For 10 years, local artist Gerry Oliver has taught a visual arts class through the Touchwood Park Association, which was established by members of the Neepawa community in 1963 as the first rural association for persons with developmental disabilities in Manitoba. In two-hour classes held once a week at Arts Forward, a cultural centre and gallery in downtown Neepawa, Oliver guides her students through projects that incorporate new materials and techniques, colour theory, and art history. Subjects are informed by seasons, cultures, and the students’ interests. Setting the guidelines for each project is the first step, after which Oliver “cuts them loose” to experiment and express their own unique perspectives. Artworks in this exhibition are sorted by project, so visitors can see within each grouping how remarkably creative each individual artist is. As Oliver puts it, when they are free to create, “they fly.”
The Community Gallery is supported by the Kayes’ Family Fund, as well as the Canada Council for the Arts, the Manitoba Arts Council, and the City of Brandon.