CANMORE – Walking to the second floor of Elevation Place, you might stumble upon an art gallery overlooking the pool area.
Three Sisters Gallery, which was established in 2013 by the Town of Canmore public art committee, rotates new art every four months with a fresh narrative.
The latest exhibition, In Our Nature, showcases pieces that speak to themes that surround the Canmore community such as diversity, culture, equity, underrepresented communities and inclusion.
Sue Hayduk, the Town of Canmore’s arts and culture coordinator, wants the gallery to help educate the community and open conversations surrounding the theme.
“With the art that’s here, it’s an expression-focused show, which covers a lot of different themes,” said Hayduk. “Some narratives are a bit dramatic, and they speak to inequality, they speak to accessibility, they speak to styles of art that might not be in a traditional gallery, but we try to open that conversation.
“As people are coming through, they can take time to look at the art that embellishes the space, but it also creates an impromptu learning experience for people.”
With 72 pieces submitted, only 25 were selected for display on the walls that reflect the concept of the gallery.
The gallery showcases 13 artists from areas such as Calgary, Edmonton, Drumheller, and, of course, Canmore.
After people visit, they can add their thoughts about the gallery in a comment box, which gives Hayduk insight into what people thought of the show.
An opening reception was held on Aug. 31, with artist, Bhavesh Gajjar, and storyteller, Tara Ann Beaver, taking part in a 20-minute live art performance. Hayduk said it was their most well-attended reception yet.
During the live performance, Beaver told stories while Gajjar took the words and put them on canvas to visually represent them.
“They’re unlikely allies in art and their stories coming together really created a very vulnerable and real experience for the artist,” said Hayduk regarding the live art performance.
This is the first time Three Sisters Gallery has implemented a concept of live art, but it hopes to bring similar ideas to future gallery openings.
“I’m hoping to incorporate music or performance into the openings as well. So, the next show coming up in November we’ll have a different flavour to the idea of kinship, and I think movement and performance might add to that,” said Hayduk.
The gallery is available to visit until Nov. 1. On Nov. 3, the gallery transitions to the next exhibition, named Kinship which explores “the webs and threads that connect us to our mountain home”.
