Diving In: The Art of Cleaning Lakes and Oceans: October 19 - November 5
This touring exhibition Diving In: The Art of Cleaning Lakes and Oceans is at the Hearth Gallery on Bowen Island with installation by guest artist Keith Shapland. Take a walk through the exhibition with artist Liz Nankin.
This travelling exhibition is on at The Hearth Gallery!
Show Dates: October 19 - November 5.
Community Workshop: Saturday, October 22, 10 am - 2 pm
Artist pARTy: Saturday, October 22, 6 - 8 pm
On Saturday October 22nd, bring your gloves, put on your work clothes and become an art-activist as well! From 10am to 2pm, local artists Liz Nankin, Sarah Haxby, and Keith Shapland will lead a community workshop outside of the gallery.
Everybody is invited to embellish debris from Bowen shores by turning them into sculptures. The artists will guide you in the creation of two large creatures that will be showcased for the time of the exhibition as well as in the making of smaller artworks to take home. All ages are welcome to participate and all supplies will be provided, but you are also welcome to bring your own found debris or objects if you've collected some.
Learn More about the local artists who are leading the community workshop
at the Hearth gallery on October 22 from 10 AM - 2PM
Keith Shapland Artist Statement
We need to clean up our act and I find myself compelled to pick up the trash from the shoreline as a way of doing my small part.
If that was my only motivation, it would be enough.
For me, there is more. I am on a treasure hunt – a selfish and fully satisfying endeavour.
My “art” is an attempt to share this unseen beauty with you.
Sarah Haxby BIOGRAPHY
Sarah Haxby is a Bowen Island based community artist who leaped from a solo studio-based practice in 2007 to explore an ongoing career in education and intergenerational and collaborative public and school-based artworks. She is always on the lookout for vintage doilies, buttons and sewing notions. Her personal multi-mediastudio practice of photography, painting and textile artwork takes place at a slower rate these days as her love of community art projects, mentoring and working with youth and collaborating with other artists informs much of her current arts practice. She is inspired by local ecology, heritage, whimsy, and narrative imagery.
Artist Statement:
"The Catch is created out of over 100 bullet shell casings, a broken piece of a boat, a piece of old furniture wood, an old rusty hook, and an old pocket knife found whilst doing shoreline cleanups, as well as the type of resin that is used in boat making. With a knife, hook and bullets, the artwork reflects on the nature of hunting and the impact to the environment. The Catch strives to use the to make a trophy from some of the remnants from the hunt."
Liz Nankin BIOGRAPHY
Liz Nankin was born and raised in Los Angeles and now permanently makes Bowen Island home. A multi-disciplinary artist, as a child she had a great love for dioramas--which started her on a journey of creating a world of make believe and theater.
For over 40 years Liz has been a costume designer in indie film, television, theater and dance. While raising her 3 children (who all became adult artists!) Liz worked in schools across Los Angeles creating art curriculum for students who needed to access and voice their intelligence by creating work within the school pedagogy. Liz’s costume work gets inspiration through creating visual narrative from humanity.
A great love of vintage clothing and music is infused in the all her work. Whether going into a museum or walking into a hardware store, Liz sees how color, texture, line, silhouette tells a story. Every ten years Liz likes to learn something grand and new which led her to the art of puppetry. She joined the bob baker marionette theatre where she became a puppeteer and opened a whole new medium of storytelling.
As well as performing Liz became a puppet constructor and designer. Liz co-created Bowen Fables, a series of six short shadow puppet films exploring the history and lore of Bowen Island partnering with the Bowen Island Museum and Archives and was awarded a municipal arts grant. Liz is an art council member of the Hearth gallery on Bowen. Liz loves to create community projects by encouraging everyone that they have to contribute artistically in any way. While making Bowen island her new home, nature has been her best teacher. The feedback of walking in the forest and along our bay shores is boundless and feels it is her responsibility to protect.
Artist Statement:
"I have been a costume designer in film and theater for 40 years, and a puppeteer for 12. My experience in sewing and construction are the foundations that support this visual narrative.
These pieces represent scientific specimens of animalia that have evolved from a sea of debris. As if pulled out of a drawer in a museum, they make us conscious of how we live and what we do with our stuff, be it a necessity of eyewear or disposable items that can be recycled before the debris becomes a destructive force. My pieces are tactile and connect to the action of collecting—see it—pick it up—and be responsible."
The Sea to Sky Arts Councils,
North Van Arts and West Vancouver Arts Council
in partnership with Divers for Cleaner Lakes and Oceans and Return-It presents
Learn more about Diving In: The Art of Cleaning Lakes and Oceans through a visual story map.
All of the artwork in this travelling exhibition is up for auction until December!
Please share the auction with any family and friends that may be interested. All the proceeds will go back towards the artists and the Diving In project to continue advocacy work.
Other Ways To Get Involved:
Thank You!
Thank you to our amazing sponsor Sea to Sky Courier for transporting all of our artwork across 7 locations so that we can continue spreading awareness about the waste in our lakes and oceans.
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