In 1976, one year after The Blyth Festival began producing Original Canadian Theatre in Huron County, local visual artists Bev and Ron Walker formed a committee of volunteers to create a public art gallery as a complement to the Festival. The aim was to showcase regional artists working in various media. The Blyth Festival Art Gallery was born.
A vibrant and integral part of the Blyth Centre for the Arts, The Blyth Festival Art Gallery is housed in the Bainton Gallery (so named thanks to a generous gift from Frank and Cenetta Bainton, in 1990). The Gallery is physically attached to Blyth Community Memorial Hall.
The Blyth Festival Art Gallery hosts five shows annually: one group student show, one group community show, and three professional shows.
Past Professional Gallery Shows:
2017
PERFECT IMPERFECTION: Michelle Zarytshansky
REFLECTIONS FROM THE SANDS: Darren Woluschuk
SILENT SPACES: Julian Mulock
2016
QUIET TIME: Wendy Orr
COMMON GROUND: Elfi Enns, Madeleine Roske, & Jane Stryker
TRANSFIGURATION: Montina Hussey
2015
FROM the BEGINNING; the FOUNDERS’ RETROSPECTIVE:
the Art Gallery founders Ron and Bev Walker
A VISION of HOME: Michelle Miller
A TRICK of the LIGHT: Greg Sherwood
2014
VESTIGES and PAUSES: Rose Pearson
WHO HEALS YOU: Kelly Stevenson
CELEBRATING 40 YEARS: to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Blyth Centre for the Arts: selected works from previous gallery shows
2013
TRANSPARENT ARCHITECTURE: Brenda McDonnell
INDWELLING: Wayne Muma
COLOURS of the LAND: Susan Hay
2012
AN ENCAUSTIC VIEWPOINT: Anna Koot, Wendy O’Brien, & Wendy Orr
BEAL ART – a 100th anniversary group exhibition: works by H. B. Beal Secondary School Art teachers
WHILE I WAS WAITING: Monica Eckert
2011
FOOTSTEPS in the GARDEN: Danuta and Vlodek Tydor
RETROSPECTIVE: Jo Manning
DOUBLE EXPOSURE: Anne Hamilton and Tristan Eekhoff
2010
ROAD to OLYMPUS: Edward Schleimer
CARNIVAL: Natalie Hussey
COORDINATES: Elizabeth Van den Broeck
2009
THE ART of FUNCTION – Eight Ontario potters
PERCEPTIONS – ABSTRACTS on ALUMINUM: Darlean Morris
RURAL ROOTS – a group exhibition Members of Stratford’s Gallery 96
2008
A BEND in the RIVER: Kerry Ferris and Catherine Morrisey
BEHIND the MASK: Monte Wright
A GLASS MENAGERIE: Paulus Tjiang
2007
SYMBOLS: Ron Milton
EN MASSE: Irene Hartwick and Madeleine Roske
SCENE CHANGES: Phil Irish
2006
LAYERS and LAYERS: Cathy Van Raay-Myers
DIALOGUES in CLAY: Zsuzsa Monostory
AT FIRST LIGHT: Tim Murton
2005
CELEBRATION 30 – 30th Anniversary Show
New works from artists exhibited over the last 30 years
WHIMSICAL DISORDER: by June Selznick Drutz
UNTITLED: Landscape paintings by Leonard Jubenville
SPIRIT of the NARROWS: Willi Henry
2004
HARLEQUIN’S MASK: Wesley Bates
LAST VISIONS: Walter Sunahara
2003
COLOUR DYNAMICS: Maurice Stubbs
HOOKS, PINS and SHUTTLES: fabric artist group show
NORTHERN FRAGMENTS: Joel Masewich
2002
DIMENSIONAL ILLUSIONS & INCARNATIONS: Roberta Corey, & Cyril Leeper
THE SELECTIVE EYE: Jerry McDonnell & John Palmer, with Greg Sherwood
2001
POSITIVE/NEGATIVE – Gerard Bender à Brandis and Scott McKowen,
LINKS to a TRADITION – work from the Woodland Cultural Centre in Brantford
REAL PAINTING – Jane Stryker, Elfi Enns, and Gwen Smithers Kiar
2000
FROM THE COLLECTION OF: a silver anniversary exhibition – an exhibition of art works purchased by private collectors from the Art Gallery Since 1975
1999
An exhibition of children’s book illustrations by Eric Beddows (aka Ken Nutt)
