More than an art show, Autumn Light is a new idea for the Godfrey Dean Art Gallery. The show features nine local artists – Jeann Spilak (Yorkton), Sonja Pawliw (Yorkton), Garry Harris (Yorkton), Katie Miller (Esterhazy), Linda Henye (Melville), Barry Whitta (Yorkton), Kelly Patterson (Yorkton), Theresa Franks (Melville) and Hanna Farquharson (Saltcoats) – and will run until Dec. 15, showcasing them at the Godfrey Dean Art Gallery and offering their work for sale.
Don Stein, executive director at the Godfrey Dean, said that it’s a chance to meet local artists, and it’s an extension of the annual Landscape and Memory show every May.
“It’s such a great event with all the local artists, but it only stays up for a month. That was the first impetus, just to keep local representation in the galleries.”
The other goal was to have a place where local artists could be showcased.
“There’s nowhere anywhere now where you can find and buy local art. There used to be a gallery in Esterhazy but it stopped operating recently, so now it’s partially a service to the artists, there is a place where they can exhibit their work, and to the public, if you are looking for local art we can start to be a place for that.”
The project is a pilot, but the plan is to keep it going, with the next one being ‘Winter Light’ in December. The goal is to fill the gallery with amazing work, but also have it stay a while and promote it for people to come and see.
As a gallery director, Stein noted that it also gives him flexibility.
“I can change it more slowly, I can change one artist at a time... So you don’t have to wholesale empty the gallery and put a new show in every time, and it gives people more of an opportunity to connect with it.”
The large gallery will continue to be rotated out on a regular basis, so there will always be something new to see.
If you have work, Stein would love to meet you. He’s going through artists that have shown at Landscape and Memory before, and has a lineup in mind for the next one, but also wants to see what’s next.
“Who are those other interesting people who can see themselves in this? We can show pottery, we can show fine jewelry, we can show a variety of works. It’s especially appealing to people who don’t have enough work to do a whole solo show, but here’s a chance, if you have five or six works, to really feature them in a way that gives you a showcase.”
