Category: Oxygen Art Centre

Get Creative This Year At Oxygen Art Centre

Oxygen Art Centre has launched their education program for the whole of 2023 including a range of course formats for all levels. Oxygen’s education program is designed to inspire, promote, and support creativity for our regional and expanded communities.

The education program is continually developing and expanding with new artist instructors joining the faculty each semester. Oxygen’s faculty teach what they know and what they are passionate about, and this is translated into their course design by sharing their practices with students.

“Oxygen’s classes are not just about learning an artistic or writing technique, they are an opportunity to delve into a creative process and develop your personal creative voice in an intimate, nurturing, and supportive environment” says Natasha Smith, Oxygen’s Education Coordinator.

To register and learn more about the semesters, classes, and instructors, visit Oxygen’s website. Registration takes place through Google Forms on a first-come first-serve basis. Class sizes are small, ranging from seven to twelve students in each.

Not sure where to start? Contact Oxygen’s Education Coordinator, Natasha Smith at education@oxygenartcentre.org or 250-551-6329 with any questions.

Join the magic that is learning a new skill and exploring creative processes this year at Oxygen Art Centre.

For more information on courses, Oxygen Gift Certificates, and to register: www.oxygenartcentre.org,  education@oxygenartcentre.org.

Photo Cutline: Drawing class at Oxygen Art Centre, 2021

Press Contact: Natasha Smith, education@oxygenartcentre.org

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info@oxygenartcentre.org

www.oxygenartcentre.org

#3 – 320 Vernon St. Alley Entrance

Nelson, British Columbia , V1L 4E4

Tel: 250 551 6329

Oxygen Art Centre acknowledges with gratitude that we are located on the tum xula7xw/ traditional territory of the sn̓ʕay̓ckstx/the Sinixt People. As uninvited guests we honour their ongoing presence on this land. We recognize that the Sinixt Arrow Lakes, Sylix, Ktuxana, and Yaqan Nukij Lower Kootenay Band peoples are also connected with this land, as are Métis and many diverse Indigenous persons.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS Oxygen is thrilled to announce our call for submissions for our exhibition and residency programs. We are excited to welcome proposals from artists of any discipline that engage our mandate in experimental and challenging ways.  As of 2022, we no longer seek submissions for specific projects or exhibitions. Instead, we are interested in receiving applications that present your practice, interests, and research questions. This could include a summary of current concerns, methodologies, mediums, and research interests that you are working with or are interested in exploring further. While we do not expect that you apply with a resolved project in mind, you are welcome to propose solo, group, curated, or major exhibition projects and screenings, workshops, performances, and collaborations. The shift in our submission model seeks to build some flexibility in how artists and Oxygen may approach programming together, and allow for more reflexive engagements with the space. This work is inspired by the curatorial and programming approach that Oxygen is already cultivating as well as models from different ARCs around the country.  HOW TO APPLY Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals expressing interest in an exhibition, a residency, or both. Oxygen’s Submission Guidelines are structured to offer an introduction to you and your practice; you are not expected to have a resolved project at the time of application. We are interested in hearing about your approaches, ideas, and methodologies with which you might approach collaboration with us. We encourage you to take a moment to consider Oxygen’s history, our past exhibitions and our current accessibility initiatives as you prepare your submission. Click here to visit our website. Click here for full submission guidelines including what to send us, a floor plan of the gallery and a breakdown of the compensation that OAC provides professional (CARFAC) exhibition and artist presentation fees are paid for all programming. We are now accepting applications via Google Form. We suggest familiarizing yourself with the form in advance of submitting your application.   Deadline: December 3, 2022 Questions? Please contact the gallery with any questions about the exhibitions and residency program, the application process, or preparing your submission. We look forward to hearing from you!Images (top to bottom): (1) OAC Call for Submissions promotional image by Megan Quigley, 2022; (2) “Become a Member” text overlaid on an image documenting an installation in progress at Oxygen Art Centre, 2015;

Oxygen Art Centre info@oxygenartcentre.org #3- 320 Vernon St. (alley entrance) Nelson, B.C. V1L 4E4 Canada 250-352-6322 Hours of Operation:  Wednesdays – Saturdays, 1:00 – 5:00pm (during exhibition run) Admission by donation Oxygen Art Centre acknowledges with gratitude that we are located on the tum xula7xw/ traditional territory of the sn̓ʕay̓ckstx/the Sinixt People. As uninvited guests we honour their ongoing presence on this land. We recognize that the Sinixt Arrow Lakes, Sylix, Ktuxana, and Yaqan Nukij Lower Kootenay Band peoples are also connected with this land, as are Métis and many diverse Indigenous persons. We are grateful for the financial support we receive from Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, BC Gaming, Province of BC, Government of Canada, Vancouver Foundation, Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance, Columbia Basin Trust, United Way, Osprey Community Foundation, Nelson Lions Club, and Nelson and District Credit Union. We offer thanks to Elephant Mountain Literary Festival and other key partners including Hall Printing, Speedpro Signs, and Selkirk College for their support. We especially thank all of our volunteers, donors, and members. Oxygen Art Centre is committed to ensuring all exhibitions, programs, and events are accessible to visitors. Our facilities are wheelchair accessible and equipped with an all-genders washroom. Please contact Oxygen if you have any questions or concerns about your visit.

