Visitors to the Weyburn Art Gallery this summer can experience two completely different worlds of art, with a showcase of local potters running alongside a powerful exhibition from northern Saskatchewan artists. The combination of "The Great Weyburn Pottery Throwdown" and "Atim Maskikhiy (Dog Medicine)" highlights both local talent and creators from across the province.
The Atim Maskikhiy exhibit explores the deep and historical relationship between Indigenous peoples and dogs.
“It is an Indigenous word,” said Regan Lanning, curator and arts coordinator for the City of Weyburn. “It means dog medicine, and it is an exhibition about the relationship between Indigenous people and dogs. It is beautiful.”
The show features a wide range of art forms from creators located primarily around the Lac La Ronge area of northern Saskatchewan.
“It is a great exhibition that features a variety of mediums,” Lanning said of the works. Atim Maskikhiy runs until the end of August.
On the other side of the gallery, local talent is on full display in The Great Weyburn Pottery Throwdown. The show, which was a year in the making, features members of the Weyburn Pottery Club.
“It is inspired by a BBC show called The Great Pottery Throwdown, which is kind of like Survivor, but for art, where one week one person is voted off,” Lanning explained. “We didn't vote anyone off, but we did have six categories, and we invited all club members to participate.”
Those categories included hometown tributes, self-representative sculptures, teapots and animal sculptures. The works were judged by a panel of respected local artists, including potter Casey Kievits, painter Marilyn Nelson and photographer Chris Borschowa.
The Great Weyburn Pottery Throwdown is on display until the end of September.