New Art exhibit showcases 30 years of collaboration, innovation, and friendship

Bold ideas and bright energy fill the Woodstock Art Gallery’s newest exhibition, Together Apart | Under One Roof. From left to right, Braeden Gruber, exhibition designer, and Alexandra Hartstone, director and curator at the Woodstock Art Gallery. (Alex Hunt Photo).

Alex Hunt, Post Contributor

Three artists. Thirty years of friendship. One exhibition that ties it all together. Together Apart | Under One Roof

Woodstock Art Gallery brings the distinct yet connected practices of Winnipeg artists Aganetha Dyck, Reva Stone, and Diana Thorneycroft to the gallery floors this fall, celebrating their creative bond and the shared ideas that shaped their work for decades.

The exhibition is set to open on Nov. 1 and will feature a visitation reception of Reva Stone and Diana Thorneycroft. Aganetha Dyck recently passed away over the summer, but her work will live on with her two best friends at the Woodstock Art Gallery, set to conclude its exhibition on March 7 of next year.

“I started designing their showroom at the beginning of September, had a couple of conversations with the artists on what artworks they want in the show,” said Braeden Gruber, exhibition designer. “The exhibit is going into a large gallery divided up by three separate galleries. We figured it would be perfect to have one of those spaces for each of the artists.”

Alexandra Hartstone, director and curator at the Woodstock Art Gallery, said the team began identifying the subtle connections to the artists’ distinct practices. While each approaches her work from a different perspective.

Reva Stone shows creativity through artificial intelligence and technology, Diana Thorneycroft through photography and sculptural dioramas, and the late Aganetha Dyck with bees and environmental themes. The exhibition blends these ideas through shared explorations of feminism, connection, and the relationship between humans and the natural world.

“These three artists have worked together in a studio and have created this long friendship and bond that has lasted almost 30 years, but they all have very different practices,” said Hartstone. “With Aganetha passing, it's a very meaningful project to Reva and Diana. I think they have been really happy with what we have been doing so far.”

In connection with Stone’s work, Hartstone says artificial intelligence is a growing field that is both useful and controversial, which is why she finds her work interesting. Stone’s interactive sculptural works invite viewers to engage directly with technology, reinforcing the idea that what we put into it determines what we get out of it.

Hartstone says she finds this embrace of technology inspiring and looks forward to seeing how audiences respond to the artist’s thought-provoking approach.

“I think there is a wow factor that guests will be taking away from it, a very unique exhibition. Some people feel intimidated to come see the arts, and it’s one of the best ways to show off cool things, “said Gruber. “This is going to be a very three-dimensional setting; it won’t just be artworks on a wall. The presentation is going to have something for everyone.”

Hartstone added she hopes people will feel welcome and can return anytime to ask questions. She particularly hopes that people appreciate bees, especially the impact some of these topics can have on a person's life.

Gruber says many people believe art to be inaccessible or hidden behind complex meanings. He hopes Together Apart | Under One Roof will challenge that perception by offering visitors an experience that can be appreciated both for its ideas and visual impact.