Visiting artists and writers announced!

The Comox Valley Art Gallery and the McLoughlin Gardens Society are delighted to welcome three remarkable women to explore and deepen their creative practice while in residence at the Gardens this summer.

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Rachel Grenon arrives May 10 to begin a six-week residency at the McLoughlin Gardens. A ceramicist from the Saguenay Region of Quebec, Rachel studied at Emily Carr University of Art and Design. During her residency she will be creating work that is site specific, using materials, forms and shapes inspired by the west coast landscape.

An exhibition of her new work, titled Hold Being Held, will be on display at the Comox Valley Art Gallery from June 27 - September 7, 2019.


Meanwhile, local writers can look forward to working with poet and non-fiction writer Maleea Acker, who will be in residence from July 8 - August 5.

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Maleea is the author of two books
of poems, The Reflecting
Pool 
and Air-Proof Green (Pedlar
2009, 2013), and one of essays,Gardens Aflame: Garry
Oak Meadows of BC’s South
Coast 
(New Star Books, 2012).
Her work has been published in
Canada, the US, Mexico and the
UK. She writes an environmental
column for Focus Magazine and serves on The Malahat Review’s non-fiction editorial board. Maleea has lived and worked in Canada, the US, Spain and Mexico. She is also an award-winning Geography lecturer at the University of Victoria, where she is a PhD candidate, focusing on Geopoetics.

Maleea will be giving two workshops, "Landscapes of the Heart" and "Place and Poetry," as well as consulting with local writers. Look for additional information about these offerings, at least one of which will be held in out of doors.


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Clea Minaker is a visual artist and puppeteer originally from the Comox Valley. She will be in residence at the McLoughlin Gardens from August 12 - September 7.

Clea studied puppetry in Eastern Canada, France, and New York. Notable collaborations include: Feist’s The Reminder Tour, Nufonia Must Fall by Kid Koala, and shadow design for Atom Egoyan’s Salomé at the Canadian Opera Company and the National Ballet. She has garnered many awards for her work. Clea lives in Montreal and Toronto and teaches at McGill and Concordia. During her residency, Clea will be doing research for upcoming projects that to be presented at the Comox Valley Art Gallery in the exhibition Reveal, opening on September 27. For a recent article about Clea and her work, visit this link to a piece in the CV Collective - A Whole World in Her Hands.