Shaping Time

Shaping Time Exhibition invitation graphic

Shaping Time: Natalie Hunter, Lois Schklar and Xiaojing Yan

July 10 to August 24, 2019

Opening Reception
Wednesday, July 10 from 7pm – 9pm
Artists will be in attendance. Remarks at 7:30pm

Celebrate Latcham Art Centre’s 40^th anniversary with a special opening night party for Shaping Time, a group exhibition with Natalie Hunter, Lois Schklar and Xiaojing Yan. These artists push the boundaries of their respective media and explore ideas related to memory and time in unique and compelling ways. Whether in the photo-based work by Hunter, the collected objects employed by Schklar or the elements of nature transformed by Yan, there is a shared interest in experimenting with the ephemeral qualities of light and shadow and the sculptural aspects of different materials. This exhibition purposefully represents artists at all different stages of their careers, pairing two established artists who have exhibited with the gallery in past and an emerging artist, showcasing the role a public art gallery plays in helping to support the growth and development of artists.

This anniversary marks 40 years since a group of artists and local visionaries saw the need for a public art gallery in Whitchurch-Stouffville to showcase contemporary visual art. As the population grew, so did the gallery, which now boasts a full schedule of exhibitions, events and art classes. The Latcham Gallery, now Latcham Art Centre, has hosted over 350 exhibitions in all media since 1979 and has expanded the art studio education programs to include over 175 sessions a year where people can express their creativity, engage in art making and learn about the exhibitions in the gallery.

Whether you are familiar with Latcham Art Centre’s rich history or you are a first time visitor, come celebrate community and the love of art with us on July 10!

About the Artists

Natalie Hunter is a Hamilton-based artist whose practice is concerned with the transformation of materials, objects and images in ways that evoke an emotive or psychological response in the viewer. She often produces experiential installations using photographs on transparent film, light, and other fragile materials that engage with the poetics of time, memory, perception, and the senses. She holds an MFA from the University of Waterloo, and a Bachelor of Art in Visual Art with a Concentration in Curatorial Studies from Brock University. She is the recipient of several awards including an Ontario Arts Council Visual Artists Creation Project Grant for Emerging Artists, a Canada Council for the Arts Research and Creation Grant and a President’s Graduate Scholarship from the University of Waterloo. Her work has been exhibited in Canada and the United States including: the Hamilton Supercrawl, the Art Gallery of Hamilton, University of Waterloo Art Gallery, Thames Art Gallery, Rodman Hall Arts Centre, Mississauga Living Arts Centre, Hopkins Centre For the Arts at Dartmouth College, the Art Gallery of Windsor, Centre 3 for Print and Media Arts, Ryerson Image Centre, and Museum London.

Lois Schklar is a Toronto-based artist working primarily in sculpture and installation. Schklar first became known for her work with fibre and mixed media to create non-traditional dolls, fetishes and laminated burlap sculptures, some of which were featured in her 1991 solo exhibition at Latcham Gallery. By the mid-2000’s she began to explore a variety of new materials in her practice, incorporating her collection of found objects and writing into three-dimensional wall installations. Her newest works play with the aesthetic qualities of the objects she has collected over time and question their role and capacity as containers of memory. Schklar attended the Washington University School of Art and graduated with a BFA from The Atlanta College of Art. Her work has been shown in solo, juried and invitational exhibitions throughout Canada and the United States and her sculptures are included in the Bronfman Collection, Claridge Investments, Cambridge Art Gallery and the Key Corporation. Schklar has been the recipient of several grants over the course of her career including the Toronto Arts Council Grant to Individuals, Ontario Arts Council Project Grants, Exhibitions Assistance Grants and Canada Council Grants.

Xiaojing Yan is a first-generation Chinese-Canadian artist. Born and raised in Nanjing, China and now based in Markham ON, her practice responds to the natural world as a tool to explore and reflect on the complexities of her bi-cultural identity. Best known for her use of materials from nature such as pine needles and seed pearls, Yan looks to the significant role nature plays in traditional Chinese art and reconsiders these elements through a contemporary lens. Yan holds a MFA in Sculpture from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, USA and a BFA from Nanjing Arts Institute, China. She has exhibited in Canada and internationally, including her 2015 solo exhibition Hybrid Vigour at Latcham Gallery. Yan is currently developing an installation commissioned by Hermes for their Shanghai Maison where a solo exhibition will also be held.

Latcham Art Centre is dedicated to providing opportunities for members of the community to engage with the visual arts through exhibitions of contemporary art and art education programs like classes, workshops, artist talks and tours. It is funded by donations, sponsorships, membership and fundraising events as well as annual grants from the municipality of Whitchurch-Stouffville and the Ontario Arts Council. The Art Centre is located in Stouffville, Ontario, 45 minutes northeast of Toronto with free parking and accessible via GO Transit.

For more information please contact:
Elisa Coish | Curator | Latcham Art Centre
2 Park Drive, Stouffville, Ontario
Tel. 905 640 8954
curator@latchamartcentre.ca
www.latchamartcentre.ca

Follow us:
Instagram: @latchamartcentre | www.instagram.com/latchamartcentre
Twitter: @latchamart | www.twitter.com/latchamart
Facebook: www.facebook.com/latchamartcentre

GALLERY HOURS
Tuesday to Friday: 10am – 5pm
Saturday: 10am – 4pm

Latcham Art Centre is wheelchair accessible.