Be Curious ∙ Be Creative ∙ Be Connected

Images (left to right): Collaborative weaving exercise. Elham Fatapour, solitary stitches: sand, snow, soil (still), 2023. The Powers featuring FASTWÜRMS and Blevin Blectrum, Sistership TV Episode 1: Gotta Crack a Few Eggs (still), 2019.

Video Screenings curated by Imogen Clendinning
Art Activities facilitated by Tia Bates

Fall 2025 at various locations across Western University

McIntosh Gallery presents Art Thrive: Elemental Forces, a social and creative space where connection and creativity is paramount. Through video art, moving images, and a unique and fun artistic activity led by local artists, each event celebrates an elemental theme—earth, wind, fire, and water.

Through a series of seven, thematic video art drop-in programs presented at various locations across Western’s campus, each event is designed to reduce feelings of anxiety, stress, and social isolation in the participants—all of which are associated with the rise of Eco-distress in young people aged 18 – 25. Eco-distress is an all-encompassing term used to describe the experiences of distress caused by anthropogenic climate change and results in feelings of helplessness and powerlessness in addressing environmental and sustainability challenges. Forging connections with each other and engaging in artistic expression are critical in building coping strategies, resilience, and individual agency.

In Art Thrive, video is thought of expansively, introducing the audience to short form contemporary video art as well as interactive video, virtual environments, and immersive experiences that employ moving images through various avenues. Many of the artists featured in the program parse through the numerous impacts of climate change that are felt by local communities and ecosystems. Some artists approach these subjects through play, while others utilize lived experience to particularize how a warming climate affects individuals and families, countering the often-homogenizing effects of mainstream climatic data.

Images (left to right): Dave Kemp, Canoeing the Black Creek (still), 2023. Silkscreening with Soft Flirt, documentation from 2024 event. Evelyn Pakinewatik, On and On and On (still), 2024.

Program Details

All Art Thrive programs are free and open to the public. Find out more about each event and participating artists!

Water | Fluidity
September 11, 1 – 4pm
McIntosh Gallery

Water | Remembering
September 24, 1 – 4pm
Weldon Library Scholar’s Lab

Earth | Threads
October 7, 1 – 4pm
Western Student Recreation Center

Earth | Conjuring
October 29, 1 – 4pm
Schmeichel Building

Wind | Flurry
November 12, 1 – 4pm
Thames Hall Atrium

Fire | Futures
December 4, 1 – 4pm
Western Student Recreation Center

Fire | Moving Light
December 10, 5 – 7pm
McIntosh Gallery

Images (left to right): Skawennati, The Peacemaker Returns (still), 2018. Lanterns. Somayeh Khakshoor, a temple (still), 2021.

McIntosh Gallery
1151 Richmond Street
London, ON N6A 3K7
mcintoshgallery.ca
mcintoshgallery@uwo.ca
(519) 661-3181

Facebook @McIntoshGallery
Instagram @McIntoshGallery

Our Hours
Monday to Friday: 10am – 5pm
Saturday: 12 – 4pm
Sundays and Holidays: Closed
*Please see website for installation period closure updates.
McIntosh Gallery offers free admission to all exhibitions and events

Accessibility:
We regret that McIntosh Gallery is not wheelchair accessible. All other Art Thrive venues are accessible (Weldon Library, Schmeichel Building, Thames Hall, Western Student Rec Center).

Image Descriptions:
1. An image of the artmaking activity (collaborative weaving), and two video stills which correspond to the Earth programs.
2. Two video stills, and an image of the artmaking activity (silkscreening with Soft Flirt) which correspond to the Water programs.
3. Two video stills, and an image of lanterns which corresponds with the Fire programs.

Art Thrive: Elemental Forces is supported by Western’s Sustainable Impact Fund.