OXYGEN TO HOST ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING ON NOVEMBER 21, 2022

Oxygen Art Centre invites the public to attend their Annual General Meeting on Monday, November 21, 2022, at 7:00 PM PST (Zoom).

Oxygen Art Centre was founded as the Nelson Fine Art Centre Society in 2002 by former writing and visual art faculty at the Kootenay School of the Arts. Oxygen spent its first two years establishing its educational focus and in January 2005, the Society opened the Oxygen Art Centre in downtown Nelson, BC.

The Annual General Meeting will provide an overview of the artist-run centre’s 2021-2022 year, including reports from staff and board, as well as artistic “palette cleaners” contributed by the directors.

Please ensure your membership is up to date before the meeting to vote. Renew or become a member by visiting Oxygen’s website.

To attend, participants must register via EventBrite. Please contact info@oxygenartcentre.org with any questions.

Attendees will receive all AGM documents by email one-week prior to the meeting. Everyone welcome to attend. Admission is free.

Nelson Fine Arts Centre Society’s (Oxygen Art Centre dba) Annual General Meeting takes place on Monday, November 21, 2022, at 7:00 PM PST via Zoom.

Image Credit: Exterior photograph of Oxygen Art Centre’s facility by Thomas Nowaczynski, 2022

ONLINE WORKSHOP ON DEEP MAPPING CONNECTS NELSON, YMIR, AND MONTREAL

Oxygen Art Centre is delighted to announce an online workshop series entitled BODIES OF WATER: SK/ETCHING DESIRE LINES featuring artists Eija Loponen-Stephenson and Kevin Pinvidic. The workshop explores deep mapping connecting artists in Nelson and Ymir, BC and Montréal, QC.

The series aims to create meaningful connections between creative practitioners and scholars in three urban, semi-urban, and rural communities. Over three (3) weeks, nine (9) participants–three from each community–will explore collaborative map-making methodologies which critically and creatively interrogate embodied experiences of living in settlements along unfixed bodies of water. 

These sibling settlements are scaffolded by colonial legacies and the tactics of extractive capitalism; their gridded cartography etched into the fecund earth. As these settlements are developed, dilated, and diverted the meandering paths of least resistance support capital accumulation from their potential energies. Consider the relationship between the functions of dammed rivers, canal locks, traffic lights, and metro gates in the manipulation of water bodies (a term here which refers to human and animal bodies that are mostly made of water and bodies of water).

Western cartography (digital and analog) offers panoramic and homogenic representations of space in which the earth is an impenetrable and unchangeable surface, traversable only along pre-cut lines and crossable borders. We often forget that just because paths exist, it doesn’t mean that they should or always have. 

Where bodies pool, overflow and leakage is inevitable. Desire lines, cracks or trails cut through city grids or inscribed in walls of reinforced concrete, are signs of water bodies resisting containment. These deviant lines, which can emerge at any scale, are often erased from maps of the global north as they challenge the perceived opacity of man-made barriers. The removal of desire lines from archival documents is one of many ways that colonial grand narratives have become naturalized in western historical canons. 

Deep Mapping is an emergent practice and speculative archival strategy that can hold these ephemeral datasets and affective experiences of place and atmosphere. Tracing the defiant paths of desire lines, participants in this workshop series will attempt to document and creatively respond to behavior of water bodies when their flow is disrupted. Collectively we will imagine a new form of cartography which is just as permeable and sensuous as the earth itself. 

Loponen-Stephenson developed this program with Pinvidic as part of her tenure as Research Assistant during the Summer of 2022 with Oxygen Art Centre. Following the workshop series, a zine will be published and available for free at the Centre in January 2023.

This workshop is generously supported by the Canada Summer Jobs program and the renascence arts and sustainability society.

Image Credit: Eija Loponen-Stephenson (L); Kevin Pinvidic (R), Courtesy the artists

Saturday, October 15, 2022, from 1:00 – 4:00 PM Oxygen Art Centre celebrates their 20th anniversary on Saturday, October 15, 2022, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM. The artist-run centre invites the public to join the celebration! The event will take place along the alleyway behind Baker Street between Stanley Street and Kootenay Street at the 300 block. Everyone welcome to attend! Admission is free. Oxygen Art Centre was founded as the Nelson Fine Arts Centre Society in 2002 by former writing and visual arts faculty at the Kootenay School of the Arts. The centre spent its first two years establishing its educational focus and in January 2005, the society opened the Oxygen Art Centre in downtown Nelson. After twenty years of arts education and contemporary art programming we want to celebrate our rich past and welcome new community members to contribute to Oxygen’s future. Oxygen’s volunteer Fundraising Committee coordinated this family-friendly, fun afternoon event featuring local artists and performances, art-making stations, music, and refreshments. Committee Chair, Carol Wallace, says of the event, “It will be a great opportunity to celebrate twenty years of arts programming and all the wonderful artists in our community that support our organization!” To commemorate the 20th anniversary, specially designed tote bags by Jonathan Ramos will be available for purchase at the event while supplies last. The event is generously supported by Nelson Home Hardware Building Centre, Kootenay Co-op Grocery, Nelson and District Credit Union, and Oso Negro Coffee, as well as individual community donations. Please contact the gallery with any questions about the event or your visit. Oxygen’s 20th anniversary party takes place on Saturday, October 15, 2022, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM along the alleyway outside of Oxygen’s facility, #3-320 Vernon Street, Nelson, BC, Canada.