Lynnwood Arts holds ‘doubleheader’ opening

Valley Heights Secondary School student Mya Elliott’s piece ‘Spring Landscape’ on display at Lynnwood Arts in Simcoe.

Lisa Timpf

Advocate Contributor

With baseball season well underway, perhaps it’s only fitting that Lynnwood Arts recently held a doubleheader of their own.

On June 8, Lynnwood hosted openings for both the Dr. Gordon C. Watts Memorial Fine Arts Scholarship Recipient Exhibition and the Art Expressions Exhibition, which features curated work by local high school students.

Dr. Gordon C. Watts was a long-time member of the Rotary Club of Simcoe. In 2012, a memorial scholarship was established in his name. Watts is remembered by many for his passion and talent for watercolour painting.

The Dr. Gordon C. Watts Memorial Fine Arts Scholarship, offered by the Rotary Club of Simcoe, is awarded annually to a graduating Norfolk County secondary school student who is planning to study in an interdisciplinary fine arts program. The scholarships are given from an endowment fund established by the Rotary Club of Simcoe, in partnership with the Norfolk Community Foundation.

The Dr. Gordon C. Watts Memorial Fine Arts Scholarship Recipient Exhibition features work created by individuals who have received the scholarship over the past 15 years. 

The Art Expressions Exhibition, sponsored by Woodhouse Gallery, was also launched as part of the June 8 ceremonies. This exhibition features works by students from Delhi District Secondary School, Valley Heights Secondary School, Simcoe Composite School, and McKinnon Park Secondary School in Caledonia. 

The works, which are displayed in the Starr Gallery, include paint, mixed media, and photography, with subject matter including pets, pastimes, portraits, landscapes, still life paintings, and other themes.

During her remarks at the exhibition opening ceremonies, Kim Shippey, Executive Director of Lynnwood Arts, noted that the exhibitions provide “an opportunity for young artists to see their creativity celebrated in a professional space.”

Shippey thanked the artists for being “brave enough to express themselves. That takes courage, imagination, and belief that their voice matters.”

Shippey also thanked parents, family, and friends of the artists for their support of their endeavours. 

At the opening ceremonies, this year’s Dr. Gordon C. Watts Memorial Fine Arts Scholarships were awarded. Four students from schools across Norfolk County were selected, receiving $1,500 each.

Amber McKnight, who headed up the Rotary Club’s scholarship committee, noted the scholarships were awarded based on academic excellence, talent, and willingness to contribute to the community. To apply for the scholarship, students had to submit five pieces of work, an essay, and two letters of reference.

Fiona Nykamp of Waterford District High School, Emma Adams of Holy Trinity Catholic High School, Bria Swance of Delhi District Secondary School, and Maeve Henderson of Simcoe Composite School were announced as this year’s scholarship winners. 

Nykamp is planning to study Studio Art at University of Guelph, while Adams plans to take Art Fundamentals at Sheridan College. Swance is looking toward a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Concurrent Education at Nipissing University. Henderson will be studying Experimental Animation at Ontario College of Art and Design.

McKnight said she was “blown away by the talents of these high school students” during the selection process. She noted that “it’s excellent to be able to support them as they pursue creative work.”

After the opening events, Nykamp said she is looking forward to next year’s studies. She expressed her gratitude for those who encouraged her to apply for the scholarship, for those who wrote letters of recommendation.

Combining the openings for the Art Expressions and Gordon C. Watts Memorial Fine Arts Scholarship Recipients provided a nice synergy. Some of the Art Expressions participants might look forward to applying for the Gordon C. Watts Scholarship themselves one day, while scholarship recipients, viewing the works of those who preceded them, can get a glimpse of where their future studies might take them.

Both the Gordon C. Watts Memorial Fine Arts Scholarship Recipient Exhibition and the Art Expressions Exhibition are on display until Sept. 7 at Lynnwood Arts, 21 Lynnwood Avenue, Simcoe.