“Phases” explores how local artists interpreted the total solar eclipse that crossed over the Niagara region in April.
On exhibition until March 2025, the city of St. Catharines’ juried art exhibition “Phases” will be on display in city hall’s Third Floor Gallery space.
The local artists showcased in “Phases” include Emily Andrews, Ashley Buston-White, Jadyn Deming, Samantha Fickel, John Halenko, Kat Leibfried, Charlotte Moffatt, Victor North, Katia Perez Mendez, Jon Shaw, Rajshree Jena, Richard Smolinski, John van Wissen, Adam Wiebe, Rachelle Wunderink and Yong Yi.
The artists’ mediums represent various corners of the art world. They range across acrylic paint, oil paint, pyrography, a scanned image of artist-grown salol crystals, spray paint, woven yarn, mixed media acrylic and collage, photography and a clay sculpture — marking the first time the St. Catharines’ juried art exhibition has included a three-dimensional piece.
City of St. Catharines’ Culture Coordinator Olivia Hope says she chose the exhibition topic to revolve around the eclipse because of the special connection it would have to Niagara’s artists, as they would have experienced it live.
“I thought it would be interesting to see how a singular event could profoundly impact individuals in a variety of ways, providing an opportunity for artists to respond with their own visual interpretations,” said Hope.
The most touching part about the exhibition is the profound difference among the pieces in “Phases.” As you walk down the Third Floor Gallery’s stretching hallway, the walls are lined with unique works that each explore an entirely individualized experience of the total solar eclipse.
With a mix of literal and abstract interpretations of the exhibition’s theme, “Phases” showcases the artists’ differing physical and mental experiences of the event.
For example, Jena’s acrylic painting aims to capture “the essence of the moons phases in connection with human emotions and cultural diversity,” whereas Moffat’s woven yarn piece aims to create an eclipse “that you both want to touch and can,” mirroring the beauty of the real astronomical event.
In the making of Yi’s clay sculpture, the word “phases” was used as “a starting point” in the artist’s research. Yi connected the word “phases” to the word “tides,” saying that life’s difficulties come in waves, not all at once. Yi’s piece represents “a structural form with multiple steps” as a physical interpretation of the phases of struggles in life.
These are only a few of the 16 interpretations of the total solar eclipse showcased in the exhibition.
The “Phases” art exhibition was the event that kicked off St. Catharines’ Culture Days events. From Sept. 20 to Oct. 13, the city will spotlight local artists and culture organizations by hosting various free events, performances and workshops to help keep the community in touch with the importance of the arts.
More information about Culture Days can be found at www.culturedays.ca or the city of St. Catharines website.
