Raising the Bar

• Wed Sep 15 - Sun Oct 03

HA, Pond and Falls Galleries

This year’s Headwaters Arts Fall Festival Art Show and Sale, “Raising the Bar”, challenged artists to submit works created during this unprecedented time of solitude and isolation due to the pandemic. The exhibition showcases over 80 works of art by 45 artists and features an eclectic, deeply personal and diverse selection of subject matter and mediums including oil, watercolour, and acrylic painting; mixed media/collage/mosaic; sculpture; blown glass; ink/pencil; photography/digital print; silk/fibre art; clay/stoneware and recycled/handmade paper.

Juried by oil painter, Olaf Schneider and curated by Regan Jane Hayward, “Raising the Bar exhibition offers art works fully motivated by our artist’s contemplations and new directions spurred on by Covid 19 impacts.” says Regan, Headwaters Arts curator/Gallery Committee Chair. “This show reflects visual expressions on all kinds of different levels, mirroring the global pandemic experience we all relate too.”

As some artists expressed in their statements,“I experimented with some “pandemic paintings” which were flawed but raised the bar in terms of emotional depth”.

“I am a retired physician, trained to think. Across the pandemic, I challenged myself to break free from my own rules, plans and expectations for my art. I was incredibly inspired by the struggle for hopefulness during the pandemic, shared by so many – the roller coaster of emotion that is the human journey through chaos into light.” Says, painters Anne Smythe and Nancy McNabb respectively.

Opening reception on Tursday Sept. 16, from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. For tickets or more information on the show, go to headwatersarts.org.