Endless Return

Owens Art Gallery, Mount Allison University

Roger J. Smith, Cosmos in Cosmos, from Raindrop Worlds, 2019, pigment inkjet print, courtesy of the artist

Endless Return

June 23 – October 8, 2023
Curators: Emily Falvey and Jane Tisdale

Inspired by the lifecycles of plants, this exhibition explores themes of impermanence, regeneration, and resilience. It presents the work of artists Kaeli Cook and Roger J. Smith in conversation with a selection of work from the Owens’ permanent collection, including early botany studies by students from the Mount Allison Ladies’ College and artists such as Lizzie McLeod, Amy McLeod, and Violet A. Gillett. It also features Diaspora Series (2015), a recently acquired work by Innu/English artist Melissa Tremblett, in which she returns to her roots in Sheshatshiu, Labrador.

The Owens Art Gallery’s permanent collection contains approximately 4,000 works of art including paintings, photographs, prints, sculpture, and multi-media work by established Canadian and international artists. It began with an initial group of approximately 300 predominantly European paintings, prints, and drawings acquired in 1885 as a teaching collection for art students to study and copy. A few significant gifts were made to the Owens’ collection in the 1940s, but it wasn’t until the late 1960s that the focus shifted towards actively developing the collection. Endless Return features work from the collection by the following artists: Glenn Adams, Elizabeth Alcorn, John Armstrong, Elaine Allison Borden, Arthur Brecken, Joanna Close, Jean Dixon, Eunice Dixon McCormack, Erik Edson, Leon Estabrooks, Carol Fraser, Mary Elizabeth George, Annie Inch, Elizabeth Mann Couillard, Elizabeth McLeod, Ethel Ogden, Greta Ogden, Mary Pratt, Ted Pulford, and Ellis Roulston.

We would like to acknowledge that the Owens Art Gallery, Mount Allison University, is located within the traditional territory of Mi’kma’ki, the unceded ancestral homelands of the Mi’kmaq. Our relationship and our privilege to live on this territory was agreed upon in the Peace and Friendship Treaties of 1725 to 1752. Because of this treaty relationship, it is to be acknowledged that we are all Treaty People and have a responsibility to respect this territory.

Owens Art Gallery
Mount Allison University
61 York Street Sackville, NB, E4L 1E1 • 506-364-2574
owens@mta.ca
www.owensartgallery.com
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Monday to Friday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Saturday and Sunday, 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Admission is Free

The Owens is partially accessible. The stairs from the entrance nearest the University Chapel have a handrail. There is also ramp access at this entrance, however, the ramp is steep. The stairs to the entrance off York Street have a handrail, but no ramp, and are covered with temporary wood treads. The main floor of the Owens is wheelchair accessible. Our second-floor gallery and gendered bathrooms are located in the basement and are not accessible. Two flights of stairs lead to each of these floors. LED lights are used throughout the building. The Owens welcomes guide dogs and other service animals. The closest accessible parking spaces are located on York Street across from the Owens. For detailed information on venue access, please visit our Accessibility page.

COVID-19 Information
The Mount Allison University campus continues to have COVID-19 health and safety measures in place. During your visit at the Owens Art Gallery:

Masks are welcome
Free disposable masks are available
Hand sanitizer is available throughout the gallery
If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, please stay home and plan your visit for another time

If you would like to visit the Owens at a quieter time, or when all staff and visitors are masked, private visits can be arranged from 9:00-10:00 am on weekdays.

If you have any questions about your visit, please email owens@mta.ca or call (506) 364-2574.