ILLUSTRATION EXHIBITION BY EMERGING ARTIST BETHANY PARDOE NOW ON VIEW
Oxygen Art Centre is delighted to present an exhibition by illustrator and writer Bethany Pardoe entitled The Small Earth. On view in the O2 vitrine exhibition space from November 22, 2025, to January 16, 2026, The Small Earth presents sketchbook pages and illustrations that shape the cosmology of a graphic novel in progress.
Bethany Pardoe is a traditional illustrator and writer with a BFA from Emily Carr University of Art and Design. From picture books to graphic novels, Pardoe writes and illustrates fantastical stories inspired by growing up as an odd duck.
Imbued with elements of nature and personal folklore, her art and narratives are for people who feel things deeply. Pardoe currently lives and works in Vancouver, BC, and grew up in Nelson, BC, before moving to the coast to attend postsecondary school.
The exhibition, The Small Earth, presents a selection of Pardoe’s works-in-progress to share insight on the emerging artist’s creative praxis and worldbuilding for her forthcoming graphic novel. Selections include pages during Pardoe’s residency at the Banff Centre’s Comics and Graphic Novel program.
Located on the Stanley Avenue side of the Nelson Trading Company building (430 Baker Street) in downtown Nelson, B.C., O2 is a window-turned-gallery that serves as an extension of Oxygen Art Centre’s contemporary art programming.
Pardoe’s exhibition, The Small Earth, will be on view to the public at Oxygen Art Centre’s O2 vitrine exhibition space from November 22, 2025, to January 16, 2026. O2 is a public facing window located in downtown Nelson.
This program is generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the BC Arts Council, the Vancouver Foundation, and the Regional District of Central Kootenay ReDi program. Special thanks to Hall Printing for their support in realizing this exhibition.
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Image Credit: Storyteller, Bethany Pardoe, illustration on paper, 2025; Courtesy the artist.
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Julia Prudhomme
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Oxygen Art Centre
Julia Prudhomme (she/her)
Executive Director / oxygen art centre
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#3 – 320 Vernon St. Alley Entrance
Nelson, British Columbia, V1L 4E4
Oxygen Art Centre is is an artist-run centre located on the tm̓xʷúlaʔxʷ (land) of the Sn̓ʕaýckstx (Sinixt), Syilx and Ktunaxa Nations colonially known as the West Kootenay in the southeastern interior region of British Columbia, Canada.
We strive to listen, learn and grow respectful relationships with all those who have deep connections with this land and its waterways, including Métis and many diverse Indigenous persons. We honour their ongoing presence as stewards and carriers of knowledge.
We make this statement to recognize our privilege as uninvited guests and to reflect on our own connections to this place. Our responsibility as an artist-run centre is to uplift voices of justice, move at the speed of trust, and deepen understanding and relationships.
We are grateful for the financial support we receive from the 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, Regional District of Central Kootenay’s ReDi program, Osprey Community Foundation, United Way, Nelson Lions Club, and Nelson and District Credit Union.
We offer thanks to the Polka Dot Dragon Festival, the Elephant Mountain Literary Festival and other key partners including Hall Printing, Speedpro Signs, and Selkirk College for their support.
We especially thank our collaborators, volunteers, donors, and members.