Rick Rivet: Paintings 2000-2005

September 15 to November 18, 2007

The Kelowna Art Gallery is very pleased to present Rick Rivet for the first time ever at the Kelowna Art Gallery.  This visually tantalizing exhibition is organized and circulated by the Mendel Art Gallery in Saskatoon and presents paintings by British Columbia-based artist Rick Rivet.  Born and raised in Canada’s Northwest Territories, Rivet draws from his experience of the rich diversity of Inuit, Indian and Métis culture.  He is also influenced by other ancient shamanistic societies throughout the world, philosophical thought centred on the idea of the universal unconscious, and his interest in the art movements of Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism.  For Rivet, art is a meditative process, one that mirrors the shaman’s function as mediator between the spirit world and the world of the human.  Recurring themes include journeys through life, dreams, mapping and transformation.

Born 1949 in Aklavik Northwest Territories, Rivet’s formative years were spent on the Mackenzie River Delta, in a culturally diverse community consisting of Inuit, Indians, Métis, and various Europeans.  His personal history was also rich and varied, having a mother of the Athapaskan First Nations, a Scandinavian father and an adopted family of Scottish descent.  Following High School years in Inuvik, Rivet travelled to the south, to Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba to embark on his post-secondary education.  He earned a B.A. from the University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB (1969-72); a B.F.A. (Painting) from the University of Victoria, Victoria BC (1976-80); and M.F.A. (Painting) from the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK (1983-85); and a B.Ed. from the University of Saskatchewan (1985-86).  He currently lives and works in Terrace, British Columbia.

Organized and circulated by the Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Canada.  This project has been made possible in part through a contribution from the Museums Assistance Program, Department of Canadian Heritage.

Exposition organisée et circulée par la Galerie d’Art Mendel de Saskatoon, au Canada et ce projet a été rendu possible en partie grâce à une contribution du Programme d’aide aux musées du ministère u Patrimoine canadien.