Exhibitions

The Quinte Arts Council (QAC) Cultural hub and exhibition has been an active community gathering space all year. The space is directed by our dedicated volunteer gallery attendants who guide visitors through the exhibits of painting, sculpture and craft.

The year opened with a collaborative exhibition by Arts Quinte West titled We are the North featuring art by Rebecca Llewellyn Boland, Donna Bonin, Hilary Dorricott, Edith LePage, Kathryn Moores, Betty Raymond, William Richards, Beverly Shepherd, James Walt, Angela Wiggins.

That was followed by a Student Photography exhibition. Photos from the Bay of Quinte Regional Marketing Board’s student photography contest. Over 150 photos were submitted from youth around the region.

DUET with Bev Shepherd and Hugh Perry was the first exhibition for these emerging artists. Sarah Winn was the featured artist in The 100 Day Pet Show. 100 paintings in 100 days, all commissioned by pet-owners.

Annually, the QAC hosts a number of signature exhibitions. In March, we celebrate RISE: Because We Are Equal in honour of International Women’s Day. The exhibition features the work of those who identify as female.

In June the Cultural Hub hosts a 2SLGTBQIA+ exhibition which celebrates everyone under the rainbow with PRIDE.

August brought Valerie Kent to the QAC with The Love of Birch exhibition dedicated to the mysterious and magical nature of birch trees. There was even a chance for visitors to win one of her paintings!

September brought us A Different Kind of Love: The Art of Sarah Palmer featuring her take on the nature of love and relationships in Palmer’s signature style of German Expressionism. 

October featured an exhibition like no other; a tactile art exhibition where visitors were encouraged to gently touch the paintings! Created by blind artist Lynda Todd, Migration: Land, Air and Sea Caribou, Monarch Butterfly and Salmon allowed visitors to feel the effect of climate change through touching Todd’s paintings. The QAC welcomed representatives from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) at the opening, along with many members of the CNIB community both locally and from as far east as Ottawa and west to Cobourg! This exhibition connected our local audience with the CNIB community for an extraordinary experience of touching art.

November brought the second community collaborative exhibit Scenes of Quinte to the QAC. Artists showcased their interpretations of the Quinte region. Painted both en plein air and in studio, this exhibit gave new artists a chance to participate in an exhibition, artists were able to network and mentor and shoe off the beauty of this region.