CV/Arts + Chamber Business Hub Art Exhibition: Material Matters
Material Matters delves into the gravity of medium choice for artists, emphasizing how intentionality, experimentation, and material communication shape both the artist’s process and the completed works. The exhibition features 21 artworks from 17 Central Island artists.
Exhibited at the Chamber of Commerce and inspired by its role as a hub of innovation within our community, Material Matters will reflect on and celebrate the innovative medium choices and processes that artists across the region use to convey their creative concepts.
Exhibition Details:
Address: Chamber of Commerce, 103-576 England Ave, Courtenay, BC
Exhibition Dates: May 1 – July 30
Visiting Hours: Monday to Friday, 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM
Opening Event: May 8, 5:00-7:00PM
CVArts + Chamber of Commerce Art Program
This program highlights the vital role of collaboration between the business and arts sectors in fostering cultural vibrancy and economic growth within the community. Quarterly rotating exhibitions by CV/Arts, ARTWRX Studio/Gallery Society, I-Hos Gallery, and Spirits of the West Coast Art Gallery offer fresh perspectives, artistic expression, and reflections on the rich cultural tapestry of our community.
Visit the Chamber’s Business Hub, open Monday to Friday, 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM, and explore the current exhibition.
Meet the Artists:
Alexandra Lanzarotta
Alexandra’s practice blends traditional Sámi craft with contemporary design, using reindeer leather, antler, pewter thread, and natural dyes to honor cultural traditions and personal heritage.
Angela Skaley
Blending traditional and biomaterials, Angela’s practice reflects on humanity’s connection to the Earth through layered landscapes that reveal textures of geological and natural transformation.
Claire Gordon
Claire’s series grief symposium on 35mm uses analog film to explore grief, disconnection, and our entanglement with technology, inviting reflection on human-centered progress and the search for balance.
Don Cuningham
Drawn to the patterns left by silt on a lakeshore, Don began using silt and dirt to create images that mimic natural processes, removing handwork to let the materials speak for themselves.
Jan Kotyk
Jan gathers washed-up beach finds and transforms them into mixed-media works, guided by the sea’s textures and the creative challenge of reclaimed materials.
Jennell Ellis
Jennell works with encaustic and cyanotypes, using molten beeswax and damar resin to create textured, layered artworks.
Xan & Julia Hogan
Xan’s sensory exploration of color and canvas, alongside his mother Julia, is part of his therapy, creating together with safe mediums and various canvases.
Laurena Fairbairn
Laurena’s practice reimagines discarded materials, using art to challenge consumerism and inspire creativity.
Leslie Love
Leslie Love uses discarded materials and digital design to create art that merges family imagery with natural elements, highlighting connections to people and the environment.
Linda Hatch
Originally a flower shop owner, Linda now creates wall art by combining fabrics, embroidery, quilting, and beach finds, finding joy in daily design work.
Mads Elia
Mads is a multidisciplinary artist and educator. Their work challenges aesthetic expectations, shaped by personal and cultural experiences.
Martha Jablonski-Jones
Martha’s art highlights textures and details through collage, using found materials like vintage papers and textiles to celebrate the beauty of the worn and weathered.
Paloma Renaud
Paloma is a multidisciplinary artist specializing in upcycled fashion and sustainable art. Her tapestries blend her love for sewing, drawing, and repurposing scraps, turning waste into artistic statements.
Silvina Lanusse
Silvina uses layered mixed media to explore the shifting relationship between land, sea, and memory, reflecting natural cycles of change and time through materials like handmade papers and found textures.
Thalita Angelika Forray
Inspired by nature, Thalita creates sustainable paintings using pigments made from ground rocks, reflecting the impact of materials on both the environment and humanity.
Tish Doyle-Morrow
Guided by material, Tish works with cotton linters and discarded canvas to create soft, structured forms. A playful, hopeful palette brings lightness amid today’s unrest.
Trish Malcomess
Trish is an interdisciplinary artist and conservationist whose research-based practice explores social and environmental themes, often using fabric to reflect contemporary culture.