Melville Arts Council

Upcoming Visual Arts Exhibitions

Atim Maskikhiy

Atim Maskikhiy
Dates: Wed, Jan 1, 2025 to Thu, Jan 23, 2025
Where: Gallery Works and The Third Dimension
Atim Maskikhiy (‘Dog Medicine’ in Cree) presents works of seventeen artists local to the La Ronge tri-community area in Northern Saskatchewan. The multimedia pieces represent the artists’ interpretations of the dog-human relationship as expressed through preliminary findings of a community-driven research project conducted in the community. This unique marriage of art and science allows knowledge translation to a broader audience than typical of peer-reviewed research. Highlighting the need for improved access to animal health and welfare services in northern, remote and Indigenous communities everywhere, this gallery represents a call to action for systemic change at the human-dog interface. Through their works, the artists confirm that dog-human bonds are highly valued and often critical to human life and well-being in the north, and current approaches to ‘fixing’ dog problems in communities without regular access to care ignore important contributors at the root of the issue. This exhibition is curated by Dr. Jordan Woodsworth, Director, Northern Engagement and Community Outreach, Western College of Veterinary Medicine. The artists featured in this exhibition are: Andrea Cowan, Caron Dubnick, Donna Langhorne, Hilary Johnstone, John Halkett, Larissa Muirhead, Miriam Koerner, Molly Ratt, Myles Charles, Nancy Lafleur, Terri Franks, Sammi Kopeck, Abigail Clarke, Annalisa Heppner, Jade Roberts, Jasmine Grondin, and Wendy Cleveland.

Labours of Love, Under Lamplight

Labours of Love, Under Lamplight
Dates: Wed, Oct 1, 2025 to Thu, Oct 23, 2025
Where: Gallery Works and The Third Dimension
Labours of Love, Under Lamplight is an exhibition featuring art from Indigenous artists in Saskatchewan, showcasing a diverse array of experiences and interpretations of Indigenous Art. The exhibition celebrates the various practices in Indigenous art, ranging from contemporary aesthetics and materials to those rooted in familial traditions. In today's fast-paced world, the dedication and labour of love invested in art can be easily overlooked. The concept of "Labour of love" in art emphasises the extensive labour involved in the creation process, often infused with familial stories, teachings, and practices passed down through generations. These expressions of love for the practice and culture are condensed into the final artworks, representing hours of devotion and labour. We invite viewers to turn the lamplight on, consider the time and knowledge behind each piece as the artists skilfully worked with familiar and lesser-known materials, revived from their cultural heritage or passed down through mentorship within the art community. For many Indigenous artists, their love for their culture serves as a significant motivation in their artistic journey, enriching the contemporary art scene with an inherent connection to their roots. This exhibition is curated by Holly Aubichon from recent acquisitions to the SK Arts Permanent collection and features the following artists: Stacey Fayant, Marcy Friesen, Sally Milne, Brandon Roy, Cherelle Williams, Audra Blais-Boulianne, Maureen Ledoux, Russel Iron, Elaine McArthur, and Jordy Ironstar.

Omentum

Omentum
Dates: Sat, Nov 1, 2025 to Sun, Nov 23, 2025
Where: Gallery Works and The Third Dimension
Omentum is a series of 10 paintings that touch on several of the major experiences faced by Indigenous people in this country within recent memory. These paintings, influenced by the works of both Norval Morrisseau and also Pablo Picasso, speak to some of the major struggles and triumphs that are part of our everyday life as Indigenous people, such as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Cultural Appropriation, the legacy of Residential Schools, the Rise and Honour of the Two-Spirited in the LGBTQ, the Return of Traditional Indigenous Tattooing, the Rise in Systemic Racism Online, and, of course, the Murder of Colten Boushie. John Brady McDonald is a Nehiyawak-Métis writer, artist, historian, musician, playwright, actor and activist born and raised in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He is from the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation and the Mistawasis Nehiyawak. The great-great-great grandson of Chief Mistawasis of the Plains Cree, as well as the grandson of famed Métis leader Jim Brady, John’s writings and artwork have been displayed in various publications, private and permanent collections and galleries around the world, including the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

A Selection of Specimens

A Selection of Specimens
Dates: Mon, Dec 1, 2025 to Tue, Dec 23, 2025
Where: Gallery Works and The Third Dimension
A Selection of Specimens is a solo exhibition be artist Kristin Teetaert. This exhibition features drawings, felt sculptures, and painted tiles. Kristin states: "The specimens came to life in 2012 in the form of a charcoal gestural sketch. The idea of sculpting them in wool followed. Wool allowed me to use bright colours and to create sculptures that were malleable. A tactile person, I wanted to play with my sculptures. This idea of being able to play with and manipulate the sculptures inspired the tiles; they are all able to interconnect with each other on all four sides. An important aspect of them was the ability to create different paths between the specimens by physically moving the tiles, or as a viewer, by following the shapes as they weave through the installation. I often alternate between two and three dimensions as I work. They are surprisingly autobiographical. I have always had a fascination with botany and nature, and a love of the unique shapes found in the natural and microscopic world. This, combined with my love of colour, has resulted in this series of playful sculptures and drawings that explore the ideas of interconnection, growth, spontaneity, and evolution."