Westland Gallery is celebrating its 10th anniversary with an exciting new exhibition and an Open House event for the community.
“The Anniversary Show revisits the first exhibition ever held at Westland Gallery in June 2013,” explains Westland Gallery Marketing Coordinator Anna Wilson. “The exhibition brings the work of the same roster of artists back to the gallery walls 10 years later. Long-time visitors of Westland Gallery will recognize the work of Donna Andreychuk, Angela Lorenzen, Catherine Morrisey, Margarethe Vanderpas, Gwen Card, Michael Durham, Meghan Dauphinee, John Krygsman, Jill Price, Kerry Ferris, Derek McLarty, Kim Harrison, Tim Cosens, Lisa Johnson, VC Glennie, and Cliff Kearns.”
“The exhibition includes new landscapes by Donna Andreychuk, Angela Lorenzen, and Margarethe Vanderpas, alongside realism work by returning artist Gwen Card. Meghan Dauphinee created new works in her recognizable textured acrylic style while visiting from Nelson, BC, while Catherine Morrisey’s paintings were picked up from her beautiful studio, just minutes away from the gallery,” says Wilson.
The gallery is hosting a 10th Anniversary Open House on Saturday June 10th from 11am to 4pm. Refreshments from beloved Wortley Village café The Black Walnut will be provided, memorabilia from the early days of the gallery will be on display, and visitors will be welcome to participate in a Community Art Project. The Community Art Project is taking place outdoors, across the street, from 12 pm to 3 pm. Members of the public can join artists Catherine Morrisey and Erica Dornbusch to create their own miniature artwork. A selection of the community paintings will be collaged into a larger scale mosaic painting to be displayed throughout Wortley Village.
From Vision to Beloved Art Destination
Westland Gallery is housed in the historic Westland Building at 156 Wortley Rd. Westland Gallery owners Al and Karen Stewart had been friends of the building’s previous owner, Eugene Lamont. “When my friend, Gene, approached Karen and I with a plan to open a gallery in his beloved Westland building, we said yes,” says Al Stewart. “There was a 5 year wait between the proposal and the beginning of construction, which gave us lots of time to contemplate what direction we should take the gallery, and how we were going to fit into the village. We wanted a space that could give back to the community. A place where people could come in and experience the beauty and peace that art can provide.”
Over the next 5 years, they restored the building’s façade, winning a heritage prize from the Historical Society, and proceeded to renovate the interior after Lamont’s passing at age 95. The Stewarts grew the space into a flourishing gallery, with many thanks to Lamont’s passion for the arts and the upkeep of the building.
The Stewarts and Westland Gallery staff invite the London community to join the celebrations by visiting The Anniversary Show from June 3rd to June 24th and connecting with other art enthusiasts at the Open House on June 10th.