Gone Green: An Eco-Art Exhibit at Sherway Gardens April 18, 2010

Witness the future of the earth through a show of large scale two and three dimensional works made entirely from recycled, repurposed, reconstructed, redesigned and found materials at Sherway Gardens (Hwy 427 & the QEW) special Earth Week exhibit entitled Gone Green: An Eco-Art Exhibit. Works by artists Toni Calderone, Robin Hollingdrake, Kal Honey, Quan Luc Steele, Louise Zych and Stan Zych will be on display in Sherway Square from April 19 until April 24, 2010 (Monday-Friday 10am-9pm; Saturday 9:30am-6pm). Call 416-621-1070 or visit www.sherwaygardens.ca for more information.

The works in this exhibit use both natural materials and the cast-off bits of human culture to provide a commentary on the changes that are occurring in the natural environment, works that challenge the notions about the environment and celebrate the unique qualities of found and recycled materials to create a new life in old materials. Gone Green: An Eco-Art Exhibit is the second part of a two-part exhibition that includes the current Gallery in the Garden exhibit Second Nature (running until May 15, 2010) in celebration of Earth Week.

As a graduate of Humber College’s Recreational Leadership program with a fifteen-year background as an event’s manager, Toronto’s Toni Caldarone has extensive experience planning and running programs in both the arts and leisure activities for all ages. She currently provides art workshops throughout the year to both children and adults through Neilson Park Creative Centre, the City Of Toronto Community Programs, TDSB’s Learn4Life, Haliburton School of The Arts and private workshops.

Mississauga’s Robin Hollingdrake graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design and from Sheridan College, School of Crafts and Design in Ceramics. Robin has exhibited her work regularly since 1974, holding a one-person show “The Fifty Series” at Neilson Park Creative Centre in 2006. In 2007, Robin exhibited by invitation in “Open” at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga and in “If 905 isn’t 416, why are we YYZ?” at the Art Gallery of Mississauga. Her work is in the corporate collections of Neacom International Ltd and Pallett Valo LLP.

Brampton’s Kal Honey, AOCA, graduated from the Ontario College of Art in Communications & Design, where he was awarded $1,500 for Editorial Design for a package design contest he won in his final year. Kal continued his visual arts studies with regional artists and arts groups and has been exhibiting his work regularly, being accepted in juried shows since 2001. Kal has been a partner in the boutique design studio Eye-To-Eye Design since 1993, and will also be teaching in 2008 at the Station Gallery in Whitby, for the Haliburton School of the Arts at OCAD and at the Haliburton School of the Arts in Haliburton.

Quan Luc Steele works out of Neilson Park Creative Centre and has been a member of The Etobicoke Art Group for many years. This Toronto artist has studied stone sculpture with Mary Ellen Farrow and presently studies painting under John Leonard and Steve Rose.

Etobicoke’s Louise Zych graduated from the Ontario College of Art and is a practicing watercolours, acrylic, and fabric collage artist. She teaches courses in life drawing at the Neilson Park Creative Centre for teens and workshops for adults and has done volunteer work for St. Louis Catholic School in developing ideas and projects for art classes in Grades 4-8. Louise has had two exhibitions in the Main Gallery at Neilson Park Creative Centre.

Stan Zych was trained at OCA and is a self-employed Etobicoke artist. For thirty years he has owned and operated a silk screening shop producing commercial and fine art prints including over seventy illustrations for various calendars. Stan enjoys the challenges of watercolours and recently won second prize in his first juried show.

Official Website: http://www.sherwaygardens.ca