It seems only fitting that the 50th anniversary celebrations of the arts council should take place against a backdrop of the work of a New West luminary: Joseph Plaskett. Plaskett, born in 1918 in New Westminster, went on to international fame as an artist based in Paris. He died in 2014 at the age of 96, after a career that included being named to the Order of Canada.
The Plaskett exhibition – on now at the Gallery at Queen’s Park - was, in fact, a stroke of last-minute serendipity. After an artist cancelled an exhibition at the eleventh hour, O’Shea reached out to the New Westminster Public Library’s chief librarian, Julie Spurrell, to see if they could lend the arts council some of their collection of Plaskett’s work.
The subject matter is views of New Westminster – “It seems all people from New Westminster, their favourite subject is New Westminster,” O’Shea laughs.
O’Shea notes the art isn’t new to local viewers. It’s on display at the library but not always in the foreground for library visitors; here at the gallery, though, it can be gathered in one exhibition and made a focal point of this celebration of arts in New Westminster.
“The timing is just perfect with the 50th anniversary. To be able to highlight Joseph’s work is something really special,” O’Shea says.
The exhibition, which opened Nov. 1, is underway until Nov. 26.
It will form the backdrop for arts council celebrations on that Sunday afternoon, when the annual general meeting will be followed by a reception and open house that’s open to everyone, from 2:30 to 5 p.m.
Later in the week, the arts council will host a special “secret” concert on Wednesday, Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m. (Spoiler alert: We’re not telling you who’s performing in the concert, but it’s pretty easy to find out. The arts council’s website just might, in fact, have some information.)
See www.artscouncilnewwest.org for details about all the events.
