Attractions Ontario Events

28 May 2016 – Fall 2017

Curated by Crystal Mowry

Equal parts activist and artist, Ron Benner combines photography and installation, often in the form of site-specific installation. Through these means, Benner reflects on the histories of oppression that intersect with the corporatization of our food sources. Central to Benner’s work is the concept of the vector. In mathematics, a vector is understood to be a precise point along a direct path. In biology, however, a vector is a living organism that carries and transmits disease.

In Trans/mission: 101, Benner invites us to see the potential for education in our immediate environs. The 101 of its title is both a reference to the Gallery’s address and a colloquial short-hand for an introductory lesson. Situated on the Centre In The Square’s exterior grounds along Queen St. North, Trans/mission: 101 is composed of three garden beds in the shape of the aforementioned numerals. Photographic images that connect us to other geographies are interspersed with various ornamental plants, including different varieties of maize. Frequently found in Benner’s gardens, maize has been cultivated in the Americas by Indigenous farmers for thousands of years. It is a crop with limitless possibilities; it can be found as an ingredient in processed foods, used medicinally, and processed as a fuel. Its history as an entirely human-dependent crop, its export with the advent of colonialist encounter, and its radical alteration through genetic modification contribute to the symbolic value that maize brings to Benner’s work. One can’t help by ponder how little we know about food and water and the other things that sustain us. What have we risked in the name of industry?  What have we lost?

All gardens need attention. By thriving, a garden communicates our attentiveness and willingness to prioritize its wellbeing. Its neglect is just as telling. In Benner’s work we are reminded that localized knowledge is inextricably linked to global issues.

Trans/mission: 101 is presented in concert with CAFKA 16 (Contemporary Art Forum Kitchener and Area) and will remain visible through Fall of 2017. KWAG will host a corn roast with Ron Benner for our Open House on 16 July. Be sure to return on the evening of 16 September when Benner will be giving an artist talk in concert with the opening of our fall exhibition.

UnEARTHed will immerse visitors into the world of palaeontology as they discover the Earth’s 4 billion year fossil history! The exhibition features a treasury of fossil casts from some of the most exciting finds from over a century of worldwide excavations. A geological timeline from the earliest forms of life through to the age of dinosaurs, mammals and prehistoric humans. See a cast of Lucy, one of the earliest hominid ever discovered, and experience the story of life on Earth.
But that’s not all, see real Canadian dinosaur fossils from the Royal Ontario Museum and learn about the evolution of feathered dinosaurs. Join us in a Mastodon Matrix Dig and check out some of the amazing fossils from Manitoulin Island.
Coming March 4, 2017 to Dynamic Earth – Home of the Big Nickel!

This limited-time exhibition is an immersive tribute to 100 years of NHL hockey, highlighting the most memorable players and moments in league history.

The NHL’s 100 Greatest Players, as selected by an NHL-appointed panel, are featured through treasured artifacts and video vignettes. Items on display include the stick used by Wayne Gretzky to score his NHL single-season record 92nd goal in 1982, the gloves worn by Sidney Crosby to capture the 2009 Stanley Cup, the stick used by Jean Beliveau to record his final career goal in 1971, Gordie Howe’s 700th goal puck from 1968, Bobby Orr’s infamous knee brace, and Jacques Plante’s iconic goalie mask.

Plus, on display for the first time in the last quarter century, Minute Book of the National Hockey League – the only behind-the-scenes account of hockey’s forefathers and their task in shaping the NHL from its inception in 1917.

We are celebrating Canada’s sesquicentennial with a brand new installation, Canada 150: Discovery Way. From the far reaches of space to common household items, this installation focuses on the Canadian stories behind transformational inventions and innovations. By highlighting the curiosity, critical thinking and courage necessary for scientific discovery, Canada 150: Discovery Way encourages you to ask questions, make observations and test ideas of your own. Through amazing artifacts, ranging from the lightbulb to the flight recorder, you’ll gain a better understanding of Canada’s unique scientific achievements – and you may be inspired to be Canada’s next great innovator!