freya joy parre: earth water body
6 March- 2 April 2025 | Vancouver Arts Centre
This exhibition shares local artist Freya Joy Parre’s exploration of deepening relationship with place through painting with the earth pigments and waters of the Great Southern. Freya’s unique style see her use her body to make pattern and paints outdoors in nature where the pigments are found. Each of her paintings are a love song to place, rich with connection, listening and prayer.
Content Warning: This exhibition contains some nudity. Viewer discretion is advised.
Dates: 6 March - 2 April
Days: Monday to Friday
Time: 10am – 4pm
Location: Vancouver Arts Centre, 85 Vancouver Street, Albany, WA
Linda Chambers & Collyn gawned: 100 Chawan
10 April - 8 May 2025 | Vancouver Arts Centre
100 Chawan (tea bowls) is a collaborative installation reflecting the studio based practices and common interests of Albany ceramic artists Linda Chamber and Collyn Gawned.
With reference to historic and cultural use, the tea bowl became their inspiration for individual exploration into form, surface decoration and functionality.
They have worked the elements of earth and water, firing in gas, electric and wood-fired kilns, to create unique and considered pieces for this exhibition, complimented by an original soundscape meditation compiled by Albany sound designer, Nat Rad.
Dates: 10 April - 8 May 2025
Days: Monday to Friday
Time: 10am – 4pmLocation: Vancouver Arts Centre, 85 Vancouver Street, Albany, WA
JO WASSELL: MEMOIR
1 May - 12 June 2025 | Vancouver Arts Centre
‘Memoir’ is a collection of works on paper, inspired by memories, happenings, and imaginings.
They are personal to the artist but express something universal: these moments we gather make up the stories of our lives.
Dates: 1 May - 12 June 2025
Days: Monday to Friday
Time: 10am – 4pm
Location: Vancouver Arts Centre, 85 Vancouver Street, Albany, WA
KARLEE BERTOLA: A CELEBRATION OF POLLINATION
1 May - 17 June 2025 | Vancouver Arts Centre
Come and join us for a celebration of botanical pigment making and investigation into the vital process of pollination.
Pollination is more than just the transfer of pollen from one flower to another; it is the process that ensures the continuation of plant life.
Pollination involves a careful orchestration of interactions between plants and pollinators. Bees, butterflies, birds, bats, flies and even the wind serve as nature’s messengers, transporting pollen from flower to flower, ensuring that genetic diversity thrives. Without these vital exchanges, many plant species would not be able to reproduce, disrupting not only ecosystems and our food security, but also the artistic and cultural traditions that rely on plant-based inks and dyes.
The process is both fragile and essential—an intricate web that connects forests, fields, and gardens across the world. Over 75% of flowering plants depend on animal pollinators, making them the silent but crucial collaborators in the natural pigment-making process. Without pollination, there would be fewer fruits to yield the rich berry dyes, fewer flowers to extract brilliant hues, and fewer plants to sustain the landscapes that inspire artists and ink-makers alike.
Just as a painting is incomplete without its final brushstrokes, the cycle of nature remains unfinished without pollination. It is the invisible force that keeps the botanical colour palette alive, ensuring that each season brings a new canvas of vibrant flowers, nourishing ecosystems, and continuing the ancient practice of natural ink and paint making. The world itself is the gallery, and pollination is the delicate brushwork that ensures the exhibition never ends.
Dates: 1 May - 17 June 2025
Days: Monday to Friday
Time: 10am – 4pm
Location: Vancouver Arts Centre, 85 Vancouver Street, Albany, WA