By Chloe Danielle Marson
Assistant Summer Curator
We are in full swing down at Pynelogs Arts and Cultural Centre, having already exhibited five weeks of work created by valley locals, children and adults alike.
We kicked off the season on April 7th with the ever-whimsical Art from the Heart exhibit and auction. If you didnt make it in to see the local elementary school childrens masterworks, you missed out on a wall of blue cats, beautiful renditions of Group of Seven mountain ranges, brightly coloured collaged owls, dynamic city-scape horizons, and many, many other delightfully creative projects.
Well done to all the young artists, a big thank you to their teachers, and a huge thanks to Natalie Ruby and her team of volunteers for co-ordinating the show. This big old house came alive with colour and excitement, thanks to everyones dedication. April 28th was the start of a two-week run of four separate shows, each with their own theme, but together creating a takeaway impression of the importance and beauty of nurturing community and culture:
Pat and Baiba Morrows Heart of the Himalaya photography exhibit, previously held in Banffs Whyte Museum, showcased the landscape, ritual, and peoples of the Himalayas without glamour or bias. Thirty years of travelling between the Himalayas, capturing and celebrating the different cultures, have resulted in a photographic essay that pull the viewer right inside each photo, wrapping the viewer up in a moment caught in time. It has been inspiring to see a lifes worth of work culminated in this manner thanks to Pat and Baiba for following their passion and sharing all that they discovered along the way!
Marla Olivers Then and Now: Repeat Photography of the Lake Windermere Area exhibit has been an eye-opening experience for everyone who has had a chance to view it. Interactive flip boards showing before and after shots of key locations (like the CPR Lodge, and Lake of the Hanging Glacier) have given old memories new life, and a refreshed context within the modern transformations and resilience of Lake Windermeres landscape and cultural growth. The exhibition moves to the Invermere Public Library from May 13th to June 13th, and will live permanently in the Windermere Museum thereafter.
Sharing a common theme of Fossils and Feathers, the Wings Over the Rockies and Lil Peeps art shows gave contributing artists a place to explore and expand on the geologic history of the area with Trilobites, native bird species, and various types of shells. The daycares and child care centres responsible for Lil Peeps did a spectacular job showcasing the theme with bird masks, hand-made replica fossils, a diorama of Earths phases, and miniature nests, among other things. Artists involved in the Wings art show dressed the walls with inspired interpretations of fossils and feathers, both abstract and realistic. Thanks to everyone who participated!
Up next at Pynelogs, a group show with artists Elizabeth Segstro, Kathleen Stead, Karen MacRae, Rowena Sinha, Sandy Orsten, and Sherry Ponych will hold space for two weeks from May 12th to 24th, with the opening night reception on Friday, May 15th, from 5 to 9 p.m. You can expect to see fine illustrations, batik-style paintings, and various landscape interpretations.
Dont forget to stop in for a bite to eat at the Pynelogs Cafe. Owners Kristine Hajas and Ruth King have a delicious, wholesome daily menu to enjoy, along with the usual Scotty Burger classics. Dont want to dine in? Order dinner before 4 p.m.
