Vignette
New work by Stephen Altena and Andrew McPhail
November 4th -30th
Opening Reception Saturday November 8th, 2-4
In today’s news, a talking head will describe you as trash. Trash. On the bureau a small porcelain cat contradicts him. A whole menagerie springs to life, like the helping animals in Cinderella, in rebuke. Whimsy is this revenge. Only trash knows trash. Our gaiety attacks. Buck up, take heart.
Vessels
Mackenzie Browning
November 4th -30th
Opening Reception Saturday November 8th, 2-4
In Vessels, Hamilton (Flamborough) based artist Mackenzie Browning presents groupings of sculptural paper forms that transform a fragile material into something architectural and enduring. Carefully cut, folded, and assembled, these works appear as vases, teardrops, and stars. Together they form a constellation of symbols that reflect how we hold, process, and release experience.
The vase can be seen as a metaphor for human existence, a form shaped to contain, to offer, and to endure. It speaks to our capacity to carry both fragility and strength, and to hold memory, care, and nourishment across a lifetime. The teardrop suggests the importance of release, acknowledging grief and vulnerability as part of resilience. The star points outward and upward, a reminder of orientation, hope, and the search for higher ground.
These forms move between intimacy and expansiveness, grounding us in the immediacy of the body while opening toward the vastness of the sky. Through this work, Mackenzie continues a practice rooted in printmaking, book arts, and installation, reshaping paper into a sculptural presence that invites reflection and connection.
Browning holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) from Queen’s University and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Saskatchewan.