The Summer Trade

June 11, 2022 – October 9, 2022

Tourism is a transaction, but also, a complicated set of relationships that subtly shapes both guest and host. By its nature, tourism also holds up a mirror to the host society in which it can see a version of itself. Over the long arc of tourism’s history on Prince Edward Island, stretching from the early Victorian period to today’s economic juggernaut, the summer trade has consistently promoted the restorative effects of the province’s healthy climate, pastoral landscape, and rural culture, and continually refined the tools it uses to reach, attract, and satisfy visitors. Using images and artifacts, The Summer Trade at the Confederation Centre Art Gallery will trace change and continuity in the story of tourism in the Garden of the Gulf over a period of 150 years through a series of thematic modules spanning promotion, transportation (to and within the province), accommodations, attractions, souvenirs, and host-visitor relations. It is a tale of boosters and knockers, promoters and providers, and, of course, tourists in search of what travel brings: entertainment, experience, and the recovery of innocence. 

Curated by Ed MacDonald and Alan MacEachern.

Theatre PEI

Spring Gallery Opening at Confederation Centre Art Gallery

– Upcoming public events connect patrons with exhibitions, curators, and artists –

The Confederation Centre Art Gallery (CCAG) is thrilled to invite the public to its Spring Gallery Opening on Saturday, March 26 at 7 p.m. The evening will begin in Memorial Hall with light food, a cash bar, and live music from Ryan Van Winkle and Drew Cassibo. Guests will then make their way to the Gallery to explore the exhibitions at their own pace. Several guest curators and artists will be in attendance, including Anne Koval, Danika Vandersteen, and David Woods. 

“There is such remarkable range of artworks on display right now,” says CCAG director Kevin Rice. “We have greatly missed hosting openings and are thrilled to welcome the public to connect with and celebrate art.”  

The Spring Gallery Opening is free to attend, and no registration is required. The current exhibitions include: 

Fairy Tails (curated by Anne Koval)

This group exhibition, with ten artists, explores the wonderous in nature by reconsidering the role of animals in storytelling. The works present fantastical narratives in which animals preside over strange episodes. 

Danika Vandersteen: How to Convey Blue in Black and White (curated by Jill McRae and Andrew Cairns)

The exhibition brings together a colourful and eclectic array of painting, found-object, and textile work to create a compelling and whimsical world populated with people, animals, everyday items, and repeating patterns. 

John Hartman: Many Lives Mark This Place (organized and circulated by the Woodstock Art Gallery, Ontario)

Renowned Canadian painter and printmaker John Hartman captures the intimate relationship between Canadian authors and their personal places of inspiration in large-scale portraits.

Visible Storage: A CCAG Collection Project (curated by Kathleen MacKinnon and Jill McRae)

Gallery staff are working in view of the public on rehousing, repairing, reporting, and retelling the stories of lesser-known pieces from the CCAG vault. The permanent collection is varied and includes paintings, prints, photographs, letters, architectural drawings, and the odd Lucy Maud Montgomery manuscript.

The Secret Codes: Quilts From and Inspired by Nova Scotia’s Black Communities (curated by David Woods) 

Organized and circulated by the Black Artists Network of Nova Scotia, this exhibition focuses on the ways that quilts have functioned as utilitarian and decorative objects, as documentary records of family history, and as a celebration of Black culture. 

Prior to the opening reception, there will be free guided tours of the CCAG led by the artists and curators of the exhibitions: 

4:00 p.m. – How to Convey Blue in Black and White with artist Danika Vandersteen

4:30 p.m. – Fairy Tails with curator Anne Koval

5:00 p.m. – The Secret Codes with curator David Woods 

Registration for these tours is required. Contact Sodam Jeong at sjeong@confederationcentre.com to book. 

Artist Danika Vandersteen will also take part in Family Sunday on March 27 at 1:30 p.m. These free, bilingual workshops are an opportunity for families to explore visual art together. Participants will create mixed media collages inspired by the colourful grids and tessellations found in Vandersteen’s work using coloured paper, markers, glue, and scissors. To register, contact Sodam Jeong at sjeong@confederationcentre.com. 

For all information on all CCAG events, visit confederationcentre.com.

Theatre PEI