Le Jardin du sommeil (1998) is a remarkable installation by Canadian artist Spring Hurlbut.  It was acquired by the Musée d’art contemporain in 2009, and is currently travelling to other galleries.  The work evokes both childhood and the loss of childhood.  It is made up of 140 antique, found, metal cribs and cradles, simply and soberly arranged in rows.  The discreet presence of a few ceramic funeral wreaths at the beginning of the journey through this “garden of sleep” introduces the idea of a memorial, a notion heightened by the walkways that wrap around it.

Spring Hurlbut was born in 1952 in Toronto, where she lives and works.  Since the late seventies, she has developed a painstaking, intimate art that employs strategies from architecture and museology to guide us through the labyrinth of the human psyche.  Variously reappropriating artifacts, colour illustrations and taxidermy specimens, the artist picks out objects that represent archetypes of the life cycle.  For Le Jardin du sommeil, Hurlbut, a passionate collector, sought out and found 140 different examples of metal cribs and cradles from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.  The geometric layout of the installation and the lining up of the motifs recall the structure of a garden, and the accumulation of objects, that of a cabinet of curiosities.  At once similar and unique, the beds symbolically express the individual yet universal nature of the human destiny.

This portrait exhibition earnestly captures the spirit and unique perspective of Peace Country elders whom the artist has had the pleasure of interviewing and photographing. To honour the many character’s individual life stories, every oil painting reveals a senior’s favourite colour, animal, vegetable, and inspirational quote, as well as how many children he or she has. It was once said, “The best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.” Enfield’s intent is to help pass this wisdom along.

Saturday, April 10, 2010
7:00 pm
9839 – 103 Avenue, Grande Prairie, AB
Tickets are $100 each.
Please call the Gallery at (780) 532-8111 to purchase tickets.

The annual Art Auction is a special event that provides a diverse showcase of local, regional and national artistic talent.  This year we are introducing a Commemorative Catalogue that will focus attention on each donating artist’s work and each guest will receive a copy.

Sponsorship
With the support of the community and patrons like you, we are able to host such an important event.  We have revitalized our Sponsorship Program in hopes that it provides a better range of sponsorship opportunities.  Also, we have added a Pearl Level sponsorship opportunity.  This new opportunity is available for two supporters who are interested in becoming the 30th Anniversary Commemorative Art Catalogue Sponsors.

This year the Art Auction is excited to announce that Investors Group Financial Services will continue their support of the Gallery at the 30th Anniversary Art Auction as the Title Sponsor. We would like to thank Investors Group for their ongoing and generous support.

If you would like information on any of our sponsorship opportunities, please contact Rob Swanston directly at (780) 357 – 7486 and he would be happy to provide you with more details.

Download Sponsorship Information:  Sponsorship Package, Pearl Sponsorship Package

All funds raised at the Art Auction directly support The Prairie Art Gallery.

Please contact Sabine Schneider by emailing sabine@prairiegallery.com, or calling (780) 357-7487 for more information and bookings. We require 1 – 2 weeks advance to ensure staff availability.

COST:
$40.00 / 1.5 hour tour including interactive activities
$30.00 / 1 hour tour including interactive activities
$15.00 / half hour tour (tour only)

Interactive activities to compliment the tours: Activities vary according to exhibition theme. All tours include time to explore The Green Space.

What is The Green Space?  
Everyone is welcome to visit and explore The Prairie Art Gallery’s new interactive space called The Green Space. Visitors of all ages have the opportunity to enjoy responding to the current exhibitions through various art activities designed for reflection and inspiration.  Activities in The Green Space are free and open during gallery hours.

Click here to view the 
2010 Winter Program Guide

This exhibition features various artists from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts collection. The exhibit of 14 artworks includes drawings, paintings, photographs, prints and illustrations of sports as a subject matter. Each artist uniquely expresses speed and momentum through either a representational or abstract style. Golf, football, volleyball, skiing, skating, hockey and Olympic sports are some of the games represented in this collection.

Also featured is an interactive mural by Tim Heimdal.  This exhibition will become one of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts’ Travelling Exhibitions program in the fall of 2010.

A new 5 week program designed for students who have completed levels 1-3 in Studio Mentors art classes at the Prairie Art Gallery and would like to expand their art practice in a less structured format. The instructor will act more as a facilitator in an open studio setting than as an instructor in a classroom. The instructor will give individual feedback and direction for each student’s unique abilities.

Note: No classses on April 5, 2010 Easter Monday.

*Supplies included.

A new 5 week program designed for students who have completed levels 1-3 in Studio Mentors art classes at the Prairie Art Gallery and would like to expand their art practice in a less structured format.  The instructor will act more as a facilitator in an open studio setting than as an instructor in a classroom.  The instructor will give individual feedback and direction for each student’s unique abilities.

Note: No class on February 15, 2010

*Supplies included.