For years, the annual Faces of Winkler art show at Winkler Arts and Culture has shone a spotlight on the leaders and everyday Winklerites that together weave the mosaic of our community.
This year’s exhibition is no exception, but the Park St. gallery decided to freshen up the popular exhibition with a new, multicultural theme in partnership with the Pembina Valley Local Immigration Initiative (PVLIP).
Each Faces of Winkler: Stories of our Neighbours displayhighlights the relationship between two Winkler residents through photography, art, and storytelling, said Jered Hildebrand, gallery executive director and also one of the participating photographers.
“We really wanted to focus on the relationships in our community of neighbours who happen to be newcomers and people who are long-time if not lifelong Winkler residents,” he explained.
“It was very much a shoulder-tapping experience” to find these different relationships to share, Hildebrand said, noting they worked closely with PVLIP on this project. “We’ve got some great stories, some beautiful stories that we were able to include.”
There are seven pairs highlighted: Kossivi (John) Assagba and Chris Kalansky, Samuel Campos and Wes Harder, Shan Pather and Sue Driedger, Tanya Chateauneuf and Lili Krushel, Tim Goertzen and Binaw Malume, Luella Seabaugh and Lemlem Teklebrhan Abrha, and Joyne Casey and Anastasiia Sirenko.
Capturing these relationships through art are artists Olga Krahn, Sally Dueck, Lizzy Reimer, Taylor Hildebrand and Jane Unruh Thiesen, and photographers Walter Dueck, Lili Krushel, Kevin Driedger, Paulo Zarate, and Hildebrand.
PVLIP coordinator Elaine Burton Saindon said the show lined up perfectly with the agency’s work in fostering inclusion and acceptance in communities across the region.
“This was a great opportunity to put both of those concepts together … showing people as a ‘Face’ but also the connection and the sense of belonging that it brings by noting who is a local person who has mentored or worked with or volunteered with somebody else, a newcomer, to help their journey go better.”
Sharing stories
Kevin Driedger, a former PVLIP employee, was thrilled to photograph his mother, Sue, and her friend Shan for the show.
“We partnered with the gallery and so I did a lot of the work of finding pairs of people we wanted to highlight,” he shared, noting he thought of his mom and her friend right way. “I thought it would be great to feature some seniors, to show some different kinds of friendships.”
The two live in neighbouring senior’s complexes and can often be found enjoying a cup of tea together.
This is Driedger’s second time participating in Faces of Winkler as a contributing artist. He loves the idea behind the show.
“It’s just a great way to highlight the people of the community, and I really like this one where it’s really highlighting relationships,” Driedger said. “It helps recognize that the newcomers are in the community as our friends, our co-workers, as our neighbours; they are as much a part of Winkler’s life as the people who have been here for many years.”
Sam Campos and Wes Harder’s friendship blossomed over many cups of coffee at Mina’s Café, a local Brazilian eatery run by Campos and his wife.
“Not only do I enjoy the food, but I wanted to support him,” Harder said, noting it was an honour for their friendship to be featured in the show. Campos feels likewise.
“I feel so happy about it … because we’re trying to be part of this community, so to be recognized in this way, it’s amazing.”
It’s such an interesting theme for an art show, observed Harder.
“Winkler’s becoming so much more diverse, with lots of different cultures. And you know what—we have our back stories that are different, but we’re actually not that much different. We’re actually all very much the same. We have common goals and interests and shared passions. And I think that’s what it’s all about.”
Artist Jane Unruh Thiesen said she’s painted portraits in the past for fun, but felt the weight of capturing the burgeoning relationship of her subjects, Luella Seabaugh and Lemlem Teklebrhan Abrha, who met through Regional Connections’ Language Buddies program earlier this year.
“We met at Bethel Park and had a nice hour where we just chatted, so I got to know them a little bit, and then I took some reference photos,” she shared. “I like how both of them were smiling; they both look so joyful, and that really connected them.”
The duo have grown close over the last couple of months as Abrha works on her English skills and Seabaugh gets the opportunity to learn more about her friend’s Eritrean culture.
“My hope is that more people will be open to accepting and helping newcomers feel welcome and wanted,” Seabaugh said. “Everyone can offer a friendly smile and greeting when meeting someone who may look a bit different than us.”
Faces of Winkler will be on display at the gallery through to the end of August.