CLOSING the CIRCLE: Robert Tetu
DYNAMIC EQUILIBRIUM: Geri Binks and Chris Wallis
1998
WATERCOLOURS and ACRYLICS: works by wildlife artist William Creighton
POLARIZED TEXTURES: Saree Marais and Debbie New
SANCTUARIES: Ada K Hunsberger
1997
From SERENE FIELDS to DYNAMIC WATERFALLS: Andres Vilar
INCANDESCENCE – CONTEMPORARY HOT GLASS:
an exhibition featuring the best of Ontario’s contemporary hot glass artists
REACHING OUT of the FRAME: Gerald Pedros
1996
A BEAUTIFUL GARDENSCAPE: Bonnie Parkinson
THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S EYE: photos by our region’s best photographers
CONTAINERS / CONTAINERS within a CONTAINER:
an exhibition of vessels and containers by our region’s artists and artistans
1995
ABSTRACT GRAPHIC and FLORAL COLLAGE WORKS: by Mary Donlan
MINIATURES : Vanita Jay
MIXED MEDIA FIGURATIVE WORKS: Liisa Rissanen
1994
Woodcut Prints & Unique Figurative Wood Sculpture: Peter Wilde
Chalk and Pastel Waterscapes: Antje Laidler
COMPLEX TEXTILE ART: Lorraine Roy
NATIVE WOODCARVINGS: Harold Rice
1993
PLAYERS: Alan Dayton
SPACE CLEARINGS: Joyce Honsberger’s paper cast
MASTERY of MEDIA and the FIGURATIVE TRADITION: Herb Ariss’s works of war imagery
1992
IN the ACADEMIC TRADITION, RURAL ROOTS: George Reid
Multimedia Installation by Audrey Shimizu & Janny Fraser
THE PRINT DEFINED: curated by Jo Manning and Eunice Diamond
1991
FOLK ART TREASURES of HURON COUNTY:
An Exhibition of Local Folk Art with a Driving Tour Guide
ART DECO QUILTS: Ellen Adams
1990
WITHIN the LANDSCAPE: David Peter Hunsberger
RAKU, PERFORMANCE in CLAY: from the Leslie Tichner Collection
Paintings by Members of the Canadian Group of Painters, from the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s
1989
UNTITLED: Ron Milton
HANG the QUILT: a juried show of traditional and contemporary quilts
CONTEMPORARY WORKS: Mark Fletcher
1988
Canadian Embroiderer’s Guild: A selection of works
Huron Photographs: a juried exhibit
ASPECTS of NATURE: by Jo Manning & Ron Walker
1987
INNER LANDSCAPES: Katherine Marshall Naylor
RAKU WORKS: Karen Scott Booth
FABRIC ART 1: Sharyn Seibert
FABRIC ART 2: John Muldrew Scott
1986
ARTISTS with THEIR WORK: Tom Benner
FACE IT: an exhibition of contemporary portraits by three artists
Country Arts – quilting, woodworking & other country crafts by four artists
Exhibition from the Huron County Pioneer Museum, Goderich
WALLS and WAYSIDES – three local artists
1984 & 1985
Selected works from The Objibwe Cultural Foundation, Manitoulin Island
ONTARIO NATIVE ARTISTS at WORK: Helena Wilson
PERSPECTIVES in WATERCOLOUR: paintings by five artists
THE COMPANY WORKS: artwork by members of the Blyth Festival
THE QUILTERS COLLECTION: Traditional and modern quilts and fabric arts
FESTIVALS: Brian Cere, photographs
WATERCOLOURS: Ed Krauter
1983
CANADIAN LANDSCAPES: works on loan from Gallery Stratford
RETROSPECTIVE: Jack MacLaren
Paintings and Prints from The Objibwe Cultural Foundation, Manitoulin Island
1982
WATERCOLOURS: Denise Ireland
A COLLECTION of QUILTS II
1981
COLOURSCAPES ON PAPER: Karen Kulyk
PHOTOGRAPHS :Brian Cere
1980
60 PAINTINGS: Jack McLaren
1978
G. Brender a’ Brandis – wood engravings
Doris McCarthy – Arctic landscape in watercolours and oils.
1977
An exhibition of works by eight area artists
1976
An exhibition featuring works by nine area artists
1975
SPIRIT GATHERING: Robert Evans and Shirley Clifford
Recent work of landscape by Ron Walker