Deer Lake Gallery is celebrating the work of a Coast Salish artist in its next exhibition.
Redefining, featuring work by Kelly Cannell of the Musqueam Nation, is on at the gallery from Friday, July 5 to Saturday, Aug. 10. An opening reception is set for July 5 from 6 to 9:30 p.m.
A press release notes that Cannell has been exposed to Coast Salish art and culture from birth; she lives it every day among her community and with her family, including her two children.
Her passion for travel, which has taken her to countries around the world, has helped her skills to grow and has intensified her connections to the natural world. The natural environment remains one of her most treasured sources of inspiration.
“In each and every piece, a story is told or a message is passed down; sometimes personal, sometimes apparent, though keeping true to Coast Salish traditions,” said the release. “The passion of her work embraces the ever-changing and ever-evolving contemporary Coast Salish art form. As a Coast Salish woman rising up with such a rich and knowledgeable culture, Kelly has been empowered to share and hopefully inspire others to respect our surroundings and, more importantly, each other.”
Cannell’s pursuit to explore various mediums has taken her to the renowned Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Wash., and to The Glass Furnace in Istanbul, Turkey. She has also continued to study part-time at Emily Carr University, most recently silkscreen printing and acrylic painting.
Cannell has also created public artworks for various locations through Vancouver, including storm sewer covers created with her mother, Susan Point, and sites at CBC, Vancouver Community College, the Musqueam Community Centre, the Westbank Towers at Granville and 70th, and a Canada 150 light box mural at Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
Deer Lake Gallery is at 6584 Deer Lake Ave. For more information, see www.burnabyartscouncil.org.
