The Way We See It
-Judy Piercey-
Glenise Harvey had a dream of opening an art gallery to celebrate children’s art. Theodora
Harasymiw dreamed of having a space to help children express their creativity through visual
art.
The two women met through their work in Edmonton Public School Board schools, Glenise as an educator and principal and Theo as an artist in residence.
Like most dreams, theirs took many conversations over time, and a bit of luck, to solidify into Dandi-Lines Art Gallery and Studio Theo.
Since opening in March, their concept has evolved beyond children’s art and into a larger sense of community. So far, Theo and Glenise have put together two shows. The first, “From the Fridge to the Wall,” featured 24 children in the all-day kindergarten program funded through the Edmonton Public School Foundation.
The second, “Our Journey Thus Far,” followed a weekend workshop with Syrian refugee women and their high school-aged daughters.
As a non-profit gallery, Glenise reinvests all profits into buying materials and covering the costs of future shows, workshops and events.
“I don’t like the word ‘marginalized’ people. But we haven’t figured out a better one yet,” says
Glenise. “So, it’s about giving ‘marginalized people’ an opportunity to create in an environment like this. One of the things we really wanted was to provide a nurturing and safe, almost sacred place, for them. The youth, right from the conception of this idea, was a group that we wanted to work with.”
Their dream of working with youth was realized in November when some young people involved with the Youth Empowerment and Support Services (YESS) participated in a print-making workshop. Their work, and that of others from YESS, will be showcased this month in a show called “The Way We See It.” It opens at Dandi-Lines on January 25 and runs until February 25.
“With Dandi-Lines gallery, we elevate and celebrate the art by putting it on the walls,” says Glenise. “So my purpose is to elevate and celebrate the artists who we host here.”