Current and Upcoming Exhibitions
Earthtones
Earthtones
December 7 to January 27
“One thing for sure is that the prairie isn’t plain. It’s a landscape literally hard to see, permeable to both desire and expectation. Again and again it has been described in terms which are more descriptive of the longings of the viewer than of the land itself….Prairie is ambiguous, luminous, shifting.” – Maureen Scott Harris, “Being Homesick, Writing Home”
(Appears in: Fresh Tracks: Writing the Western Landscape. Pamela Banting, editor. 1998. Polestar Book Publishers.)
Earthtones is a collection of work inspired by Saskatchewan landscape. Arguably, the landscape here is subtle, understated, its beauty elusive to the quick passerby. So lucky are we, then, to have our artists and makers who seek out the subtle and translate it into something more.
The common thread of Earthtones links these works, be it through colour, theme, connection to, or in the case of ceramic works, quite literally the earth from the prairie landscape.
Situated on the shore of Last Mountain Lake (the northernmost body of water of the Qu’Appelle valley), the communities of Regina Beach, Buena Vista and Kinookimaw have long been connected to the landscape. This area has been of significance to the First Peoples for thousands of years. For those who choose to reside here now, it is a conscious choice; to leave the city behind and live in a place where they can be connected to the landscape.
The Elsie Scherle Gallery/Last Mountain Lake Cultural Centre is pleased to be part of showcasing this exhibition that celebrates landscape, a snapshot of the broad collection of the Saskatchewan Arts Board Permanent Collection.
Kristin Teetaert, Program Coordinator, Last Mountain Lake Cultural Centre.
The Saskatchewan Arts Board is the oldest public arts funder in North America, and 2018 marks our 70th anniversary. The Arts Board recognizes, encourages and supports the arts to enrich community well-being, creativity, diversity and artistic prosperity.
Shortly after our agency was created, we began collecting the work of Saskatchewan artists into a Permanent Collection, where you will find paintings, drawings, textiles, ceramics, jewelry, furniture, prints, photographs and sculpture. The wide variety of styles and media demonstrate the amazing talent of our artists and makes their work accessible to the people of Saskatchewan. The collection includes approximately 3,000 works of 750 artists and continues to grow.
The collection is publicly available through the Arts Board’s loan and rental programs – about 40 per cent of the art is out of the vaults and in the public eye at all times. Currently, there are 44 active rental contracts and 27 active rental contracts and 27 active loan contracts, with art on display throughout Saskatchewan, as well as in Manitoba, Ontario and British Columbia. Earthtones is one of our Permanent Collections.