Have you ever been to Struts Gallery? Located on 27 Lorne St., Struts Gallery is an artist-run centre that offers an array of programming, from artist exhibitions to workshops and screenings. From October 26 to 28, the gallery invites you to participate in their newest event, No Ceiling: It’s About Time.
Struts Gallery Programming Coordinator, Simone Schmidt, describes No Ceiling: It’s About Time as a “three-day string of successive events that handle the very broad theme of time.” With 12 events and 14 visiting artists, there is sure to be something for both those familiar and unfamiliar with Struts Gallery. And why time? “It is inescapable for everyone,” says Schmidt, “so it has [a] broad appeal.”
The events not only showcase each different artist, but they also vary in format. For instance, on Thursday, October 26 at the Royal Canadian Legion, Sarindar Dhaliwal will be giving an artist talk. Schmidt describes Dhaliwal’s work as “an incredible [and] imaginative way of dealing with history.” Dhaliwal’s work is currently on display at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO).
If music is more your style, you can check out Nicole Rampersaud’s performance on Saturday, October 28 at the Sackville United Church. Rampersaud is an internationally-recognized trumpeter who will be performing pieces on solo trumpet with electronics. The event description reads: “This performance is a continuation of my ongoing examination of the passage, perception and memory of time and space. Through the use of granular processing of sound, this performance will explore how intergenerational trauma and depression affects and alters the memory of a place in time.”
Want something more hands on? Try QT Life Drawing, the Time Flies Edition, a two-part life drawing workshop with Montreal-based artist Nadia Moss. This workshop provides “a space for queer and trans people, and our allies to be able to do this work,” says Schmidt. Under the guidance of Moss, participants will explore “the ways in which we experience time when we are caught in the focus and flow of doing that drawing work,” they explained.
This event is not just for artists, everyone is welcome. “I think that art gets unduly divided from other disciplines,” says Schmidt, “there’s a notion that you either have this talent or you don’t.” If you are new to art, “approach it like a short course,” they advise. “I would […] encourage people who are interested at all to know that this is for them, they are not expected to be experts walking into any of these workshops,” says Schmidt.
As an artist-run centre, Struts aims to create space for artists to create art and explore different disciplines in a way that is accessible. Beyond that, Struts Gallery is a place for the community. “We want the community to be able to see what kind of diversity of work and culture exists outside of Sackville,” says Schmidt about the significance of this event.
If you are interested in participating in any of the events No Ceiling: It’s About Time has to offer, you can pre-register by emailing [email protected]. For more information about this event and other programming offered by Struts Gallery, visit strutsgallery.ca.
