On Friday February 17^th, the VISAC Gallery gave a tour to a small group of seniors from the Rosewood Village Assisted Living Centre. Accompanied by staff and headed by Recreation Therapist and former VISAC Executive Director Sharon Lough, the Rosewood ladies were impressed by our gallery’s current exhibition artist, Kim O’Brien.  They admired her work, and found her attention to detail and felting skills “very advanced” and added “They make you smile”. When everyone had finished the gallery tour, they took their seats and listened attentively to Gallery Manager Laurie Merlo as she gave a short lecture on the artist and her processes. The VISAC Gallery looks forward to hosting another visit from Rosewood and hopes to see everyone again for our next exhibit “A Way To See” by photo-impressionism artist Ursula Albresch  March 3^rd -  April 4^th.   

 

On Friday February 2^nd, the VISAC Creative Art Centre hosted a wonderful troop of local Brownies for an evening arts and crafts workshop that included felting and pottery. Everyone had a great time and we look forward to seeing more Brownies and other social youth groups take advantage of our amazing creative space! 

The VISAC Gallery is proud to present "My Inner Child" by Nelson textile artist Kim O'Brien. Kim describes herself as "a quirky fibre artist" and her work certainly reflects a whimsical love of woolly yarn and 70's knitwear. However, deeper meanings are found in the combination of felted wool and vintage fabric:

"Over the past year, I have loved making objects that brought me in touch with my earliest childhood experiences. I work with felted wool for the joy of its texture and the endless possibilities the medium presents and I use vintage material because it connects me to the past and to all the bygone stories that lie in the various scraps of fabric or accessories. By weaving my experiences into the past lives of others, past and present come together, and I adore the new meanings that are created.  Showing the audience the wonder and imagination that comes with "self-indulgent crafting", I hope to encourage others into creating beautiful and creative tributes to their own "inner child".

Kim O'Brien

Please join us in celebrating Kim's "inner child" and her first exhibition in Trail! Opening reception is Saturday January 21st from 12-3pm. Refreshments and cookies will be served.

 

Dear Members and Patrons,

We have an exciting exhibition schedule ahead for 2012: from whimsical felt creations to graphic book art, the VISAC Gallery promises to engage and inspire our greater Trail community with artists hailing from throughout the East and West Kootenay regions.

January 20 - February 24

Kim O’Brien: A Nelson-based textile artist whose self-taught style is armed with a quirky sense of humour and a fantastical imagination. Her vintage material may be second-hand, but her work is number one with audiences throughout the West Kootenays.

March 3 – April 4

Ursula Albresch:  An accomplished photographer, Ursula describes her style as “photo-impressionsim”. Her attention to colour and light allows “for the abstraction of subjects to provide much more chararacter than a representational photo”.

April 11 – April 18

School District #20 Special Presentation: Clay & Wood Exhibition by Trail Middle School Students. Come see what our local youth have been creating under the guidance and tutelage of VISAC member Mary Ann Kelley.

April 27 – May 30

Angela Duclos:  Angela Duclos is a young emerging artist whose large-scale silkscreen prints take a collage-based approach to develop innovative meanings and new narratives using iconic pop culture imagery.

May 26 – July 13

Barbara Maye: An artist who goes beyond typical poses of beauty. By fragmenting the female figure, she reveals the light and shadow selves in perfect harmony and forms the most beautiful whole.

July 13 - September 5

To Be Announced

September 7 – September 21

"The Old Bridge": A collaboration with Trail's Historical Society to commemorate the "Old Bridge".

September 28 - October 12

The VISAC Gallery supports its city with “Trail Constructs” an exhibition celebrating the architecture of Trail. Come see how our rock walls, stairs and numerous heritage buildings are portrayed by our many talented VISAC members in all manner of mediums.

October 19 – November 23

Nyla Raney & Jenn Hamm: Contemporary graphic designers, particularly those who have grown up with the computer, are re-discovering the creative potential of the hand-crafted books. The VISAC Gallery is proud to present a collaboration exploring the allure and accessibility of hand-made books with accomplished artists Nyla Raney and Jenn Hamm. Together, they will display work from their regional Book Arts project "Speaking Volumes". A special feature in this exhibit will be a private collection of international mail art and hand made books curated by local artist Gail D. Whitter.  

