Artwork Exhibitions

18 James Street Artwork Exhibition

Since April 2019, 18 James Street has held an exhibition on The Charles W. Stockey Centre’s atrium walls.  18 James Street is the home studio, gallery, and dress shop of local artist and fashion designer Jessica Vergeer. Located in historic downtown Parry Sound.

Visit 18 James Street’s website at 18jamesstreet.ca for more information on their artwork and painting classes.

Gibson Gallery & Mercantile Exhibition

The Gibson Gallery and Mercantile was founded in 2019 by artist Donald Corbett. Don and his partner, Melanie Heidman, run the gallery, host the AirBnb, facilitate workshops, and find the time to paint for joy and to create their own works of art for sale in the gallery.

After a laborious renovation of the building, originally the Parry Sound Hardware Store, it has been brought back to life as a space for people to explore, create, share, heal, and express themselves.

Don and Mel share a love for the geography of the area — whether skiing, biking, paddling or just appreciating Georgian Bay. They aim to capture the area’s beauty on canvas.

Visit Gibson Gallery & Mercantile’s website at 47gibsongallery.square.site for more information on their artwork.

Oshkinigig

The wiigwaas-jiimaan (birch bark canoe) is deeply rooted within Anishinaabek cultural identity and tradition, connecting people to the water, the land, and each other. Building a jiimaan is one of the most complex forms of Anishinaabek craft and technology.

A Jiimaanke (canoe build) has never been an individual task. It has always been a collective effort, bringing together families and community members of all ages with diverse skill sets. Over the past 150+ years, loss of access to traditional land base and resources, pressures and policies of assimilation, and other powerful forces interrupted the practice of building jiimaanan (canoes) within communities across Anishinaabe Territory.

Oshkinigig is the name of the Wiigwaas Jiimaan created during the 2019 Birch Bark Canoe Build with The Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve, translating to “The new ones”. Previously, Oshkinigig was housed for the winter at the Charles W. Stockey Centre. Inquiries regarding speaking/presenting about Oshkinigig, can be sent directly to Project Coordinator, Kyla Judge, via email at culture@gbbr.ca.

Full details on this project are available at The Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve’s website.