‘The Dress’ – a unique exhibit opening at Tom Thomson Gallery

The Tom Thomson Gallery in Owen Sound is about to feature a unique artistic exhibit by artist Barbara Sprague of Southampton.

‘The Dress’ is a creation that has evolved over several decades and is no a series of graphite drawings layered onto individual section of the Vogue pattern that Sprague actually used to sew her own wedding gown.

Onto the gown, she created a genealogical memory of her matriarchal lineage … from her great- grandmother to her granddaughters, ethereal figures are “connected and entangled in a fantastical landscape, yet rooted in the framework of the female anatomy.”

“The cycle of life activates my imagination,’ says Sprague.  “Death is the end but also the beginning.”

Sprague graduated from the Ontario College of Art in Advertising Design and worked as a graphic artist for CKVR TV in Barrie and the Presbyterian Church of Canada in Toronto.  She studied print-making and painting at the University of Oregon and continued her education through Lakehead University, graduating with an honours Bachelor of Fine Arts majoring in drawing.  She went on to establish a contemporary art gallery at Lake of the Woods Museum and was involved with Artist North &  Definitely Superior in Thunder Bay artist co-op.  She is a past Executive Board Member of CARO and Visual Arts Ontario and has been part of numerous juries.

The exhibit, curated by Heather McLeese, will run through June 1st with an opening reception this Friday, April 12th at 7:00 p.m. with an Artist Talk to follow on May 4th at 1:00 p.m.