Have you ever been into an art gallery and felt confused or even alienated by the work you were looking at? Believe me you are not alone and Two Rivers Gallery has developed a program in order to address this issue.

The first part of the program is a quick information exhibition brochure with a short biography of the artist and description of the exhibition. There are a few questions, suggestions or even games about the artwork in order to help you take your time in the exhibition with a purpose that you might not have thought of before. The second part of the program is the make art make sense hands on art activity which is specifically designed for all ages and stages of artmaking.

The current activity is based on the current exhibition by Ted Heibert. His work of lifesize photos were made with glow in the dark paint and a series of time lapse photographs. The hands on art activity offers up: glow in the dark paint in a glow in the dark studio space. You can even paint yourself and see the magic of glow in the dark in the large mirror or make a painting to take home or left it for the make art make sense studio glow in the dark exhibition. The best part is that – it’s great fun and at the same time it helps to demystify the art making process through this active participation.

The make Art make Sense program is included in admission and changes with every exhibition.

Living in our north central region I find that the weather never ceases to be a topic of discussion throughout the year and of course now that winter has properly arrived – how are you enjoying the cold? I ask because as far as the Gallery is concerned we are loving it and hope it gets colder..... WHY you may ask ..... we are building a sculpture that feeds off of this weather ......

On Nov 26th at the Winter Light Up festival in the Civic Plaza the Gallery unveiled a new sculpture called northern light outside the Gallery . The sculpture is made out of a light weight open weave steel armature, intertwined with 500 white LED lights. We are misting water over the sculpture every hour or so in order to build up a thick layer of ice so thick that the lights will be totally encased in ice. The overall concept is to celebrate our region’s wonderful winter light and the nature of our weather by creating an art object that is reliant on both.

This project was made possible by an in-kind donation from Wolftek Industries Inc. who built the armature and a grant from the City’s WinterLights Program.

Drop by and be inspired by the everchanging northern light sculpture and then get creative in your own garden. This process is so simple in fact that a very young boy skating on the rink stopped to ask if I was making an icicle tree - and I guess I am!

Last minute touches are underway by artists, designers and homeowners in anticipation of the Holiday Home Tour which happens this Sunday Nov 23rd. This is the 6th year of the Holiday Home Tour Fundraising event Two Rivers Gallery.

Join in on this festive self guided tour and visit 7 of Prince George’s unique homes. Get geared up with your own Christmas decorating and be inspired with new ideas, ingenious techniques as well as traditional combinations – all expressing the creative nature of holiday cheer.

A few weeks ago I got a call from a homeowner in the Millar Addition who was really keen to be on the holiday home tour. She convinced me that she was besoted with Christmas by telling me that last year she had 23 decorated trees in her home !

Another one of our homeowners approached me in the summer about the Holiday Home Tour she convinced me by saying she starts decorating just after Halloween and by Christmas every room in her home is a Christmas spectacular. Appropriately her home is located at the Alpine Christmas Tree farm – its obviously in her blood !

As I said last week the Tabor Lake Home has the artisans fair featuring glass from Wendy Young, photos by Ute Wilder, Mo Hamilton’s paintings, Beadwork by the mistress of beading Laura Hansen of Topaz Beads, Wood Tuner Ron Malyk, first nations painter and jewellery designer Keith Kerrigan and the lovely Karin Dayton with her felted creations as well as lots of goodies from the Shop at the Gallery and not to forget those healthy treats for our four legged friends by 4 Paws Bakery.

One of Two Rivers Gallery’s signature fund raising events is the Holiday Home Tour. This is a self guided driving tour to view homes with Christmas at its best in some of Prince George’s most unique homes. The Holiday Home tour is on Sunday Nov 23rd from 10 to 4 pm. 

This is the 6th year that the Holiday Home Tour has been offered as a pre christmas tour. This year there are 7 homes to visit. The homes are being designed and decorated by artists and designers and this year we even have a Gallery Team. The new Spruce Kings House is part of the tour and what a better way to be tempted to buy a ticket on this beautiful new home by seeing it in its Christmas splendour. The Blackburn Heritage House is also taking part in the Tour.

Artist and co-owner of the florists Grower Direct – Susan Barton Tait is leading the Grower Direct design team - you can be sure it will be full of wonderful blooms, boughs, texture and lovely smellls.

Two Rivers Design Team is being led by one of our Docents: Kathy Reston – Kathy has a background in textile design and she is leading the making workshops with the staff and the docents from the Gallery. We’re very excited and can’t wait to see how this wonderful home on Tabor lake is going to burst with creativity. The Tabor Lake house is also home to the artisans fair. What an opportunity to get some of your Christmas shopping done with 7 artisans selling their wares, the wonderful shop at the gallery and even 4 paws bakery – something for everybody !