A talk at the Kelowna Art gallery will tell the story of a local artist's life and work.
On Wednesday, November 26 at 7:00 p.m., Karen Close will give an illustrated talk on her friend, Daphne Odjig. Odjig currently lives at Cottonwoods Care Facility in Kelowna and continues to make art.
Odjig's mother was from England and her father was from the unceded Manitoulin Island Wikwemikong Reserve in Northern Ontario. Her paternal graudfather, stonecarver Jonas Odjig guided her in her art and in helping to create respect for professional Native artists. Odjig has gone around the world with her art, and she's earned both honour and prestige for both generosity of spirit in mentorship and for her inspiring work.
Karen Close will be talking about Daphne Odjig at the Kelowna Art Gallery on Wednesday, November 26. (Photo Credit: Kelowna Art Gallery)
“If my work as an artist has somehow helped to open doors between our people and the non-native community, then I am glad,” said Odjig. “I am even more deeply pleased if it has helped to encourage the young people who have followed our generation, to express their pride in our heritage more openly, more joyfully than I would ever have dared to think possible.”
Close retired from 27 years teaching visual arts and English in 2003 and moved to the Okanagan. She's been facilitating heART Fit since February 2008, helping people understand the the heart of creative expression and spontaneous process painting. The founding editor of free online Journal of the Arts and Aging, Close is also on the advisory board of the Arts Health Network and initiated the first Creative Aging day at the Rotary Centre for Arts in June.
Close's talk, Daphne Odjig at 95: The Art of Self Actualizing, is free and open to the public.
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