No better place for an art show than Peachland Art Gallery

To the editor: I recently had the pleasure of working with gallery coordinator Janet Hornseth and volunteers at the beautiful Peachland Art Gallery in the historic schoolhouse building on Beach Avenue and have been inspired to share my experience with your readers.

As exhibition chairperson of both the Kelowna Palette Club and the Central Okanagan Chapter of the Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA-COC), I have been involved with the organization of countless art shows over the years, however, the FCA-COC’s recent OASIS Art Show at the Peachland Art Gallery was by far the most seamless and stress-free show of its size that I have ever put together.

Hornseth and her team were very accommodating and helpful, which made working with them a pleasure for myself and my show committee.

Albeit relatively small, the gallery space is clean and nicely lit with track lighting, and they did manage to arrange the 80 FCA-COC paintings that were juried into the show so as to present an esthetically pleasing, professional exhibition.

The show kicked off with a gala opening and awards ceremony with 175 people in attendance, including Peachland Mayor Cindy Fortin, as well as councillors Pam Cunningham and Terry Condon.

The awards presentation took place under a tent on the side lawn followed by a wine-and-cheese reception served in the wonderful front room of the old schoolhouse where the bank of floor-to-ceiling windows allowed the natural light to flow in, creating the perfect ambiance for an art reception.

I had one guest remark to me “It was nice to attend a classy art opening like the ones of the past.”

By the closing of the show, 3,000 guests had enjoyed viewing the artworks and 13 paintings were sold. In my experience, it was a very successful venture.

I would like to conclude with a big thank you on behalf of the FCA-COC to the Peachland Art Gallery staff and volunteers. We definitely look forward to teaming up with you and your wonderful facility again in the future. Diana Palmer, FCA-COC Exhibitions Chair, Kelowna