celebrating the Forest
In 2022 I decided to curate a show on the theme “FOREST.” To celebrate the forest, but also to remind all of us how important all forests are to humans, to promote love of the forest. Because we only save the things we love.
Four other artists agreed to participate, and it was a wonderful, immersive event. We held a kids art day, we had forest scents and sounds in the gallery, and we held an art draw to benefit the Toronto Wildlife Centre.
We documented the show in the video below.
Five artists talking about this show and our work.
This video documents the FOREST art show, held July 20 to August 7, 2022, at the Leslie Grove Gallery, 1158 Queen Street East, Toronto.
Individual works can also be seen at this link: https://www.lesliegrovegallerystore.ca/collections/179114
0:54 Susan Abbott talks about the background of the show
2:11 Theo McLaren talks about printmaking
2:37 The Don River print series
3:11 David Johns talks about his pastel series
4:22 Martha Johnson talks about the inspiration for her work
5:30 Diane Montreuil talks about her spiritual ties to the forest in her work
6:40 What to experience at the show - sounds and scents
7:23 Native tree seeds giveaway
7:38 About the art draw
8:17 Five artists invite you to the show
ABOUT THE SHOW
Filled with life and sound, dappled light, leaves and flowers, forests are at once mysterious and calming, reminding us of our essential selves. Five artists invite you to enjoy the forest, from distant views of woodlands across fields, to close-ups of leaves and flowers, and walks through the trees. To want to preserve something, we must first love it. This show celebrates that love of the forest. Forests define much of our landscape, from urban tree-filled ravines, to woodlands edging fields and meadows in the countryside. Toronto is bordered by Carolinian forest, and the great rocks of the Canadian Shield are adorned with Boreal forest, one of the largest biomes on the planet. Natural forests are more than trees - they support a wide variety of life, and touch all our senses. Forests are important to the past and the future of this land and all the peoples who have lived and will live here. Come into the forest with us.
Sound Credit: Vero Marengere, Canadian Forest Ambiance, via Freesound.org
