Re View: 10 Year Anniversary

It has been 10 years since Gallery Lambton closed its doors at the former Bayside Centre and moved down the street to re-open in the historic Thom Building as the Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery. To honour its first decade in this purpose-built facility, the gallery is installing a series of six exhibitions over a year and a half titled Re View. The exhibitions place the gallery’s permanent collection in the spotlight and celebrate the power of art. Each exhibition features a range of artworks that will be accompanied by audio tours written and voiced by gallery volunteers.

Letter from the Curator

The idea behind this series of exhibitions collectively titled Re View began percolating through the early months of the 2020 pandemic and would continue to take shape as we rode the waves of closures and restrictions in the coming years.

In light of the gallery’s approaching 10-year anniversary* questions came to the surface like: how do we gather without physically being in the same space? How can we continue to share experiences while respecting comfort levels? And how do we connect in this time of distancing?

It became clear that connection and sharing moments of joy and discovery were important parts of our lives at the gallery (volunteers and staff alike) and something we missed when we were apart. A simple solution presented itself, we could depend on art to reconnect us.

A selection of works from the permanent collection focused the project and a call for interest from volunteers to script and voice audio tours was sent out. Agreements to work virtually and physically were followed by numerous visits to the vault to view art works. Hours of research and writing commenced and were followed by dozens of hours spent coaching and editing in virtual and physical meeting spaces. Recording the tour presented a host of new challenges and a summers worth of audio editing wrapped the project over two years later…culminating in Re View.

Six exhibitions in total will be installed with the two-fold intention of celebrating the Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery’s 10th year in the historic Thom Building and celebrating the power of art. The exhibitions encourage visitors to rediscover artworks through the accompaniment of carefully crafted audio tours. The strength of the audio tours come from the varying tones and approaches which aim to help guide visitors to new discoveries and even share in moments of joy.

Sincerest thanks go to the volunteers who are committed to inspiring their community through art and the staff and summer students that supported this project to completion.

Sonya Blazek

Curator/Supervisor, Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery

*10 years since Gallery Lambton closed its doors at the former Bayside Centre and moved down the street to re-open in the historic Thom Building as the Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery.

Re View Exhibitions

Left side Black and white photo of the Judith & Norman Alix Art gallery. Right side a colourful acrylic painting of the gallery. Text reads Re View.

Image credit (left): Holland Paisley Collection, image courtesy of Lambton County Archives
Image credit (right): David Moore, In Celebration of the New Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery, 2011, acrylic on paper. From the collection of the Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery

Exhibition 1
November 4, 2022 – January 21, 2023

This exhibition pulled visitors into the past to trace the building’s history and offers an opportunity to celebrate J.S. Thom, the artist who built the Thom Building (the building the Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery is currently situated in). Original Thom photographs were brought together with artifacts of the era to reconstruct the feeling of his photography studio, which occupied the building well over 100 years ago.

Photo Gallery: Re View Exhibition 1 Photo Gallery will appear here on the public site.

Image credit: William Ronald, Untitled, 1995; aquacryl and graphite on wove paper. From the collection of the Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery.

Exhibition 2
February 3 – April 15, 2023

The exhibition is a deliriously bright and immersive experience featuring the paintings of Canadian modernist painter, and founder of Painters Eleven, William Ronald (1926-1998). The exhibition will include an all-ages audio tour specially crafted to enhance the visitor experience and ignite playful curiosity in these abstract works.

Photo Gallery: Re View Exhibition 2 Photo Gallery will appear here on the public site.

Image credit: Pegi Nicol MacLeod, Hope, 1948; oil on masonite. From the collection of the Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery.

Exhibition 3
May 5 - July 23, 2023

This captivating exhibition invites visitors to delve into the theme of identity through dramatic portraits, thought-provoking en plein-air paintings, mesmerizing folklore-inspired and abstract paintings by local Lambton County-based artists. The exhibition will feature paintings by renowned area artists Gary Nixon and Norman Barney, as well as historic works by Pegi Nicol MacLeod and Mary Abraham. Photography enthusiasts will also be treated to a selection of Stephen Livick's stunning large-scale portraits.

Image credit: Rita Letendre, Song, 1984; pastel on wove paper. From the collection of the Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery.

Exhibition 4
November 3, 2023 - January 13, 2024

Contemplative guided tours encourage visitors to look deep into large atmospheric works and search for answers in a symbolist painting. Get a firsthand perspective from an area artist as she speaks about how the changes in downtown Sarnia galvanized one of her watercolour paintings.

Image credit: R. Viven Howard, Lily Pond, c. 1928; oil on canvas. From the collection of the Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery.

Exhibition 5
February 2 - April 20, 2024

The fifth installment in the Re View series places focus on a singular historic painting, R. Viven Howard’s Lily Pond. The enchanted accompanying audio tour leads the viewer to this secret pond, a journey you will not forget.

To deepen the experience of the painting, the Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery has invited the International Symphony Orchestra to compose an original musical score in response. The original composition awaits visitor ears and can be enjoyed in the exhibition space where it will accompany the near century old painting. Join us to witness the convergence of two artistic realms, a timeless duet that resonates through the ages, which will leave you charmed by the Lily Pond's enduring allure.

Image credit: Stephen Andrews, Sarnia, 2009; oil on canvas. From the collection of the Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery.

Exhibition 6

May 3 - July 14, 2024

Step into the captivating finale of our Re View series, a tribute to the incredible talents housed within our permanent collection. Five new artists are explored: Stephen Andrews, Franklin Arbuckle, John Colin Forbes, Ian McLean and Jessie Oonark.

Visitors should prepare to be entranced by the luminescent canvas of contemporary painter and powerhouse Stephen Andrews. The accompanying hypnotic audio tour unravels layers of contradiction within his painting Sarnia. A recent donation of remarkable Lambton County-based artist Ian McLean is accompanied by a tour that investigates the delicate balance of man versus nature.

Historic painting aficionados can embark on an audio tour of John Colin Forbes’s Boy in a Studio, which unveils the secrets of a 19th-century interior and transports you back in time. Lovers of poetic landscapes will find all their senses awakened by the vibrancy of spring captured in Franklin Arbuckle's painting Poplars, Early Spring.

Lastly visitors can delve into the influential work of Jessie Oonark through the serigraph The World of Sun and Moon – the accompanying tour shares the artist’s unconventional start and how her creations grace prominent collections across Canada and continue to influence generations of new artists.