Open to the public, by donation, February 24 – March 7.

Gallery hours are as follows:

February 24-26 | 10am – 2pm
February 27 | 10am – 2pm & 5 – 6:30pm during our Opening Ceremonies
February 28 | 10am – 2pm
February 29 | 3:30 – 6pm during Festival Events
March 1 | 7 – 8pm during during She Moves
March 2-3 | 10am – 2pm
March 4 | 10am – 2pm & 7 – 8pm during Shaktiflow
March 5 | 10am – 2pm & 7 – 8:30pm during Words Unzipped
March 6 | 10am – 2pm & 8:30 – 10pm during Words Unzipped
March 7 | 9:30am – 12:30pm and 3pm – 5pm during Festival Events

Curated by Stephanie Florence & Featuring:
Kiona Ligtvoet, Amanda Chwelos, Alicia Proudfoot, Veronika McGinnis and Melissa Baron

Kiona Ligtvoet is a Cree-Metis artist from Michel First Nation. Ligtvoet focuses on painting and printmaking, and is based out of Amiskwacîwâskahikan/Edmonton. She completed her diploma in Fine Art from MacEwan in 2017 and is completing her BFA at the University of Alberta in 2020. Ligtvoet is currently expanding her body of work, touching on familial lines and her own displacement within her indigenous identity.

Amanda Chwelos is an artist living in Edmonton, Alberta. She received her diploma in Fine Art from MacEwan University in 2017 and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art in Art and Design from the University of Alberta in 2019. In 2019, she was awarded the McLuhan House Artist Studio Residency. Her work has been subject to many group exhibitions including Nice to Meet You in FAB Gallery at the University of Alberta, Yard Work is Hard Work at McLuhan House, and most recently Imitation Crab at Parallel Space. Chwelos’ current work explores figuration and contemporary malaise through a practice based in painting.

Alicia Proudfoot is a Canadian Artist, who recently gave an asthmatic performance on a basketball court for the Toni Onley Artist Project in Wells, BC. She completed her BFA at the University of Alberta and MFA at NSCAD University. Utilizing sculpture, performance and printmaking, Alicia asserts interactive components into her work and encourages a physical exploration of dialogue. Her recent work explores the role humour has in approaching conversations on illness. Notable exhibitions were at the West Fraser Performing Arts Theatre in Hinton, Alberta – as a commissioned artist to install her public work, The Spectator: In Retrospection – as well as at the Hernandez Art Gallery , Milan, Italy – showcasing a sculpture performance on her couch harp, String of Leading Sinews II.

Veronika McGinnis is a multi-disciplinary artist from Edmonton, Alberta. She received her Fine Arts Diploma from Grant MacEwan in 2017, and continued her studies at the University of Alberta where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2019. Conceptually, her work explores conscious and unconscious worlds, addressing themes of mysticism, sexuality and repression of the psyche. 

Melissa Baron grew up in Sherwood Park and currently lives in Edmonton. She recalls watercolour painting alongside her mother from an early age, but her interest in art was piqued at a creative writing camp for teenagers in a cartooning class. This led her to study art first at the University of Alberta, then at Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney, Australia. She combines her love of art with her other passion, teaching art full-time at Ecole Secondaire Beaumont Composite High School.

Baron has a dedicated studio practice that balances technical study and creative investigation. She works intuitively with images from daily life, integrating symbolism and occasionally text. The outdoors provides her endless inspiration. Her work has been featured in local exhibitions at venues such as Gallery @501 and the Edmonton International Airport, and is part of the University of Alberta Teaching Collection as well as Strathcona County’s Permanent Collection.

Curator Stephanie Florence is a Canadian artist and curator working from the Treaty Six Territory colonially known as Edmonton, Alberta. Florence is the first name of Stephanie’s Great Grandmother, who was the last matriarchal blood relative born in Denmark. The legal-colonial name Wilson was given to Stephanie’s ancestors upon entering Canada. In an attempt to usurp this patriarchal act, Stephanie has chosen to reform their identity as a Florence. 

Their artwork primarily is based in collage and collaboration, borrowing from sculptural objects, installations, performative gestures, and photographic means. Stephanie is planning to complete an MFA in the future, and is a graduate of the University of Lethbridge with a BFA and of MacEwan University with a Diploma in Fine Art. Recently, Florence completed a residency with Island Mountain Arts for the Toni Onley Artists’ Project, and notably will be showing a collaborative fire sculpture in the Silverskate festival. Simultaneously, they are continually working on a documentary focusing on relationships between humans and non-humans. As a non-binary artist, Florence acknowledges the use of pronouns for themselves such as they, their, them, she, her, he, and his.