Gallery 78’s annual holiday exhibition and sale opens tonight and features a collection designed to suit your budget this holiday season.
Matt Carter
Christmas Choice, Gallery 78’s largest group exhibition of the year, features a wide variety of smaller works by artists like Cathy Ross, Susan Paterson, David McKay, Stephen May, Paul Healey, and several others.
“Christmas Choice is a yearly group exhibition that has been going for as long as Gallery 78 has been around,” said Gallery 78’s Sophie Thériault. “We continue a tradition that Bruno Bobak used to have at the University of New Brunswick, and the premise is simply to offer a selection of small pieces for smaller, gift-giving budgets. We aim to offer pieces by a huge number of our artists, so there is so much opportunity to find something for everyone’s tastes.”
Thériault says the annual event has proven to be a time when many would-be art collectors make their first purchases. Through a range of payment and purchase options, the gallery strives to meet the needs of art lovers and collectors and help them on their way to owning a piece of history.
“We’ve had many people make their first-ever art purchase during this exhibition. Collecting art can be intimidating and inaccessible at times, so this is one opportunity where we strive to make it within reach.
“Art is one of those things that lasts for generations. We’ve come to learn that pieces gifted by loved ones years ago still feature prominently in their homes,” she said.
The range of work on offer through this exhibition include paintings, jewelry, bowls, mugs, plates, and much more, all crafted by some of the region’s finest artists.
“There’s so much light and celebration during this time of year, and we really enjoy embodying that spirit in our gallery space,” said Thériault. “Our tree and garlands are decorated, lights are on nearly every surface, and our gingerbread house always sits on our front desk for visitors to enjoy.”
In addition to Christmas Choice, this month also includes two exhibitions of work by Vicky Lentz and Yvon Gallant.
Vicky Lentz’s Imperfect & Impermanent: Exploring a Wabi-Sabi Aesthetic delves into the passing of time and artistic understandings through mixed media, and Yvon Gallant’s exhibition Ma vie, mes rêves is a joyful celebration of everyday life in Acadian and Maritime culture.
All three exhibitions open December 1 with a reception and artist meet & greet at the gallery from 5-7 p.m. The public are also invited to further the evening’s enjoyment by taking part in the many Downtown Spectacular events on offer this year, including cookie decorating at Gallery 78 from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
As always, the work included in all three exhibitions can be viewed and purchased online at gallery78.com.
