Farewell exhibit
Summer, fall exhibit marks exit for Eptek director Paula Kenny
For 14 years Paula Kenny has been opening summer exhibits at Eptek Art and Culture Centre home.
For 14 years Paula Kenny has called Eptek Art and Culture Centre home.
But the opening of this summer’s exhibit marks her last at the facility.
“Over my years I’ve always loved the craft exhibits. It’s impossible to pick just one,” said Kenny.
“We’ve had incredible art exhibits as well as history exhibits that always draw people in.” This summer and fall, “Art Begets Art: Hooked Mats and the Art the Inspired Them” will call Eptek home.
“It started when I reached out to known artists and craftsmen in Island communities. I asked them if they were willing to create a piece of work, or submit one already created, to be the inspiration for rug hookers to draw from and create their own piece of work.” Kenny stressed that the hookers would not be copying the art, but drawing from elements of it like colours, textures, shapes and patterns. Then Kenny got the artists and hookers together to hand out the works they would be using as inspiration.
“I put photos of the art up on the big screen and then drew a hooker’s name from the hat. It was so much fun.
“Some people saw the works they had and were like ‘What am I going to make?’; others decided to trade their picks. But what was great was that everyone was excited to get going.” The exhibition opened on June 11 and will run until Oct. 6.
“It’s incredible how different each pair of pieces turned out. Some are easier to see the connection and then sometimes you’ll ask yourself ‘How did they get that?’ which makes it interesting.
“It’s nice to see that all of the artists and hookers really took the project to heart.
“They really put their heart and souls into developing something that could relate to a painting, video, felt work, or sculpture.”
Kenny hopes exhibit attendees will appreciate how much work both the artists and hookers put into the project.
“Some of the artists created complete new pieces to go in this exhibit, but at the same time, some may have been completing a work or had already finished them and they are incredible.
“But I also hope people appreciate how the rug hookers really had to challenge themselves to move beyond copying the piece and create something of their own.”
Also featuring this summer are Demo Days.
“We run these every summer where we invite artists and craftspeople to come spend an afternoon and run sessions with attendees and show people how they work and their process. They run weekdays in July and August, and the artists spend about three or four hours in the front area of the facility. It gives people the opportunity to interact with the artists, which is really neat.”