Legacy paintings unique to Trail and an eclectic ceramics collection donated to the downtown gallery will surely be a hit with visitors when the Columbia Basin Culture Tour goes live this weekend.
“We are trying to frame our participation in the culture tour as an opportunity for people of Trail and surrounding area to discover or re-discover VISAC,” begins Sharon Roberts, executive director, VISAC Gallery. “We are showing a little everything of what we do and what we have to offer, and that’s why we decided to put up pieces from our permanent collection.”
Roberts is referring to posthumously highlighting paintings by Velen and Velenka Fanderlik, two prolific Trail artists, portraits by Bess Fraser, pieces by Kay Campbell, and the Peter David Louis Memorial collection featuring raku, porcelain, stoneware, earthenware and a single piece of glass work.
“Previously we’ve done exhibitions of the Fanderliks’ work but it’s mostly been the block and lino cuts and paintings by Velen, so we are trying to feature more of Velenka’s work, which is very different from Velen’s style of painting,” Roberts explains. “We were doing a little spring cleaning and transferring some pieces to better preserve them, so I, myself, have been discovering these paintings for the first time.”
The cornerstone of VISAC’s permanent collection, the Peter David Louis Memorial collection, represents contemporary ceramics work by 23 artists from Canada, the U.S. and Jamaica, dating from the mid-1980s to the early 1990’s.
“We’ve been discovering these works that so many have never seen before, even people involved with the gallery, ” Roberts says. “And this is a unique collection for a small gallery to have, so we want people to be able to view it.”
This is the 15th year the tour is inviting the community at-large to meet people behind the scenes at Columbia Basin galleries and museums; visit studios and venues not normally open to the public; and shop for original art and fine crafts. The tour runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 29, and Sunday, July 30.
“We want people to see what’s available at the VISAC in terms of our collection, and also what’s coming up in our fall programming,” Roberts adds. “We really just want to show what VISAC is all about.”
The VISAC is located in the Selkirk College campus building on Cedar Avenue in downtown Trail. Enter under the red awning.
Self-directed and free of charge, this year’s tour has over 110 locations featuring talent in the Basin arts community as well as cultural and heritage sites.
There are five public stops in the immediate vicinity: the Rossland museum; Sarah Elizabeth Fibre Works, a fibre and multimedia art supply store located in Rossland; Delight Lampshades by Linda Parsons in Warfield; VISAC Gallery in downtown Trail; and Pottery by Fran in East Trail.
To decide the sites to visit, view the directory and tour map at: wkartscouncil.com.
art exhibitArts and cultureArts and EntertainmentCity of TrailColumbia BasinTrail and District Arts Council
