A new art show has recently opened in Dawson Creek, BC, at the local Dawson Creek Art Gallery that you may want to check out!  Some friends and colleagues and I put together what we thought was a pretty interesting idea for an exhibition and called it “Converging Conversations.”  We started with one image each (my own being the Cowboy pictured below that you may be familiar with), and from there each image that was put into the show after that had to be in some way inspired by, or based off of, a piece that was already in the show.  The interpretations and relationships between the artwork could be as tight or as loose as the artists could imagine, as long as they could explain themselves if they were put on the spot!

This exhibition was of special significance to me for a few reasons.  Its been in planning for quite a while, as all of us noodled away on pieces whenever we could throughout the year, along with our current jobs and other commitments.  It was also a huge learning experience, as I found out first hand some of what was involved in organizing an art show.  I was able to not just show my work and come together with some of my best friends, but I was also able to play off of them and compete.  Dawson Creek is, of course, my hometown, which made things special as well, and the curator, Ellen Corea, is also a close family friend.  It was really a great honor and a lot of fun to be able to have a show at the DCAG.  But wait… its still running!

The Converging Conversations show will be on until the beginning of November, so if you’re in the Dawson Creek/Peace River area, please go check it out and let us know what you think!  The opening was a huge success and we had a really great turnout.  A very large portion of the artwork was sold within the first couple of hours which all of us contributors are taking as a huge compliment.  For a small sample of some of the work available at the show (which is also for sale at the gallery!) you can also check out the show’s official blog: http://convergingconversations.blogspot.com

Artists that Contributed to the Converging Conversations show include:

• Karyl Gilbertson
• Terri LeGear
• Dennis Budgen
• Jacky Gilbertson
• Scott Kowalchuk
• Silas Kaufman
• Hilary and Tyler Jenkins
• Roxanne Wang
• Spencer Goldade

While I’m writing though, I would also like to draw some attention to the Dawson Creek Art Gallery.  You see, I don’t really believe that many of the people that live in Dawson Creek realize how privileged they are to have such a beautiful gallery and space at their immediate disposal.  I’ve included some photos from the show below (forgive me for not having the time to do much in the way of touch ups), but even still I don’t know if I’m doing it much justice.

The Dawson Creek Art Gallery is built inside of an old grain elevator, instantly this ties it into the culture of its surroundings and gives it the basis for being a very interesting space.  When you walk in the space instantly opens up to a huge spiraling walkway that makes up the majority of the exhibition space.  The bottom floor is usually home to many different handmade goods like pottery, jewelery, and other beautiful works of art (and those for sale, by the way, have some of the best craftsmanship to price ratios I’ve ever come across).  Where the spiraling walkway ends at the top there is a door.  If you enter this door you have two options, you can either descend a separate staircase that takes you through a visual history of Dawson Creek and the Peace Region, or you can ascend up yet another level to the artist studios where artists can work and classes can be taken.

Beside the DC Art Gallery is the old train station, which has since been modified into the Tourist Information Center.  There is also a large blue train car that holds a lot of history as well.  When I was a child this train car used to be an ice cream shop called the Blue Goose Caboose.  Every now and then, when our northern weather permits, someone opens up the car for business again.  Even more, across from these is our traffic circle.  I mention this because it has always been the center of so much amusement.  Watching tourists try to drive around it backwards, sometimes two at a time, or even watching the locals as they often can’t seem to get it right, has become a pass time of many in our little but quickly growing city.  So, if you’re in the area, I strongly suggest checking out the Dawson Creek Art Gallery, if not for our Converging Conversations art show then for all of the history, culture, and innovation it represents!

The Cow was my starting piece for the show.

The outside view of the gallery

A view from the bottom floor

An elaboration of the previous view

From one of the ramps

A different ramp view

From the opening: Jacky Gilbertson, Karyl Gilbertson, Spencer Goldade (me), Terri LeGear

And an expanded view of the bottom floor!