Exhibit Opening Reception: Fire Season

Curated by Vancouver based artists Amory Abbott and Liz Toohey-Wiese, this exhibition features the work of: Amory Abbott, Ana Diab, Kerri Flannigan, Eli Hirtle, Kay Penney, Andreas Rutkauskas, Liz Toohey-Wiese, and Emily Wilson.

“In cities, wildfires are often a remote concept marked by smoky skies and heat warnings. Among small communities in the interior of BC, wildfire is an annual threat that pervades the lives, livelihood, and economy of those communities. Where in urban centers, an exhibition like this might be encouraging further empathy and understanding for the other regions of our province, hosting this exhibition in Wells allows us to share the work of our contributors with a community that has experienced wildfire in manifest forms, in a region deeply connected to forests and their management.” – Amory Abbott, co-curator, Fire Season

Amory Abbott and Liz Toohey-Wiese are visual artists who have explored the topic of wildfires in their art practice. In 2019, they began discussing the idea of creating an artist book that would center around the topic of wildfires, and invite contributing artists, writers, researchers, and community members who had been impacted by wildfire to contribute their insights on how to make sense of the increased prevalence and severity of wildfire on the BC landscape. The first issue of Fire Season was published in Fall 2020, and the second issue will be released in August at the inaugural “Fire Season” art exhibition at Island Mountain Arts.

Fire Season’s opening reception will take place on August 25th at 6:00 PM.

Dates open: Thursday, August 25th, 2022 – Sunday. October 23rd, 2022

Gallery Hours: Wednesday – Sunday, 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Thanks to generous support from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Province of British Columbia Community Gaming Grant, the Public Gallery is free to visit, with donations graciously accepted.