: Salinger Snarf
Administrative & Development Coordinator: Brooklyn Kuzyk
The Vernon Public Art Gallery Society gratefully acknowledges financial support from: The Vernon Public Art Gallery is a registered not-for-profit society. We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of BC's Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch, British Columbia Arts Council, the Government of Canada, Corporate Donations, Sponsorships, Foundation Grants, General Donations and Memberships. Charitable Organization #108113358RR
NEWS
The Vernon Public Art Gallery (VPAG) is pleased to welcome back artist Glenn Clark with his exhibition Descent Into Classicism. Clark is from the Penticton area in the Okanagan and has a long history of painting. This exhibition, which was inspired by Classicism and Neo-classicism, features largescale, ultra-realistic paintings focused on environmental issues and the human condition. You may also find some political undertones as you explore this exhibition.
On behalf of the Vernon Public Art Gallery, I’m also excited to welcome Lana Schuster for the exhibition Inside Out. This exhibition plays with paint, texture, imagery, and abstraction as Lana embraces colour, form, and the guidance of her intuition. Questioning how to paint and trusting the process results in the emergence of non-objective works, which are featured in this collection. I invite you to draw your own meaning from Lana’s work in Inside Out.
Our 38th annual fundraiser event, Midsummer’s Eve of the Arts, took place on July 17 and was a resounding success! Our sincere thanks to this year’s sponsors: Bannister Honda as our Presenting Sponsor, Clark Robinson Chartered Professional Accountants, Nixon Wenger LLP, our media sponsor Beach Radio, and our print sponsor Wayside Co. A big thank you to our live auctioneer, Don Raffan, along with our MC’s Brian and Rebecca from Beach Radio. We would also like to thank Sunbelt Rentals, Okanagan Springs, Arrowleaf Cellars, Gumtree Catering, and Uprooted Kitchen & Catering for their continued support. The biggest thank you goes to our volunteers, who make this event possible, and all who attended! Thank you for your dedication and support of the arts.
Our next major event is Riot on the Roof, taking place on August 24, 2024. This annual alternative arts festival seeks to prioritize exposure for emerging artists. We are excited to welcome artists with a range of disciplines, including performance art, 2D and 3D visual and multi-media art, and various interdisciplinary works. Riot will also feature a range of community partners, food trucks, and engaging activities. Join us for the fun on the Vernon Parkade!
See you at the VPAG!
Executive Director
Vernon Public Art Gallery
Dauna Kennedy
ENGAGE EXPLORE ENRICH
EXHIBITIONS
LANA SCHUSTER
Inside Out
JULY 25 - SEPTEMBER 17
Lana Schuster is a painter whose work is often driven by outdoor adventures and experiences. Schuster’s main interest in painting is abstracting her work to express the essence of an idea or image, all the while enjoying the process.
The exhibition Inside Out plays with paint, texture, imagery, and abstraction. Schuster embraces colour, form, and the guidance of her intuition in her work. The question of how to paint is often an intriguing and guiding force. Remaining open to new ideas and trusting the process is essential. The result is often a surprise from getting lost in the process and having something nonobjective emerge.
What you see in Schuster’s work is an expression of an experience, a record of a moment in time, something that may have passed but truly lives on within the painting. Viewers will feel and experience something that resonates, and draw their own meaning from viewing the work. Join us at the VPAG to view Inside Out in full!
Blue Inspiration, Lana Schuster
GLENN CLARK
Descent Into Classicism
JULY 25 - SEPTEMBER 17
The Vernon Public Art Gallery is delighted to welcome back Glenn Clark for the exhibition Descent Into Classicism. This exhibition signals Clark’s departure from his approaches to compositions. The latest portraits that Clark has produced are large-scale and exquisitely modeled.
Many paintings depict the personification of the struggle for the environment, resulting in death and nature’s degradation. Despite the realistic rendering in Clark’s subjects, there are undercurrents which lead the viewer to construct
Sacred and Profane War, Glenn Clark
implied narratives ranging from blissful existence, to existential angst, to feelings of magical narrative.
Descent Into Classicism is one of Clark’s greatest accomplishments. True to the Classicist aesthetic, he paints with an emphasis on form, proportion, clarity of structure, and perfection. In addition to realistic modeling of forms in his composition, Clark addresses contemporary concerns about the state of the environment and the human condition. His portraits are expressions of more than the portrayal of the subject. The paintings are emotionally charged, inviting the viewers to engage and piece together strings of possible narratives about the protagonist and their environments. As is the case with all art advocating for changes of the stewardship of the planet, Clark’s images are subversive in their beauty, while not being overtly political.
We are delighted to present Descent Into Classicism this season.
Black Widow, Glenn Clark
CALENDER OF EVENTS
summer summer
SEPTEMBER fall fall 2024
EVENTS
OPENING RECEPTIONS
On July 25, join us for the Opening Reception of our new exhibitions:
Descent Into Classicism by Glenn Clark
Inside Out by Lana Schuster
Our next Opening will take place October 10 for the next round of exhibitions.
Admission for Opening Receptions is by donation, and light bites and drinks will be served.
RIOT ON THE ROOF
Riot on the Roof is back for 2024, set to be your epic conclusion to summer! Join us on August 24 from 7-11pm. Riot will be taking over the two upper levels of the Vernon Parkade and feature a range of interactive arts to enjoy.
