The Niagara-on-the-Lake Arts Collective organized a second annual scavenger hunt recently, to raise the profile of local artists and art galleries in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The collective consists of a group of professional artists, curators and galleries located in Niagara. Six galleries were featured in the scavenger hunt, with participants given clues that led to art galleries throughout town, giving residents and visitors an opportunity to get to know the visual arts community.
Lakeside Pottery, on Lakeshore Road amidst orchards and vineyards, is owned and operated by Ron and Barb Zimmerman. They have been creating unique stoneware pottery since 1989.
Ron is the principle crafter who works the potter’s wheel, Barb glazes and decorates. All items are individually handcrafted at the studio, using their own designs and glazes. Not only is each piece a work of art, but also functional — dishwasher, oven and microwave safe.
Several other vendors have displays of their crafts at the store. Some examples of what you will find include iron work, and different types of glass art, including jewelry.
Art Space 106 is located on Queen Street. It opened its doors in 2019 and offers a remarkable visual arts collection in its upper and lower galleries. It specializes in Canadian art, many of the artists from Niagara and surrounding area. The impressive art pieces include a diverse selection of artistic style, different materials and equipment. You will find art cards, blown glass work, jewelry, maku pottery, print making, silk scarves, stained glass and wood items. Acrylic canvas paintings, monoprints, fibre art, and photography adorn the walls. Mixed media including cold wax and oil, glass and stone, granite and glass and metal are on display. It is truly a rich collection of art.
Across the street from Art Space 106 is the Upper Canada Native Art gallery, opened by Thomas Chapman in March 2021. He has worked with Indigenous people in various capacities for 36 years, across Canada, in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. All the art pieces come directly from the artists, 85 individuals, from all over Canada, and as close as the Six Nations in Brantford, Ont. The gallery specializes in Inuit and Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) sculpture, with an amazing collection on display.
There is also a huge giftware component to the gallery, including hand-made dream catchers, silverware, red cedar bent wood boxes, sequoia candles and soap gift sets, bath bombs, and teas. If you are looking for larger pieces there is intricate metal work, Indigenous prints and originals, ceramic pottery, paintings and frames. Every piece tells a different story.
The Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre is indeed the former pumping station which supplied water to Niagara-on-the-Lake from 1891 until 1983. In 1990 an association was formed to restore the building. With help from the community, the visual arts centre opened in 1994. The purpose of the Pumphouse is to provide art opportunities for everyone. Each month in the Joyner Gallery a local artist (or an artist from a neighbouring town) is featured, including a meet and greet. In the Walker Room classes and workshops are held, and the work of these emerging artists are displayed here. Community care and outreach is very important, and many classes are offered, in-person and via zoom. These include a summer art camp for children, connecting seniors through technology, art kits for seniors in long-term care homes, pottery, painting, sculpting, and urban sketching classes, and outdoor yoga.
Ronald Boaks came to the area seven years ago, establishing his Fine Art Emporium in a refurbished 150-year-old cow barn on Niagara Stone Road. He credits his Grade 4 teacher for his love of creating, when she let him paint after he was finished his work. Boaks works with many different materials and has several studios for his different art forms. He finds metal pieces, such as broken shovels for his sculptures, at flea markets and yard sales. Acrylic and oil painting, prints, collages, and still life photography are done individually or in combination. Abstract duos are pieces that combine several art forms and materials. Wood from trees on his property or upcycled elsewhere is made into furniture and used in sculptures. A wide variety of creative pieces can be found here.
RiverBrink Art Museum is housed in the former country residence of London lawyer Samuel E. Weir Q.C., who bought the property overlooking the Niagara River in 1943. Construction on the house began in the late 1950s and was completed in 1970. Weir was an avid art collector and the majority of the art in RiverBrink is Weir’s private collection, consisting of more than 1,400 pieces by Canadian, European and American artists. His home was opened to the public in 1983 as a fine art museum, following his death in 1981.
Currently on the upper floor the work of Stanley Lewis is featured, entitled The Spirit Within the Form. The main floor display, Labour of Love, shows the work of Danny Custodio. Pieces of the private collection are scattered throughout the gallery. The basement houses a library and archives of more than 4,000 books, maps, personal correspondence, and individual files of several hundred artists.
Participants in the recent scavenger hunt were given to know the visual arts community. If you are looking for a piece of art for your own home, or as a gift, or if you enjoy and appreciate visual art, these local art galleries have much to offer.
