Wayne Arthur Gallery’s annual group show goes virtual

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This article was published 21/12/2020 (1936 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The annual group show at the Wayne Arthur Gallery is the same communal affair this year — it’s just that it’s being held at a distance.

Although the original intention had been to hold the exhibition in the gallery while observing strict capacity limits and sanitizing protocols, the Provencher Boulevard-based gallery is currently closed in keeping with provincial code red restrictions. At press time, the show was set to run until Jan. 8.

‘Celebrations’ is the theme of this year’s show, according to Bev Morton, the gallery’s owner and one of the artists participating in the exhibit.

“I had worked on a piece from a black and white photo of my aunt’s wedding from 1940,” Morton said.

“Celebration seemed like a good theme to go with. Especially with the pandemic, I think we all need something to celebrate.”

For different reasons, Morton ended up showcasing 27 artists this year. She usually features 50. As usual, she asked them each to submit a story: “Many different things are being celebrated — from birthdays, weddings, retirements, Christmas and festivals, to the seasons, nature and life in general.”

Understandably, there are a number of differences in planning a physical show compared to a virtual one, not least because Morton — who, before the pandemic generally held a show every month — plans her group show far in advance.

This year, as usual, she started by sending out her call for entries in August. However, as the pandemic continued and the restrictions become tighter, Morton had to pivot to an online model for the show this year. Her website was reformatted and updated on Dec. 5 — the day before the show was set to originally open in her gallery — and now individuals can check out the artist’s work digitally. Had the initial code red ended on the original date of Dec. 11, Morton said, she would have still liked to try and hold the show in the gallery.

“Code red was extended another four weeks until Jan. 8,” she explained. “At that point, I sent out emails inviting people to the online show. There is definitely extra work in having a virtual show.”

Despite the extra work, and the uncertainly the future holds, Morton said she hopes to keep the gallery running in 2021.

“I am planning to keep the gallery running, although so far I have not booked anything for next year. I am still hoping to put up the group show when I can reopen the gallery. It is difficult to plan anything right now,” she said.

“The shows I had in the gallery in both March and November were abruptly closed. My April show was completely cancelled and I ended up with what I called ‘The Last Minute Show’ when I reopened on May 8, which lasted until the end of June.”

Go online at www.waynearthurgallery.com for more information, including a list of artists participating in this year’s group show.

Morton said anyone interested in purchasing a painting featured in the show can contact her.