Winnipeg artist Bev Pike discusses her large-scale paintings (on view Saturday, September 15 to Sunday, December 9) of imaginary underground grottos and relates them to classic elements of Baroque art, and the feminist metaphors of Tulip Mania in 1635 during the Dutch Golden Age. Culture Club is supported in part by Nash Family Wealth Management.

Image: Bev Pike, Gazing Pond Chamber, 2018, gouache on paper, Collection of the artist

About Culture Club

Get the inside scoop on local art and history. Each session features a lecture by a guest speaker in our theatre (wheelchair accessible) followed by light refreshments and time to meet others. Tailored to ages 55+, but we don’t check ID!

Full Culture Club Schedule

September 12
Tulipmania to the Baroque: Creating the Grottesque Paintings
Winnipeg artist Bev Pike discusses her large-scale paintings (on view Saturday, September 15 to Sunday, December 9) of imaginary underground grottos and relates them to classic elements of Baroque art, and the feminist metaphors of Tulip Mania in 1635 during the Dutch Golden Age.

October 10
Winning a Governor General’s Award in Visual Arts
London artist Wyn Geleynse (2018 winner of Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts) traces the 30+ years of his art practice from his pioneering film projections to his video installations, and all the stops in between.

November 14
A History of Editorial Cartoons in Canada
Brescia University College history professor George Warecki discusses the origins and development of editorial cartoons in Canada with emphasis given to the 19th and 20th centuries.

December 12
Long Ago and Close Up: Curating Museum London’s Permanent Art Display
Museum London’s Curator of Art, Cassandra Getty, talks about the choices made curating Museum artworks into an exhibition that tells the history of Southwestern Ontario. Special attention in this talk will be given to Paul Peel, the Group of Seven, Jack Chambers, Greg Curnoe, and newer artists of the region.

January 9
Never Forgotten: The Making of a Depression-era Documentary.
Filmmaker Juan Bellow discusses Never Forgotten, his new documentary about the On-To-Ottawa Trek, which chronicles the march of a thousand unemployed men to protest the poor conditions in Depression-era Federal work camps.

February 13
Black History Month and the Changing Faces of London.
LUSO Multicultural Outreach Coordinator Leroy Hibbert talks about his work with diverse communities and the problem of racism in London.

March 13
Evolving Dundas: Mercantile Centre to Community Hub.
Elgin County Museum curator Mike Baker brings historic Dundas Street to life in this lecture about its buildings and the time when London dominated the commercial life of Southwestern Ontario. Learn more about the merchant princes who owned the buildings, and the architects that built them.

April 10
Nash at 100! The Secret to Success of London’s Oldest Jewelers
John Nash and archivist Debra Majer Fraser discuss this London jewellery destination starting with its opening in 1918, the Nash family journey over three generations, their family values, and the rebrands the store has gone through.

May 8
From the Vault: Writing London’s History and Book Outtakes.
Author and Historian Jennifer Grainger shares the stories of what went into her book and the what and why of what didn’t. Hear about her current work on the sequel, set in the 1950s and 60s, and get a chance to win a copy of the original!

June 12
Ongwehon:we / Indigenous Artistic Practices of the Eastern Woodlands.
Woodlands Cultural Centre’s Naomi Johnson explores the regional history of Indigenous art from the traditionally based work of 19th century artists James Beaver and Zachary Vincent, to Norval Morrisseau, and the next generation.