The Woodstock Art Gallery has launched two new exhibits, with “Visual Elements 64” and “Ruth Hartley: Form and Flowers” both recently beginning two month-runs.
“Visual Elements 64” is the latest instalment of a long-running show highlighting artists from Woodstock and the surrounding Oxford County. The exhibition features the work of 35 artists from a variety of artistic media and styles, from naturalist portraits like Chris Allaway’s Simple Reflections to more abstract pieces like Baraba Lowik’s stained-glass work Alien. This is a juried show, with works selected from an open call for submissions by Ruth Hartley, Peter Flannery and John Hartman, who will also select awards for the best on show. Visual Elements has been a staple of the gallery’s programming since its creation in 1966.
“Form and Flowers” is a single-artist exhibition of sculptor Ruth Hartley, who creates ceramic pieces inspired by the patterns of the natural world. The gallery explains the larger significance of Hartley’s work:
“Her elegant pottery is a gentle reminder of the restorative qualities imbedded in the earthy birth of spring and the sweet smells of summer.”
Art galleries and museums like this typically feature exhibitions on a rotating basis, featuring them on flyer printing campaigns and exterior displays, to complement the permanent collection. Both “Visual Elements 64” and “Form and Flowers” launched on July 16 and will run until September 24, at which point they and some of the museum’s longer-running exhibitions will be replaced by newer fare.
