Summer 2023 Exhibitions at the Aurora Cultural Centre

Join the Aurora Cultural Centre this summer season as we host Letters to the Earth; a group exhibition by Carmel Brennan and a solo exhibition by Vicky Talwar. Providing lectures, discussions, performance, interactions, and a harvest, the gallery at the Aurora Cultural Centre is thrilled to share these experiences with the community and beyond.

The Letter, Photograph of Submission Writing to Letters to the Earth: Between Despair and Hope

Letters to the Earth: Between Despair and Hope
A group exhibition curated by Carmel Brennan

June 3 – August 23, 2023
Opening Reception: Sat. June 3, 12:00-3:00 pm.
Vertical Garden Harvest with Phil Fung: Wed. July 19, 7:00-8:00 pm
Closing Discussion: Wed. August 23, 7:00–8:00pm
Aurora Cultural Centre Temporary Gallery

Participating artists: Dara Aram, Valerie Ashton, Ron Baird, Diana Bennett, Carmel Brennan, Nancy R. Chalut, Sarah Cowley, Jaya Datta, Sheila Davis, Gordana Olujic Dosic, D. Ahsén-nase Douglas, Jean Eng, Cesar Forero, Sharron Corrigan Forrest, Phil Fung, Nevaeh Michiko Hanna, Janet Hendershot, Robin Kingsburgh, Melissa Kraft, Ian Mackenzie, Mary Akemi Morris, Mary Ng, Christl Niemuller, Katharine J. Palmer, Francis Patella, Dominique Prevost, Mark Puigmarti, Doris Purchase, Janet Read, Susan Ruptash, Quan Steele, Janice Mason Steeves, Carol Grant Stevens, Charles Stevens, Joanna Swann, Ernestine Tahedl, Judith Tinkl, Grazyna Tonkiel, Norma Vieira, Lillian Michiko Yano, and Akira Yoshikawa.

Letters to the Earth: Between Despair and Hope is a conversation about the environmental crisis happening around the world and affecting Canadians directly. Prompted by curator Carmel Brennan, artists wrote a “letter to the earth” as part of their commitment to this exhibition; one exhibition of several occurring across Canada and abroad throughout 2023-2024.

Letters to the Earth was a campaign begun in 2019 in the UK with a book of that title, in response to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Scotland. The campaign called for a response to the awareness of climate change and an ecological emergency. “Letters to the Earth”, and a phrase spoken by Australian artist, Janet Laurence about being “between despair and hope’, struck me as significant. Letters to the Earth is an ongoing campaign. It is spreading around the world. To take a quote from the book of the same name, ‘we need to rethink and re-imagine what was previously deemed impossible. The stakes couldn’t be greater the time for action is now.’ I am on board with this action: Letters to the Earth – Between Despair and Hope.”
– Carmel Brennan, Curator of Letters to the Earth: Between Despair and Hope

Please join us for the opening reception of Letters to the Earth: Between Despair and Hope on Saturday June 3 from 12 – 3 pm. Entrance is through the Upper/North parking lot of Aurora Town Hall only. Land Acknowledgement and traditional indigenous opening ceremony by a member of Georgina Island First Nation will commence at 12:30 pm. Roots, a performance by artist Cesar Forero, will begin at 1:30 pm. All are welcome.

Eric, Cesar Forero, Photography, 24 x 18 in

Carmel Brennan born in England, was educated at George Washington University (Washington D.C.), University of Toronto, and York University. She completed a Master’s Degree at the University of the Highlands and Islands (Scotland). She is a visual arts educator and environmental activist. She exhibits her artwork province-wide and opens her studio in Sunderland, Ontario, to visitors every year as part of the Uxbridge Studio Tour. In 2021, she curated The Conversation with the Aurora Cultural Centre.

Alchemy, Acrylic, and Mixed Media on Canvas, 30 x 40 Inches, 2023

A Solo Exhibition by Vicky Talwar
Curated by Samantha Jones

September 9 – November 18, 2023
Opening Reception: Thurs. September 14, 7-9 pm
Aurora Cultural Centre Temporary Gallery

Vicky Talwar is an interdisciplinary artist who draws upon her personal experience as a Hindu Canadian to produce painting, mixed media, performance, and installation artworks.

Talwar holds a BFA and MFA in Art, Media, & design from the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCADU), as well as a Bachelor of Education from York University. She has exhibited her work nationally and internationally, including Toronto, Canmore, Los Angeles, New York, the United Kingdom, and more. In completing MFA at OCADU, Talwar exhibited her solo thesis exhibition, Inward Identities, at Latcham Arts Centre. Her next solo exhibition, Enlightened Mind will be exhibited at Station Gallery starting July 8, 2023. She has also participated in multiple group and solo exhibitions including Hashtag Gallery (Toronto), Elevation Gallery (Canmore, AB), and The Elaine Fleck Gallery (Toronto). In 2017, she was awarded the Juror’s Award for the Annual Juried Exhibition by Latcham Art Centre. Her work has been acquired in a permanent collection for international display by the Global Affairs Canada Visual Art Collection.

Aurora Cultural Centre Temporary Gallery
Aurora Town Hall, 2nd floor
100 John West Way, Aurora, ON
This is an accessible venue.
auroraculturalcentre.ca

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