The Landscape In Flux: Scott Taylor and Mike Blazek
March 12 - June 18, 2021
The Landscape in Flux features two local photographers who respond intuitively to the fluidity of the world around them. Each artist presents a very personal vision while sharing themes of presence, impermanence, and the insistent reach of nature's power. Together, Scott Taylor and Mike Blazek explore the unsettled yet persistently beautiful place the landscape occupies for the people of Chatham-Kent.
Collected Works: The Permanent Collection In View (Part 1)
July 21 - August 21, 2021
Through the rich and varied history of Chatham-Kent, art-making has thrived: the permanent collection of the Thames Art Gallery serves as a visual record of that history, encouraging a deeper understanding of our communities and ways of life. As the first in a series of exhibitions drawn from the permanent collection, Collected Works Part I sets the stage for further exploration of the collection’s history, in particular its role in representing CK’s diverse communities. Part I of this ongoing series visits the work of notable local artists from our past, including AM Fleming and Hortense Gordon, along with important contemporary artists like Michael Chambers; along the way, it uncovers stories about lesser-known works and highlights key moments in our history.
Facing North: Jean Hay
July 21 - August 21, 2021
The Arctic is both inspiring and fiercely elemental. Drawn from the collections of Thames Art Gallery and the Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery in Sarnia, Facing North presents the vision of one artist’s fascination with the North and how it influenced her journey through aging, the creative drive and ecological responsibility.
A Harlem Nocturne: Deanna Bowen
September 3 - November 7, 2021
Deanna Bowen’s artistic practice concerns itself with histories of Black experience in Canada and the US. Her focus is the “dark matter” in our midst: figures and events that have remained below the threshold of visibility not because they are impossible to find but because their existence reveals a systematized racism difficult for the majority culture to acknowledge. Bowen reactivates historic material sourced from overlooked archives through a process of extraction, translation and enlargement, and then reinserts this material into public consciousness in a new form.
Doris Slater Titus: Retrospective, 1941-1964
November 19, 2021 - January 16, 2022
Opening Reception November 19 from 7 PM - 9 PM
This exhibition features the work of artist and educator Doris Slater Titus, and marks the first solo exhibition of her work in nearly 60 years. It features Titus’s comic book illustrations, commercial designs, mural samples, and over twenty-five paintings and drawings from private and public collections across Canada and England. During her short life, Titus was often subjected to sexism and discrimination that overshadowed her artistic accomplishments. Today, she is recognized as the first woman comic book artist in Canada and for her experiments with abstract painting, such as using her own bathwater as a medium. These unique paintings demonstrate Titus’s passion for colour, understanding of composition, and enthusiasm for changing styles. Less is known about the murals she painted, based on folk tales and nursery rhymes, for Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, which are now believed to be destroyed. For these and other reasons, Doris Slater Titus has made a significant contribution to the cultural history of Canada.
This exhibition is curated by Matthew Ryan Smith and is circulated by the Glenhyrst Art Gallery
a love to stay
danielle margaret coleman
November 19, 2021 - January 16, 2022
Opening Reception November 19 from 7 PM - 9 PM
“a love to stay” conceptually explores the discourse of romantic relationships while considering the kitsch qualities of the perfect loving home, women’s work, and traditional images produced around idealized romantic relationships. This site-specific installation focuses on the nostalgia of past relationships and previous heartache while celebrating the adoration of the artist’s current romantic relationship like a dollar store on Valentine’s Day - confessionally emphasizing a love that is here to stay.
Through Her Eyes
November 19, 2021 - January 16, 2022
Opening Reception November 19 from 7 PM - 9 PM
Curated by Michaela Lucio
"Through Her Eyes" celebrates the vibrant and astute women who have played a pivotal role in developing the cultural landscape of Chatham-Kent. Featuring the work of numerous artists drawn from the collections of the Thames Art Gallery and the CK Museum, this exhibition also honors the unyielding support of key players and influential organizations like the Chatham-Kent Art Association, The Women's Committee, and Studio Ten. Chatham Kent owes a great deal to the efforts and successes of the remarkable women whose contributions continue to shape our present and our future.