Exhibitions at the Public Art Centre take place in our Gallery ONE, TWO and THREE. Tours are free of charge and can be organized in advance for school and community groups. For more information please see Education Programs.


Current Exhibitions


ART IN BLOOM

SUSAN GARRINGTON

August 6 to September 23, 2022

Gallery One and Two

The St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre is pleased to present, ART IN BLOOM, by Susan

Garrington, from August 6 to September 24, 2022, in gallery One and Two.  ART IN BLOOM is an exploration of plants that bloom along highways, in woodlands and in local gardens. A celebration of colour, form and pattern designed to share the artist’s wonder and happiness.

 

Illuminated Impressions

August 6 to September 23, 2022

Tabitha Verbuyst

Gallery Three

Drawn to illumination and movement, Tabitha Verbuyst oil works focus on a fleeting moment in everyday life and landscape, the dreamlike memory of the otherwise past and forgotten. The enigmatic image with dramatic high contrast using vibrant palettes layered over and over again creates a richness and depth. This disassociates the viewer with the location and instead turns focus to the movement, vibrancy, emotion and beauty within that moment.

 

In contrast to the vibrant palettes of her oil paintings, Tabitha’s other passion is creating detailed ink and watercolour works of delightful memories, favourite locations and best kept secrets. Using a variety of ink pens, Tabitha captures the unique characteristics of each space, then adds splashes of watercolour to bring each cherished piece to life.


Verbuyst has attained a BFA degree from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University and an Advance Diploma in Fine Art from Fanshawe College. She has participated in various solo and group shows including the annual Oxford Studio Tour, 2022 100 Kellogg Art Comp, 2021 Women in Culture, Ingersoll Art Gallery, 2019 Visual Elements, Woodstock Art Gallery, Woodstock, 2017 Evanescent, and Satellite Project, London. Verbuyst enjoys books with mystery and thrills, sketching beautifully dilapidated houses and anything that involves spending time with her family. Verbuyst practices and resides in Tillsonburg, Ontario, and is the Program Coordinator/ Curator of the Station Arts Centre Gallery.


Past Exhibitions


Ting - Editorial Cartoons

Until April 10, 2021

Merle "Ting" Tingley was born in Montreal in 1921 and is recognized as one of southwestern Ontario’s most influential cartoonists. He joined the Army Signals Corps in 1942, and in 1943 became staff cartoonist for The Khaki, the Canadian army’s official bilingual magazine.

In 1947 he bought a used motorcycle and toured the country showing his portfolio to numerous editors, before, out of desperation, he took a job retouching photographs at the London Free Press. Ting's fortunes improved when an editor on that paper noticed a cartoon Ting had drawn of the mayor during the municipal election. The editor was impressed with the drawing and Ting become the resident editorial cartoonist at the London Free Press until his retirement in 1986.


The Public Art Centre has more than 100 works by Ting in our permanent collection. These works document an extraordinary career and the political and societal events (locally, nationally and internationally) from the 1940’s to the 1990’s.


UNMASKED: Portraits from the Collection

August 15 to September 26, 2020

Gallery ONE & TWO

Drawing from a collection of over 1900 works of art, UNMASKED: Portraits from the Public Art Centre’s collection, features  portrait works that explore how artists have chosen to portray themselves and their subjects. Created in all media, from plaster sculpture to oil painting, the works in this exhibition can inspire ourselves to see others with empathy and understanding.

As we are confronted each day with  mandatory mask regulations and social distancing rules many find it  difficult to connect with others.  So, we think this is an opportune time to reassess the significance of self-portraiture and portrait art in relation to our current time in  history. 

The exhibition contains examples of self-portraits, with Dorothy Stevens’, Untitled Self Portrait, c. 1940, that is rarely seen. It also includes works by Mackie Cryderman, Clark McDougall, Bob Bozak, Marion Long, Greg Curnoe, Kathleen Daly,  Gerald Pedros, Robert Reginald Whale, Norval Morrisseau and many more.

UNMASKED is curated by Laura Woermke, curator and Sherri Howard, program director at the Public Art Centre.  The exhibition will also include  self directed educational prompts to further develop your experience and exploration into the world of portraits.