Peace Gallery North is set to launch its first exhibit of 2016. When the doors open tonight, the group show will include several pieces of work from one of Prince George's master potters, Karen Heathman.
Entitled Dinner Talk, this showcase features three B.C. artists who have fit their creations together into a combined visual exercise. Joining Heathman are Dawson Creek printmaker Mary Parslow and printmaker Alan White from the Peace-region community of Baldonnel.
The loose theme of Dinner Talk is the presentation of food. The prints are images of meals and food in general while Heathman's pottery adds to the motif by virtue of it being literal serviceware for cuisine.
"We talked about how we wanted to theme the show, and the conversation got around to conversation itself, where it is we feel comfortable having conversations, what it is that draws us into conversation, and we all agreed that a good visit often happen whenever food was involved," Heathman said.
The exhibition came together long distance. She has had works of her pottery on sale at the gallery in Fort St. John for years, but had only met curator Alan White over the phone. She had met Mary Parslow one time in person. With White as the intermediary, the idea sparked and gelled for the three of them to work together.
"I started the process off by making some dinnerware and sending them pictures to inform their printmaking process," Heathman said.
Once the pottery and the prints were complete and in-hand at the gallery, White took it to the next level: the presentation.
As curator, he went with the urge to set Heathman's pottery up on bistro tables arranged around the exhibition space, and then arranged the prints around those tables, to create spaces where those imagined conversations would take place, and their art acting as the reflection of the theme and invitation to the public to have real conversations in that inspired environment.
The show is on until Feb. 27.
Heathman's work will be on display next in Prince George as part of the Prince George Potters Guild's upcoming showcase entitled Garden Art coming to the Studio 2880 Feature Gallery this spring.
