Winkler Arts + Culture’s annual Faces of Winkler exhibit is back for another summer, this time focused on the people who’ve made Winkler their home.
This year’s faces
Past versions of the exhibit typically featured long-standing community members — teachers, volunteers, city staff — people who were widely recognized for their contributions. This year, the gallery wanted to take a different approach.
“We wanted to put a twist on it this year,” said Executive Director Jered Hildebrand. “What if we focused on people who have moved here?”
The idea was to highlight stories of immigration, resettlement, and internal migration — and, more importantly, the relationships that have grown from those moves. To help guide that shift in focus, Hildebrand connected with the Pembina Valley Local Immigration Partnership. Those conversations helped frame the exhibit around everyday neighbour-to-neighbour connections, rather than just biographical portraits.
“A lot of people don't hear those stories,” Hildebrand said. “And so that was a great way for us to get started with it.”
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This year’s artists
The art on display was created by a group of local contributors, including artists from Altona and Winkler, as well as gallery volunteers and staff. Several photographers also helped capture the portraits, with each piece telling the story of a relationship between neighbours, co-workers, or friends.
The exhibit will remain open through the end of August and is free to visit. During the summer, the gallery also runs its weekly Art Camp, with youth exhibits rotating through the space alongside the main show.
While this year’s Faces of Winkler is a little smaller than usual, Hildebrand said the stories it tells are no less meaningful.
He also shared his thanks to the community, the artists and those that were nominated for sharing their stories.
“There’s so much more meaning that comes to our community because of it,” he said. “You start hearing a lot of those stories when you start having these conversations.”
The Winkler Arts + Culture is open Tuesday through Saturday, with hours available on their website.
- files provided by Winkler Arts + Culture -