After closing in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Godfrey Dean Art Gallery has reopened its doors. The local art gallery will be featuring Summer Light for the remainder of August, which features local artists Val Morhart, Laureen Johnson, Garry Harris, Katie Miller, Phyllis Herman, Jocelyn Duchek, Barry Whitta, Kelly Paterson, Jean Spilak and Heartstrings fine jewelry.
“It’s a continuation of when we shut down in March, and actually we have some new works in there as well,” said Kelly Litzenberger with the Godfrey Dean Art Gallery.
The gallery is opening slowly. For the first few weeks it will be running on reduced hours - 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday to Friday.
The Summer Light exhibition was one that people didn’t get much chance to see, due to when the Gallery had to close. Litzenberger said that while they do feature many provincial and sometimes national artists, it’s vital to be connected to the art scene that’s happening locally as well.
“It’s really crucial to be part of the community and be another extension of the artists and all of the hard work that they do around here.”
While the doors were closed, the Godfrey Dean was still showcasing local artists, with the 2020 Landscape and Memory exhibition going online for the first time. With over 60 entries, they posted daily for three months.
“It was really great. We did one call out for artists and we managed to have about 60 entries so we could put up something new online every day for two months. It was a great way for us to connect and stay, have that communication with our local artists.
Of course, opening in 2020 means taking precautions. The Godfrey Dean will have increased sanitation to doors and main common areas, as well as handrails.
“We are lucky in a sense, because the gallery is primarily a no-touch space. You come in there, you move around the space and you view things with your eyes, and not with your hands.”
This September will see two new exhibitions at the Godfrey Dean, one featuring the textile art of Hanna Yokozawa Farquharson and another by Jeff Morton. September will also see the gallery return to regular hours.
