'Ghost Nets'

Cath Hughes

'Today's Catch'

Cori Creed

'Downed Treasures'

Paulo Lopes

'Thank You, But I Don't
Need These Goggles'

Michael Binkley & Olivia Richardson

Diving In: The Art of Cleaning Lakes and Oceans is an environmental art campaign that aims to raise awareness of the waste in our lakes & oceans by transforming collected trash into beautiful art in the touring exhibition Turning Trash Into Treasure.

The campaign is run in collaboration with 7 Arts Councils: the Sea to Sky Arts Council Alliance (Pemberton Arts Council, Arts Whistler, the Squamish Arts Council, Lions Bay Arts, The Hearth Arts on Bowen), West Vancouver Community Arts Council, & North Van Arts.

The Arts Council collective will be working with volunteer divers from Divers for Cleaner Lakes and Oceans, Return-It, local artists, school groups, Indigenous partners, & our generous sponsors.

9 shoreline cleanups were conducted with the help of volunteers in Whistler, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Squamish, Bowen Island, & Pemberton. Divers for Cleaner Lakes and Oceans conducted 57 dives & collected 11,000 lbs of trash during their underwater cleanups in 2021 to collect trash for this project.

The Arts Councils selected artists that represent their community. Each artist was provided with a bag of material that was collected from the cleanups (ex: golf balls or beverage containers) & was tasked with turning the trash into treasure!

Exhibiting artists: Michael Binkley & Olivia Richardson, Cori Creed, Monica Gewurz, Arne Gutmann, Sarah Haxby, Cath Hughes, Cary Lopes, Paulo Lopes, Liz Nankin, Joe Sauve, Karen Yaremkewich.

All the artwork is available in an online auction running until Dec. 9. Proceeds raised will divided amongst the artists & fund a documentary film about the initiative.

Watch the Virtual Opening  for an engaging conversation with some of the artists & organizers of this incredible exhibition as they discuss their inspirations & processes, take a tour of the exhibition.

SPECTRUM is an exciting, annual exhibition celebrating the talented & diverse artists in our community! Following an unjuried open invitation, 25 established & emerging artists will showcase work in a broad spectrum of styles, media & subjects. 

By creating an inclusive & level playing field, SPECTRUM shines a light on these gifted artists at varying stages in their careers; offering them the opportunity to exhibit (some for the first time!) & providing an engaging experience with diverse artwork & artists. 

'Antiques'

Joanne Frewer

'Reverspective 1'

Majid Shiekh Akbari

Be transported to other worlds through the engaging 3-dimensional artwork of North Shore artists Joanne Frewer & Majid Sheikh Akbari.

Joanne Frewer is a multidisciplinary artist creating shadow boxed assemblage works that combine the everyday & the spiritual. Frewer's pieces offer viewers glimpses into other spaces - a Mexican kitchen, Parisian flat, or Buddhist shrine - full of tiny pieces of decor either handmade by Frewer or collected on her travels around the globe. Each scene invites viewers to look closely & discover the details in not only the artwork but in the sacred moments of life they represent.

Majid Sheikh Akbari is a sculptor & architect whose work is concerned with the conflict & harmony between the spiritual & material. Sheikh Akabari's Reverspective series of wall mounted sculptures take the audience on a journey to mysterious, even divine spaces featuring otherworldly yet familiar architecture. Often composed of reclaimed wood, these plazas, alley & facades are designed using forced perspective & geometry to create the appearance of greater depth in the pieces. These optical illusions invite viewers to reconsider the spaces they are looking at & the intent put into the structures & objects we create.