I hope you are not ornithophobic.
If you do have a fear of birds, you could be freaked out by the new show at the Cookshire-Eaton Art Gallery. It’s put on by a conspiracy of ravens.
Just kidding, but only partly. Yes, ravens usually hang out in pairs; not in murders, as crows do. But when they do group together, they’re an “unkindness” or a “conspiracy.” And they definitely are unkind, mostly a rowdy bunch of young males fighting for dominance and females seeking mates. Researcher Bernd Heinrich at the University of Vermont (livescience.com) called such a group a “mobile discotheque” and said the sight of them could induce Hitchcockian flashbacks to The Birds, that famous horror movie. It’s enough to stress out the ravens themselves, he said.
But no, the Raven Collective of artists is not unkind, although their conspiracy is a touch boisterous.
They are, in fact, a group of five Townships artists who come from away and have spread their wings abroad, but have returned to the nest, so to speak; the group first exhibited in Cookshire in 2015.
That was when Robert Peloquin joined forces with Ann Bilodeau and Yong Sook Kim-Lambert. Today, the group has grown to five, with Laurence Bacon and Normand Gladu of Saint-Isidore-de-Clifton joining the conspiracy. Their approaches are varied: Peloquin sculpts in glass, metal and stone. Bilodeau draws and collages. Kim-Lambert paints in acrylic. Bacon weaves and uses vegetation-based inks. Gladu sculpts high reliefs in found objects and mixed media.
What is their affinity? You might say Nature, or in the words of their press release, “the expressive power of matter (materials and subject) and the act of storytelling.”
They explore “the realms of interaction between humans, other living beings and the social, intimate and physical spaces that they occupy.”
Another interaction in their work is between the abstract and the actual; the suggestion of a story stimulates the mind of the beholder to put flesh on its bones. That brings us to the topic of this exhibit: Iridescent Thought, or Pensée irisée. That’s what art is about, isn’t it? Materials shaped to express thought; matter divulging spirit.
The Raven Collective presents a crunchy combination. The works are varied and rich, colourful and intriguing. You can sink your teeth into this exhibit.
The exhibit is at the Cookshire-Eaton Art Gallery, 125 Principale West, until July 17. The spacious gallery is open weekends, 12 to 4 p.m., until June 24; after that it is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10 to 4 p.m.
PIONEER WOMEN
Is – or was – she her own woman? Does – or did – she live in the Townships? How has she helped shape Townships history?
Think of a woman you could describe in those terms. Adèle Blais would like to hear from you. She’s a Sherbrooke artist whose 22 portraits of such women as Ella Fitzgerald populate a book, Fortes. Blais’s current project is to create an exhibit of pioneer women in the Eastern Townships for a 2023 exhibit at the Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke. She’s inviting all of us to nominate just such a person by sending her several photos of a woman pioneer, and a 500-word text about her. The world of business, art, volunteerism, ideas – the list of domains women have helped build could go on and on.
Blais’s deadline is July 1st; she asks that suggestions be sent by email to info@adeleblais.com. To see Blais’s striking portraits in paint and collage, visit adeleblais.com.
EATON CORNER MUSEUM
The Eaton Corner Museum will open to the public on June 24 to 26, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Entrance fees are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, and $4 for youth. Membership includes entry to the Museum. During July and August, the Museum will be open Thursday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is located at 374 Route 253, in Eaton Corner. Info: 819-875-5256 or eatoncorner59@gmail.com.
JUNE 24th CONCERT
Canterbury Center is hosting a concert in celebration of the Fête Nationale du Québec on Friday, June 24, at 8 p.m. Musicians Christian Nolet, Kevvin Hinse, and P.O. Boudreault will perform traditional music of Quebec on guitar, mandolin, violin, Irish bouzouki and voice.
Only 50 tickets will be sold. To be among the 50 lucky people in the audience, reserve your $15 seat by phoning Gilles Gaulin at 819-872-3273, or Ed Pedersen at 819-872-3400. Masks are suggested. Proceeds will help support the restoration of the Center’s small windows. The Canterbury Center is located at 1095 Route 214, Cantberbury.
SUNRISE
Discover what would have made Charles Bury go berserk. With Scott Stevenson and Brenda Hartwell, explore how Townships musicians and thespians weathered the pandemic. Read a story by Marc Boucher about a family in crisis, dealing with raw questions. Learn how NOT to herd porcupines. Find out how to plog and plalk.
Yes, the June issue of the Townships Sun has hit the newsstand at the Cookshire IGA. Better yet, subscribe at thetownshipssun.org, or 819-566-7424.
CHURCHES
Anglican. In-person Sunday services are June 12, at 10:30 a.m., at St. John’s Church in Brookbury, and June 19 at 11 a.m. at St. Peter’s Church in Cookshire. Also, Bishop Bruce Myers offers Home Prayers at 4 p.m. on Sundays via Facebook, and at quebec.anglican.ca (Worship Videos). Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
United. In-person Sunday services are at Trinity United in Cookshire at 9:30 a.m., and at Sawyerville United at 11 a.m. In case of any changes, please check the United Eaton Valley Pastoral Charge answering machine after Friday at 819-889-2838.
Baptist. Regular in-persons services are in French at 9 a.m., in English at 11 a.m., respecting Covid protocols, including masks and hand sanitizing. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-239-8818.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by June 13 for publication June 22, and by June 27 for July 6.