The pandemic is affecting young people differently than older generations, says Red Deer Polytechnic student Lailey Newton.
“We have never experienced anything as big as this, so it’s become this touchstone in our lives,” said the second-year student in visual arts.
As she grows older, Newton believes she will carry forward “bits and pieces” of this time, which will always be a significant marker in her life.
Newton is part of a group exhibit at the Lacombe Performing Arts Centre appropriately called Uncharted Terrain. The 11 young artists have produced paintings, prints and sculptures that attempt to get across feelings and thoughts about this precarious era.
“We have nothing to compare it to, in any way, this big pivot in society,” said Newton. “I would say there’s kind of a new level of uncertainty.”
For instance, the Rocky Mountain House native wonders, “can we now expect every season to see a rise in (viral) cases, or annual lock-downs?”
Since most RDP classes happened online in 2020-21, the students were slow to get to know their classmates. “I didn’t get to put names to faces,” she explained, until their second year when distanced studio programs were held.
The Lacombe exhibit is planned by the second-year Professional Practice students. Part of their final grade includes organizing a group exhibition, off-campus, said their RDP instructor, Marnie Blair.
“Mediums such as bronze, laser-cut, ceramics, painting and drawing are showcased in this remarkable exhibition,” added Blair, who believes students, who had fewer opportunities to show their art during the pandemic, are now getting “real-world experiences to apply the skills they have learned.”
While the artists are a diverse group, much of their works align around a theme of uncertainty.
Newton said there’s a “tiny series” of works done by five artists featuring a limber pine photographed along the Cline River at Whirlpool Point, near Nordegg. The estimated age of this tree is from 2,500 to 3,000 years old, making it the oldest living limber pine in the world.
Newton believes the tree studies reflect upon how some things in the world don’t change, despite great upheavals.
Individual feelings around COVID lockdowns, hospitalizations and deaths are also depicted in the show. Artist Jaleesa Zaparniuk has created a bronze sculpture called Wrecked of a figure emoting a sense of upset or dread.
“It’s quite moving,” said Newton, who believes viewers could see some of their own emotions reflected in the pieces.
Other artists in the show are Yessenia Delgado, Marilyn Goodswimmer, Danika Koester, Marlene Seniuk, Ashley Baayens, Sydney Malyon, Peyton Rosin, Ryan Stearn and Daniel Whyte.
“I would hope (viewers) would see how we are trying to move through this time, and how we have pulled together as a group and built a strong bond with each other.”
Uncharted Terrain will continue at the Lacombe Performing Arts Centre, 5227 C and E Trail, until April 21. There’s an evening reception on Wednesday, April 13, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.