November 30 – December 22

Our annual “Small Treasures, Big Finds” Christmas Exhibition and Sale is our local shopping event of the year. From fashionable, hand-knitted caps and exquisite jewelry to large scale paintings, the VISAC Gallery has everyone’s wish list covered!

 

On Friday, December 9th, the VISAC Gallery is joining the downtown Trail business community to support "Silver City Nites", a festival celebrating our local businesses. From 6:00-9:00pm, come visit our booth located right on Cedar Ave. across from "The Doorway" and see what VISAC has to offer our local Greater Trail community!

What:    Silver City Nites
When:    Friday, December 9th from 6:00-9:00pm
Where:   1300 block of Cedar Ave. in downtown Trail

 As the holiday season nears, artists and artisans everywhere are creating beautiful works of art in all manner of mediums: delicate stone and metal jewelry glitter underneath an expansive oil on canvas. The VISAC Gallery is proud to present "Small Treasures and Big Finds", a gift ware exhibition showcasing our members’ artwork and artisan designs in a gallery setting swimming with Christmas flavour. Shopping locally not only stimulates our Greater Trail economy, it also reduces environmental impact while leading to self-sufficiency because we become less dependent on imports.

"Small Treasures, Big Finds" runs from November 26-January 11, 2012.

Gallery winter hours: Monday-Saturday from 10-2pm dependent on volunteer availability and weather conditions.

The Gallery will be closed December 25, 26, 27 and 31 and January 1 and 2, 2012.

The board and staff of the VISAC Gallery & Creative Art Centre wishes everyone happy holidays and a joyous new year!

Come share the joy of needle felting with Kim O'Brien, a Nelson textile artist and needle felter, and build a small doll which can be given as a tiny gift or made into a holiday decoration. No experience is needed, only a sense of humour and patience, and giggling is strongly encouraged!

When:        Saturday November 19th, 2011
Where:       VISAC Creative Art Centre
Time:         10:00am-2:00pm
Cost:         50.00 for VISAC members/55.00 for non-members

For registration or additional course information, please call the gallery at 250.364.1181 during regular office hours or email to director@visacgallery.com. We look forward to a fabulous day of felting!
    

The VISAC Gallery is proud to present “Wild at Heart” from October 7 – November 18, 2011. 

 The Wild at Heart exhibition is VISAC’s last open call entry show of the year. From artisans to outfitters, our shared Kootenay wilderness has shaped a mountain culture that celebrates living life in the wild. Hiking, riding, hunting and eco-tourism all play an important role to East and West Kootenay residents and we asked the artist: what is your role and how wild is your heart?

The response from our regions’ artists has been outstanding and we look forward to displaying the large and impressive works whose mediums are as varied as the subject matter.

The VISAC Gallery has special events planned for our official opening night on Friday, October 14^th.  From 6-8pm, the VISAC Gallery will celebrate “Wild at Heart” with a “Fast Draw”. This event will see four artists complete a finished drawing in 45 minutes with a subject manner taken directly from our beautiful backyard wilderness. We look forward to an evening that promises a frenzy of creative energy!

On Friday Sept 30^th the VISAC Gallery in Trail and the West Kootenay Women’s Roller Derby League are excited to present “Let The Good Times Roll” a celebration of roller derby. This special weekend exhibition will run for only three days from Friday September 30^th through Monday October 3^rd. The opening night reception takes place from 6-8pm and will be co-hosted with the Canadian Cancer Society to kickoff Women’s Health Month.

“Let The Good Times Roll” will be featuring art works from the West Kootenay Women’s Roller Derby League’s inaugural Season. You can expect to see a collection of their wonderful event posters including some original works, team jerseys and logos, and original roller derby themed art works by some of the leagues members and fans.  This exhibition that will be show casing roller derby inspired West Kootenay talent is not to be missed.

As another show ends a successful run, enter "Fixed and Far: The World of Dry Media". This exhibit examines the varied ways dry media, such as conte crayon, graphite pencil, pastel and coloured pencil can be manipulated into imagery that takes the viewer into worlds of swirling greys, rich earthy reds and soft dusky pinks. Patrons and visitors alike can indulge in realistic portraits of animals and people or be transported into abstract fields filled with emotion, experience and memory.

"Fixed and Far-Flung: The World of Dry Media" runs from Friday September 2 - Wednesday September 28, 2011. Opening night is Friday, September 9 from 6-8pm.