January in our Main Gallery

ENLARGING YOUR WORLD: MICROCOSMS by School District 22 High Schools

In “Enlarging Your World: Microcosms,” we invite you to explore the extraordinary within the ordinary. Created by our local School District 22 high school students, this exhibit is a celebration of curiosity, discovery, and the unseen beauty that surrounds us every day.  It celebrates the intricacies of life and matter that often go unnoticed in our daily lives.

Through a variety of mediums—photography, painting, sculpture, and digital art—the students magnify and illuminate the hidden layers of the natural and human-made worlds. From the intricate details of a single leaf to the bustling activity within a droplet of water, these pieces reflect our fascination with the small yet significant forces that shape our lives.

The students’ exploration of “microcosms” is a journey into the realms of imagination and discovery. By zooming in on the seemingly insignificant, they ask us to reconsider the vastness within the tiny, the beauty within the overlooked, and the complexity hidden in simplicity. This exhibit is a celebration of curiosity and the power of seeing the world in new and unexpected ways.

The artworks presented reflect not only the creativity and technical skill of these young artists but also their evolving vision of the world around them. “Enlarging Your World: Microcosms” offers an invitation to look closer, to wonder more deeply, and to explore the infinite dimensions that surround us in the most unexpected places. May this exhibit spark your curiosity and inspire you to see the world anew.

January Featured Member

Coby Verkerk paints in bright colours to chase away dark thoughts. Feelings like fear, awkwardness, anxiety, and confusion are expressed through portrayals of colourful and endearing little misfits which evoke sympathy rather than judgement. By projecting these emotions on her creatures and characters, Coby can look at her insecurities from an outside perspective; in doing this she is able to view these feelings and their outward presentation objectively and see herself in a kinder, less negative light. Depression and anxiety are formidable opponents in life, but humour and creativity are her weapons. Coby chooses to wield those weapons to change negative into positive. she states, “… the process of creating can lift my mind from chaos for a few hours at a time as I focus my energies and thoughts on simple brushstrokes. The fact that I sometimes come out of it with artwork I can enjoy and which others might be able to relate to, is a bonus.”

Next Month

Frosted Blues by Christine Kashuba