Art Exhibits
Ranger Station Art Gallery
98 Rockwell Drive
Admission by donation
This exhibit will be on display from July 11th- 27th. During the Festival, the hours are 9:00am to 5:00pm daily. For the remainder of the month, the exhibit is open from 10:00am to 2:00pm, Monday to Friday, and 1:00pm to 4:00pm on weekends. Closed on July 25 and 28th.
Brought to you by: The Harrison Festival Society, The Kent Harrison Arts Council
Inside the Gallery
Small Colourful Life
Artists: Ember Muninn & Aaron Moran
The acts of play and creative exploration are some of the earliest entry points into art making. As children we are encouraged to make art not only to express ourselves, but to learn about basic principles such as colour, shape, texture, and materiality. As we grow older, most people stop playing through art or expressing themselves creatively altogether. The act of play can also be lost on artists as they balance administrative tasks, emphasis on concept, and project deadlines that do not make space for experimentation. The exhibition “Small Colourful Life” includes two artists using play to reignite their creativity and find joy in art making.
Play and creative process has long been a cornerstone of Ember Muninn’s practice, but has only recently been brought back to the forefront. Following the recent completion of a large body of relatively representation works, Munnin felt uninspired. Muninn cites play as essential in overcoming this block in the same way they relied on it to overcome childhood memories of a gray utopia full of Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, secrets, and shame. Play helped to undo the layers of conditioning that would have led to a small, colourless life. In their newest body of work, Muninn is embracing expansion, expression, and the exploration of process. These ideas have been helpful in shaking off the rigidity of perfection, and ensuring freedom from the oppression of both the art world, and daily life.
Aaron Moran works across a range of media, but has found play to be a line that flows through his body of work. Moran recently completed a three-year residency that left him burnt out and uninspired. He was feeling creatively paralyzed and was unable to work though the block in a studio setting. Play was ultimately the way through. In his most recent body of work, Moran cites his role as “parent” as the key inspiration. At any given time the surfaces in his house are covered with craft supplies, puzzles, board games, drawings, collage scraps, building blocks, and race-car tracks. By becoming a participant in these creative activities, he found himself loosening up, incorporating his children’s aesthetic tendencies in the studio, and embracing imperfection.
For Muninn and Moran, “play” does not suggest simplicity or a lack of seriousness. Play refers to a more inclusive approach to art making that expands the concepts, techniques, and sources of inspiration found in their work. The exhibition will include paintings, sculptures, and a collaborative element, each of which center on play and creative exploration. A unique conversation is formed between the works, with Muninn’s loose, organic aesthetic, and Moran’s hard-edge, geometric tendencies. By presenting these works alongside each other, the audience will have the opportunity to see “play” in several forms, and hopefully feel encouraged to bring this idea back into their own daily lives.
Join us on Friday, July 11th at 7pm for our opening reception at the Ranger Station Art Gallery. Refreshments and goodies will be served.
Spirit Trail
Ernie Eaves
The Spirit Trail is a short walk (1km) through a wonderful piece of west coast cedar rainforest.
Located on the east side of Harrison Hot Springs, the trail gets its spiritual feel from ceramic masks and faces that artist Ernie Eaves has placed among the trees.
Ernie became involved in ceramic arts soon after his retirement as a high school teacher. He has a small studio in his garage that he shares with his artist wife, Irene.
