CANMORE – With the motif of circles and spheres, Canmore’s Three Sisters Gallery uses “art as a tool” to share experiences of connection, culture and journeys through life.
The 22 pieces of art showcased on the second floor of Elevation Place not only show a literal representation of the theme but also a more abstract interpretation as well.
“It may not visually contain those circles and spheres, but there’s a circular connection back to community, or a shared experience, or a learning from a point in time to a point in the present that a person has gone through and that experience kind of closes a loop,” said Sue Hayduk, Town of Canmore’s arts and culture coordinator.
The exhibit is available for viewing until Nov. 4.
Tara Vahab will have the biggest piece of art put on the gallery’s wall to date. The art, which is six-by-three feet in size, is made of woven newspaper with ceramic hands that contain positive messages in their palms.
Along with the work of Vahab there will be various mediums that involve acrylic, silver leaf, oil pastels, fabric and multimedia.
Hayduk expressed Canmore was more than a mountain town with different cultures that lie within the community.
“I think it just gets people to think a little bit more beyond our mountain community culture,” said Hayduk.
“The community is made up of so many different facets and people, experiences, backgrounds. I almost think of it like a collage of artistry and art and story and connection that people are pulling together in this show.”
The 14 artists in the exhibit are from around Alberta, in places like Calgary, Claresholm, Red Deer, Cochrane and, of course, locally in Canmore.
“You hear the circle of life, you hear the tree of life, you hear community connections, that’s going to be a lot of the language that you’re going to sort of see in the show,” said Hayduk.
At the opening reception on Wednesday (Sept. 4), Vahab spoke to how she uses art for community building while engaging attendees in a small collaborative art experience.
“She tries to build community through art, and I think maybe that’s the whole purpose of this show, is trying to build community through art and showcase those different ways of being,” said Hayduk.
Vahab was a featured artist during the winter for Art Walk in the Woods, where she involved the public by allowing them to take a tile from her art and leave their own mark of expression in the empty space.