The annual alternative arts festival seeks to prioritize exposure for emerging artists. We are excited to welcome artists with a range of mediums in their work, including painting, printmaking, animation, filmmaking, sculptures, rock music, electronic fusion music, spoken word poetry, indie music, and various inter-disciplinary works.
Our exciting line-up of artists will be released in the coming weeks in the leadup to the event. Keep an eye on our website and social media for details!
Riot will also feature a range of community partners that we would like to thank for their support: Local Losers for technical support, Becky’s Back Door Beans (BBDB’s) for musician support, and Lumin Creative for providing photography and videography.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of our Gold Sponsor, A&W.
We are excited to present the Local Losers Lounge, which will be serving mocktails during the event. A range of food trucks will also be on-site, including Wicked Waffles and Samosa Joe’s.
Tickets will be available for purchase at the door and on Eventbrite shortly. Watch our website for updates: vernonpublicartgallery.com/event/riot-onthe-roof
PROGRAMMING
Family Saturday takes place on the last Saturday of each month with an art project suitable for little kids and big kids alike. Parents and guardians are encouraged to participate and create their own piece of art as well. All materials for the workshops are supplied. Suggested ages are 5 years old and up. Sign up online at www.vernonpublicartgallery.com/familysaturday
FAMILY SATURDAY SCHOOL TOURS
Our school programs offers exhibition tours and hands-on art activities which complement and address the visual arts curriculum, in addition to cross-curricular connections to assist teachers, parents, and educators in developing an integrated approach to teaching. A new tour and workshop program is developed for the Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer exhibitions, providing the opportunity for your class to visit our gallery at least four times each school year. Find more info at www.vernonpublicartgallery.com/schoolprograms
REGIONAL REACH
Regional Reach is a traveling art education program designed to meet the needs of our schools in the outlying areas of Greater Vernon. The VPAG now has 2 circulating Regional Reach art kits that teachers can sign out. The kits include all the art materials and a detailed teacher’s guide with 10 cross curricular lessons. More info at www. vernonpublicartgallery.com/regional-reach
MINI ARTISTS
Join us on the last Friday of every month for a diverse exploration of age-appropriate art activities. We invite parents and guardians to bring their little ones under the age of 5 to explore art making with non-toxic materials in this fun and social program. Admission is by donation. Sign up online at www. vernonpublicartgallery.com/mini-artists
CRIT
CLUB
Crit Club is a workshop and critique program dedicated to supporting high school students in their artistic pursuits and development. Each session will begin with a presentation by an established guest artist. Following the presentation, the guest artist will lead a workshop inspired by their practice. After the workshop, students are invited to share work with the group for a critique session. Sign up online at www.vernonpublicartgallery.com/ critclub
NIGHT SCHOOL
Join Jaz and Sierra every third Thursday of the month from 6-8 PM for Night School, a platform for art critique tailored to adults. Come prepared with either a finished piece or work-in-progress. All artists, regardless of discipline or skill level, are warmly welcomed. Contact Sierra at education@ vernonpublicartgallery.com to enroll in Night School and embark on your creative journey with us.
MEMBERSHIP
Core membership
ACTIVE SUPPORTERS - $35 +GST
Core benefits:
• Newsletter + e-news
• Access to Regional Reciprocal Program
• 10% Gallery Shop discount
• Members only events
• AGM voting privileges
• Access to Art Rental
Membership types:
• Individual
• Student
• Family (4 people)
• Corporate (5 people)
UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS
LYNDAL, LIZ, BERND, JOHN
Rewilding: The Forest Will Forget Us
OCTOBER 3 - DECEMBER 18
This exhibition is a collaboration between Lyndal Osborne, John Freeman, Liz Ingram, and Bernd Hildebrandt. The four of us have been planning and working on this project based upon a specific lakeside quarter section in the Alberta foothills’ boreal forest. We have separately investigated its natural environment, the residue of an original homestead, the rewilding of settler remains, and other human activities. Over the years we have all artistically engaged with this location through video, photography, installations, a bookwork, and printmaking.
Rewilding is our attempt to re-establish intuitive links with the land and waters, through sensitivity and physical engagement. The exhibition will explore transitions, resiliency, the interplay of nature and humans, and shaping our common existence with nature. The VPAG can’t wait to welcome these artists in Rewilding: The Forest Will Forget Us.
Body, earth and trees, Liz Ingram and Bernd Hildebrandt
SPONSORSHIP
VPAG SPONSORS
Thank you to our 2024 sponsors for continuing to support Arts & Culture in the North Okanagan!
VPAG PARTNERS
We are grateful for the following ongoing partners that we work with:
Morning Star
Bannister Honda
Beach Radio 107.5
Wayside
Prestige
Sunbelt Rentals
Uprooted Kitchen & Catering Co.
Okanagan Spring Brewery
Gumtree Catering
Arrowleaf Cellars
Big Steel Box
Thank you to Wayside for being the 2024 print sponsor
The Vernon Public Art Gallery Society gratefully acknowledges financial support from:
The Vernon Public Art Gallery is a registered not-for-profit society. We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of BC's Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch, British Columbia Arts Council, the Government of Canada, Corporate Donations, Sponsorships, Foundation Grants, General Donations and Memberships. Charitable Organization #108113358RR
