People's Exhibition at CBU gets island-wide participation
John Gillis

Nearly 200 artworks are currently on display at CBU Art Gallery.

The Cape Breton University (CBU) Art Gallery has opened one of its most popular annual exhibitions – ProletariART: The People’s Exhibition.

The opening reception was held on Friday, January 25th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. The exhibit will run until February 22nd.

“This is the second year for this annual community art event, and it has attracted a record number of participants with 103 artists showing from all over Cape Breton Island and with 179 works of art in the exhibit,” CBU Art Gallery director and curator Laura Schneider told The Oran last week.

Schneider said she was pleased that the exhibit attracted a large number of participating artists from western Cape Breton and Inverness County as well.

“It’s a 20 percent increase in participation and works exhibited over last year. We had some 245 people here for the opening. It’s all about participation and creating a community of interest in the arts, and we have had a great number of children participating in the exhibit as well,” Schneider added.

Schneider said she feels the CBU Gallery is moving in the right direction holding this as an annual exhibit.

“We previously used to have a student, staff and faculty show, and while that was positive we are seeing greater participation opening the exhibit up to the public at large,” she added.

Participating Inverness County artists include: Bernadette Duffney, Whycocomagh; Sandra Dominey, Whycocomagh; Virginia McCoy, Inverness; Coralee MacDougall, Whycocomagh; Doug Fraser, Inverness; Dennis Murphy, Whycocomagh; Colonel MacLellan, Margaree Centre; Gillian Lake-Thompson, Mabou; Gordon Mills, Whycocomagh; and Joan MacDonald of Whycocomagh.

“I think the strength of this exhibition is that it’s an opportunity to see what people are working on in their homes and studios,” Schneider added. “It provides a wonderful opportunity for sharing and dialogue across the community, and it’s also an annual reminder that art can play so many different roles in our lives. There is no single motivation for creating.”

The exhibit showcases a wide range of artistic practices including sculpture, painting, photography, textiles, video, mixed media and more. Participants come from varied backgrounds and levels of experience. There are works by artists who are just starting out, as well as a number of works from experienced artists in the community.

This year the CBU Gallery note that they are pleased to have involvement from a number of community groups as well, including submissions from L’Arche and a group from the New Waterford Library made of young girls age 9-12 who call themselves The Sparkles.

Members of the community are encouraged to attend the opening reception and to stop by the CBU Art Gallery while the exhibit is on to see the exciting and diverse works of art being made in the community.

The CBU Art Gallery is open Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For more information visit www.cbu.ca/art-gallery.