Red Deer’s First Fridays art gallery openings held on December 1

Title: Merry Messages: Hand Lettered Holiday Greetings

Artist: Member artists from the Lettering Arts Guild past and present

The Red Deer Arts Council Community Gallery (6–4919 49 Street)

Exhibition Dates: until January 3, 2024

#FirstFridaysRedDeer reception December 1 from 5 – 7 p.m. with several artists in attendance and hot apple cider to enjoy.

Description: The Lettering Arts Guild of Red Deer is sharing holiday cards of years past to celebrate the season. With hundreds of cards, and the bonus ‘To the Letter” exhibition on display, it’s a cheery atmosphere at the Community Gallery. Attendees can get some inspiration to create their own handmade holiday cards.

Gallery Hours: Monday to Friday 12 – 4 p.m.

—–

Title: Echoes of Italy: Abstract Landscapes

Artists: Linda Mah

Media: Mixed

Kiwanis Public Art Gallery at the Red Deer Public Library – Downtown Branch (4818 49 Street)

Exhibition Dates: October 17 – December 2, 2023

#FirstFridaysRedDeer Opening Reception from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. with the artist in attendance.

Description: Calgary artist Linda Mah says she journeyed through Italy in 2015 and captured the impressions of the landscape and historical architecture with her camera and developed this exhibit using various media including encaustic, watercolour, and mixed media. In her desire to share this fascinating country, Mah used images from her photographs to share a unique point of view by remembering the individual random details from columns in Rome to the pigeons in Venice. As the exhibit developed, she felt herself on a journey of discovery both with her art and with her memories. This exhibit is a distillation of that journey.

Artist Statement: “The Echoes of Italy exhibit idea was born from a vacation to Italy in October 2015. The tour itinerary had 25 of us exploring museums, churches, villas, coastal towns, cultural and historical sites, plus so much more. With my camera, I captured hundreds of images—landscapes as they whizzed by the bus window on the way to the Adriatic coast, ancient cityscapes from the streets of Matera, intricate patterns of the mosaics of Pompeii, as well as the rich colours from paintings in The Vatican. Details large and small, all seemed to matter. . . My desire is for the viewer to discover a journey of their own within the Echoes of Italy, by following their unique viewpoint and worldview.”

—–

Title: Alter Ego

Artists: Bangu Ntaisi

The Viewpoint Gallery (5205 48 Avenue)

Media: Mixed Media Paintings

Dates: December 1, 2023 – February 8, 2024

#FirstFridaysRedDeer Opening Reception December 1 from 6 – 8 p.m. Artist’s Talk 6:30 p.m. with the artist in attendance. Gallery Hours open 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Ntaisi is a visual artist who began his exploration of the arts as a painter, using satire, pop art, poster art and surrealism.

About the Artist: Bangu Ntaisi is a Zimbabwean Canadian artist whose artwork aims to encourage the viewer to question commonly held notions of people, situations, and events.

About the Gallery: The Viewpoint Gallery showcases original works of art by individual artists and collectives, and curated exhibitions. The gallery is in the lobby of the City of Red Deer Culture Services facility. Visit the Viewpoint Gallery page for more information or call 403-406-8820.

Hours of operation: Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Facility closed December 23, 2023 – January 1, 2024.

—–

Title: Winter Wonderland

Artists: Various artists represented in the gallery

Curiosity Art & Framing (5002 48 Street)

Dates: November 3 – January 25

#FirstFridaysRed Deer Christmas Reception December 1 from 5 – 7 p.m. with some artists in attendance and locally made refreshments.

Description: Attendees can see the wonders of winter with Curiosity Art & Framing’s new Exhibit: Winter Wonderland, while enjoying a variety of artists’ different interpretations of winter and maybe even the holidays that happen during the season.

—–

Title: Solorzano Spa Art Exhibitions

Artists: Brenda Smith, Andrea Swainson, and Julia Zaouzolkova

Solorzano Spa Cafe & Wine Bar (4631 50 Street)

#FirstFridays reception December 1, 2023 from 7 – 9 p.m.

Description: Every First Friday of the month, the Spa showcases talents of Red Deer Polytechnic art students and Studio Lusso Fine Art.

CONTINUING EXHIBITIONS

Title: Lost Liberties – The War Measures Act

Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery (MAG) (4525 47A Avenue)

Exhibition Dates: October 14, 2023 – January 7, 2024

#FirstFridaysRedDeer Opening Reception November 3^rd from 5 – 8pm

Description: A travelling exhibition developed by the Canadian Museum of History and generously supported by a grant from the Endowment Council of the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund.

—–

Title: Shirley Rimer: A Chronicle in Clay

Dates: September 23 – December 2, 2023

“A longtime resident, Rimer is one reason why the city shines as a centre for ceramic art. A Red Deer College (Polytechnic) graduate, as an instructor, curator and cultural community builder, Rimer’s own artistic accomplishments are the highlight of this special exhibition of ceramic sculpture,” said officials in a release.

The exhibit features over 30 art works made in the past 40 years, a chronicle about their making and Rimer’s personal discovery of clay traditions in other countries like Greece, Turkey, Mexico, India, France, Italy, China and America. They are about hand-building in clay, reinterpreting the vessel, communicating with colour and reflecting on subjects like family, culture and heritage here in Alberta and abroad.

—–

Title: Wondrous West

Artist: Brian Downes

Velvet Olive Lounge (4928C 50 Street); can be entered via Capitol Pkg Store on Ross Street Patio

Dates: until December 23, 2023

No #FirstFridaysRedDeer reception for December.

Description: Watercolor and acrylic paintings inspired by the varied landscapes of Alberta.

Biography: Brian Downes is a local Red Deer artist, teacher, musician, and a regular at the open mics of the Velvet Olive, Ross Street Patio, and busking at the farmer’s market.

—–

Title: Nature vs. Artist

Artist: A Collective show by Red Deer Polytechnic Second Year Art Students

Marjorie Wood Gallery at the Kerry Wood Nature Centre (6300 45 Avenue)

Media: Various

Dates: October 18 – December 18, 2023

Description: Drawn landscape studies and sculpture installations regarding nature. No reception for December.

—–

Title: Photography by Cristy Rusnell

Artist: Cristy Rusnell

The Corridor Community Gallery inside the Recreation Centre (4501 47A Ave)

Media: Photography

Dates: October 6 – January 31, 2024

About the Gallery: The Corridor Community Gallery is hosted by the City of Red Deer Community Development. This space, adjacent to the clay studio spaces, provides a public venue for local artists and shares the talents of fellow community members.

Hours of operation: Monday to Thursday 5:30 a.m. – 10 p.m., Friday 5:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sunday 12 – 5 p.m. The Recreation Centre facility is closed for annual maintenance Dec 2 – 27.

For information on visual arts classes and programs offered by the City of Red Deer or to enquire about showing artwork in the Corridor Community Gallery, contact The City of Red Deer, Community Development at 403-406-8820 or culturemailbox@reddeer.ca

—–

Art in the Hallway, Northside Community Centre YMCA (6391 76 Street)

Lacombe Performing Arts Centre (5227 Calgary Edmonton Trail, Lacombe, AB)

—–

Download the rdnewsNOW mobile app on Google Play and the Apple App Store for all the latest updates on this and other stories.

by rdnewsNOW Staff

Red Deer’s First Fridays art gallery openings held on December 1

What's Trending