Exhibitions

Field Notes

Stephanie Fortin

November 25, 2025 - February 24, 2026

Image: Cut of a downed Black Walnut Tree

The environments we inhabit are constantly changing; often so gradually that transformation slips past unsolicited. What feels stable or familiar today carries with it traces of alterations, quiet reminders of how the world continues to evolve. Stephanie Fortin’s new body of work grows from this awareness, offering a meditation on presence, process, and transformation within the living systems of The Arboretum at the University of Guelph.

Working closely within this environment, Fortin engages with trees and natural elements found on site: particularly black walnut and sumac, rich in tannins combined with rust-derived iron to develop colour markings. Using textile sources from thrift shops and donations, methods similar to frottage (a technique where a texture or surface relief is transferred onto another material by rubbing over it), and slow, site-responsive processes, her works register traces of an evolving landscape. Each textile becomes a point of contact: between human and more-than-human, past use and new life, stability and change.

The resulting works bear the impressions of time and weather—dampness softening a print, wind shifting a fold. These marks are not accidents but evidence. Evidence of duration, of proximity, of materials acting on their own terms. Fortin’s practice is one of attentive participation rather than control, allowing the living world to inscribe itself onto the fabric.

In Field Notes, Fortin invites us to slow down and attune ourselves to the subtle moments of colour, decay, renewal, and our relationships with the natural world. Each work holds the memory of a specific moment that continues to shift with time, offering a record of the present while reminding us that even what we think of as now is already in transition.

Curated by Alexandra Hartstone

Special thanks to The Arboretum at the University of Guelph and arborist Kellen Wood for their generous support and expertise.

Cross Pollination

Clear Eyes Collective

Sept 23, 2023 - Summer 2025


True community is inclusive and nurtures everyone, providing a safe space for all.

Cross Pollination is a commissioned mural by Clear Eyes Collective for the exterior outdoor exhibition platform of the Grimsby Public Art Gallery and Library. Over the course of the summer, the collective collaborated with the community by asking them to generate key words to inspire the artistic development and content of the mural. Some words were reflective of the physical characteristics of the Town of Grimsby; its connection with agriculture, proximity to Lake Ontario, and the Niagara escarpment. Others looked to honor less tangible connections like culture, multiculturalism, and LGBTQ2S+ allyship. After reviewing each prompt, and drawing from their own connection to the area, the collective refined their final design, culminating in Cross Polination, which was live painted onsite during the second annual Grimsby Arts Walk, September 23, 2023.  

Curated by Caitlin Sutherland

CLEAR EYES COLLECTIVE is a mural crew based out of Hamilton, Ontario made up of members Darian Poisson, Adam Bates and Josh Kellett. Their mission is to integrate the mysterious power of art into the plain cityscape, transforming ordinary spaces into an immersive gallery. Their approach to public art has always been rooted in creating vibrant visual environments that connect and uplift the community at large.

Clear Eyes Collective have been painting large-scale murals as a team for 10 years, and in that time they have had the opportunity to partner with local businesses, festivals, corporations and different municipalities and cities. They take tremendous care to make sure their designs are tailored to each project, while always maintaining a vibrant and bold style that naturally comes out of collaboration.