Summer 2026 Exhibitions at the Owens Art Gallery

Erica Rutherford, Landscape, Illinois, 1972, acrylic on canvas, 122 x 127 cm, Collection of the Owens Art Gallery, Mount Allison University, Gift of the Artist. Photo: Roger J. Smith. ©Estate of Erica Rutherford.

Erica Rutherford: Her Lives and Works

May 30 – September 13, 2026
Vernissage: May 29, 7:00 – 9:00pm
Owens Art Gallery, Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB
Curator: Pan Wendt
Organized and circulated by Confederation Centre Art Gallery in collaboration with the National Gallery of Canada

This nationally touring exhibition explores the rich and multifaceted career of PEI’s Erica Rutherford (1923–2008), a painter, writer, and performer whose work reflects a lifelong engagement with identity, gender, and belonging. Presenting a survey of artworks alongside personal photographs and memorabilia, the exhibition offers an intimate look at an artist whose life and practice were marked by transformation, resilience, and creativity.

Rutherford’s experience of transitioning and living across the gender binary deeply informed her art. Drawing on the bold colours and graphic style of Pop Art, she examined how identity is shaped, performed, and perceived. Her background in theatre is evident in stylized figures, dark humour, and a sense of visual drama that runs through her work. Together, these elements reveal an artist attuned to the complexities of selfhood and society—one whose legacy continues to resonate.

a rush of friendship for stones and grasses

Amanda Amour-Lynx | Robert Bourdeau | Jeff Burns | Alex Colville | Jerry Evans | Tom Forrestall | Violet A. Gillett | Dawn George | Jack Weldon Humphrey | Roel Jacobs | Garry Neill Kennedy | Dennis Oppenheim | Amelia Elizabeth Pickard | Mary Pratt | Roberta Taylor

June 6 – December 13, 2026
Curator: Rachel Thornton

Hundreds of precisely rendered clovers and dandelions speckle the lush grass field beneath the high jumper in Alex Colville’s mural Athletes (1961). Through meticulous observation, Colville transforms an ordinary patch of grass into an extraordinary thicket, intricately weaving blades of grass among the wildflowers to reveal a delicate ecosystem teeming with life.

Bringing together works that study, reinterpret, and immerse us in the overlooked worlds that exist at ground level, a rush of friendship for stones and grasses invites you to shift your perspective, slow down, and consider what lies just below your feet. In doing so, your daily commute, a patch of gravel, or a scattering of weeds on a sports field can become a site of unexpected wonder.

At First Glance

June 20 – September 6, 2026
Curators: Roxamy Ibbitson, Jane Tisdale

Canadian artist Mary Scott once referred to artwork in storage as “resting in the stacks with kin” and “finding commonalities with neighbours.” This exhibition follows a similar sentiment. Pairs and groups of work have been pulled from the Owens’ vaults for viewers to discover kinships and “commonalities” that may not be obvious at first glance.

We would like to acknowledge that Mount Allison University, is located within the Sikniktewaq district of 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, 10:00am – 5:00pm
Saturday and Sunday, 1:00pm – 5:00pm
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. 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 to 10:00am on weekdays. If you have any questions about your visit, please email owens@mta.ca or call (506) 364-2574.