ABOYNE – Inside the Exhibition Hall at the Wellington County Museum and Archives (WCMA), the walls are adorned with 55 works of art, crafted from textiles, 3D objects and other media ranging from paint to photography to etched wood.
Guelph musician Shannon Kinsbury gently plucked the strings of a harp as attendees filled the hall on April 7 to view works from 45 artists for the first time since the pandemic postponed the annual Insights Juried Exhibition of Fine Arts.
Thursday evening’s opening reception marked Insight’s 41st production, promoting the excellence, accomplishments and innovation of talented artists from the county and beyond, many from Fergus and Elora.
Three discerning jurors, Todd Tremeer, Linda Carreiro and Yael Brotman, carefully curated the selection of works now displayed from 211 pieces submitted by 103 artists.
Fergus-based artists Kat Morrison and Glen Lee of Katboom studio were at the opening night, with Lee showing two works.
His untitled work, a sobering observation of the relationship between religion and the deaths of Indigenous children within Canada’s residential school system, won the water media award.
He plans on donating the money to the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation.
“I drew it up because it needed to be said, especially in a conservative area,” Lee explained of his work.
Insights committee chair and Fergus-based artist Natalie McDonald presented awards ranging from $200 to $700 to selected artists, including Guelph-based artist Sharyn Seibert, who took home the “people’s choice” award for her hand-painted collage and sewing work titled Night in Venice.
When Siebert’s name was read aloud, she sank in her chair and raised a hand, covering her face.
“I could barely even stand up,” Seibert said, adding she was “blown away” to be voted the people’s choice recipient for the work conveying subconscious memory of her time in Venice.
McDonald thanked WCMA staff for stepping up and assisting to make the exhibition come together.
“I think it’s really important for the arts community in this area,” McDonald said of the event.
“Especially after essentially two years of hiatus … I think it’s a really positive thing.”
Artists have continued creating work throughout the pandemic, she said, “but where are the opportunities to show it off?”
All the artwork showcased was produced within the past two years, McDonald noted.
“There’s some kind of pieces you will definitely notice are very telling of the time,” she said.
The exhibition runs until June 19, and a “Walk with Jurors” event takes place on April 10 from 1:30 to 3pm, with a $5 admission fee.
For more information visit insightsart.ca.
