[BCMA] NEWS RELEASE: New Exhibitions at The Reach Explore Influence, Adaptation, Collaboration

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv]

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
September 21, 2022





New Exhibitions at The Reach Explore Influence, Adaptation, Collaboration



Abbotsford, BC –The Reach Gallery Museum is set to open three new exhibitions that consider the concepts like influence, adaptation, and collaboration through unique artistic practices.


New fall exhibitions showcase the tremendous creativity of two contemporary Indigenous artists. Ó:xwest kw'e Shxwelí lá ye Mestiyexw (Giving Spirit to the People) is an exhibition by Speplól Tanya Zilinski that presents an impressive collection of traditional loom-beaded tapestries. Based in Ts’qols (Hope, BC) the artist was taught to bead by Mary Sandoval, an Elder from Chawathil First Nation. Zilinski combines elements from their lived experience and training in Coast Salish Territory with ancestral influences like Anishinaabe beadwork to express complex narratives based on traditional teachings and oral histories. Zilinski sees the finished works as a connection between past and future: each piece is inspired by a vision the artist receives from their ancestors and is intended as an heirloom for future descendants.

The nationally touring exhibition Catherine Blackburn: New Age Warriors similarly strikes a balance between traditional beadwork with contemporary design. Blackburn’s futuristic warrior garments and language medallions made from plastic Perler beads are a celebration of the strength, resilience, and ingenuity of her ancestors and the women in her life. Born in Patuanak, Saskatchewan, Catherine Blackburn is of Dene and European ancestry and a member of the English River First Nation. The exhibition is curated by Jesse Campbell, organized by the Mann Art Gallery, and circulated by the Dunlop Art Gallery in Regina.

becoming|un|becoming: the art of Leah Decter features works by the renowned artist spanning nearly twenty years, including some that are being exhibited for the first time. Decter’s artistic practice is dedicated to the critique of settler colonial entitlement, and she frequently models strategies for decolonizing through collaborative engagement. Throughout her career, Decter has prioritized meaningful, mutually supportive collaboration with Indigenous partners, and this new exhibition is the result of long-term collaboration between the artist and the two guest curators, Carla Taunton and Rachelle Dickenson.

Characterized by forward-looking optimism and respect for the resilience of traditional practices, these exhibitions are sure to inspire visitors to consider how their own pasts continue to shape the way forward.

The exhibitions will launch at an opening party at The Reach (32388 Veterans Way) on Friday September 23 at 6:30pm. Everyone is welcome and guests will enjoy light refreshments and a cash bar. Admission is by donation.




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Media Contact for Exhibitions:

Adrienne Fast, Curator of Art & Visual Culture                      Email:afast at thereach.ca

The Reach Gallery Museum                                                  T: 604-864-8087 ext. 113

32388 Veterans Way

Abbotsford, BC

V2T 0B3



Thumbnail images (high res versions attached separately)
[cid:image001.jpg at 01D8CDD1.A46E2350]
Tanya Zilinski, Stó:Lō Tselhxwelmexw Ch'tóqw'í sqwelqel (Stó:lō Family Fishing Story), 2021, loom beaded tapestry, 41 x 29 in.

[cid:image002.jpg at 01D8CDD1.A46E2350]
Catherine Blackburn, The Churchill Challenger, 2018, inkjet on dibond, 48 x 60 in.

[cid:image003.png at 01D8CDD1.A46E2350]
Leah Decter, l I s t e n (video still), 2020, single channel colour video with sound, 6 minutes.

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