Colourful and whimsical dimensional geometric wooden wall sculptures created by Emma Ducharme, a young emerging multidisciplinary artist, are currently on display at The Laughing Buddha in downtown Sudbury.
A recent graduate of Ontario College of Art and Design University in Toronto, Ducharme, 23, grew up in Sudbury and attended Collège Notre-Dame where she first developed an interest in visual art.
Her student work was accepted twice into Emergence, the annual juried exhibition of secondary students' art at the Art Gallery of Sudbury (AGS).
The artist, who now lives in Toronto, said her art considers the importance of play in art, design, fashion and life, and challenges the notion that fulfilling work must be serious. She stresses the need for self-actualized joyful work is essential to one's happiness. She questions accepted ideas about capitalism and consumerism. Her work has been described as "a critique of the constant capitalistic overconsumption of modernity."
In keeping with her views about wasteful consumption, Ducharme often uses repurposed materials to create her art.
"I have all this great plywood someone was getting rid of (to work with). It would have just gone into the garbage."
Visit her website, EmmaDucharme.com, to see her samples of her work.
The exhibit at The Laughing Buddha was curated by Ally Zmijowskyj Carlos, AGO's collections care and exhibition co-ordinator.
Ducharme has an exhibit in Toronto in April at The Artist Project: Uptapped in Toronto, and has had previous showings at Red Head Gallery and Slated Door Art Cafe in Toronto. She participated in the 2022 Queen West Art Crawl and Toronto Outdoor Art Fair.
The exhibit at The Laughing Buddha at 194 Elgin St. runs to April 11.
The restaurant is one of several offsite exhibit venues managed by the art gallery. The other off-site venue is located at the Sudbury Theatre Centre (STC) building at 170 Shaughnessy St.
Now to March 28, Ruth Wallace is the guest artist at the STC. Her exhibit, "Sudbury-Scapes" captures iconic city images and celebrates the natural beauty of the Cambrian Shield landscape.
"I am proud of the beautiful place I call home – Sudbury," said Wallace in her artist statement.
She works in a variety of mediums including oils, pastels and coloured pencils.
Born in Walden, Wallace now lives in Markstay.
She recently created a website, RuthWallaceFineArt.com. Wallace also has a newsletter that has updates about her life and new artworks, workshops, art demos and events.
Information about AGS's off-site venue program and other gallery exhibitions and events is available at its website, ArtSudbury.org.
The gallery's "Blazes Along the Trail’: Exploring David Milne’s Imaginative Vision" exhibit, which is not to be missed, runs to March 19. AGS is located at 251 John St.
Vicki Gilhula is a freelance writer. Arts & Culture is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
