World renowned Master Muralist and Artist Michelle Loughery. Loughery's The Wayfinder Sunflower Project was started in 2013 during the painting of the Internment Mural in Vernon, BC. The success of the campaign was huge, and hundreds of sunflower seeds were planted and many sunflower paintings were inspired. The poem included, by Georgianna Moore, was a part of this inspiration. This project could provide the impetus for further conversation about internment, the importance of cultural history, human rights and social responsibility. learn more >
Michelle Loughery Wayfinder Programs are structured on employment skills and community engagement social skills, which are the number one missing link between skilled workers and the job market. Art trade based learning and partnerships will guide students directly into gaining essential skills and a bridge to jobs, further education or entrepreneurship. Part of this program also has students enrolled in, The, “Passport to Employment Program,” (created 2001) A Michelle Loughery Murals designed program that gives youth a life skill and employment sustainability plan to move forward to empower and sustain a healthy lifestyle. learn more >
National Internment Mural project launched Vernon, British Columbia - press release | Official Unveiling of the Vernon Internment Mural Recalling Canada’s First World War Internment Operations 1914 To 1920 - press release
CBC - Michelle Loughery Interview May 2022
Family of WWI Ukrainian internment camp survivor searches for lost great-uncle
A heritage muralist in Vernon, B.C., is using her art to tap into her family's painful history in a search for answers about what happened to a missing family member who was sent to an internment camp in Canada between 1914 and 1920.
During the early 1900s, thousands of immigrants from Ukraine were invited to Canada to help build highways in the B.C. Interior.
The Year of the Sunflower 2022
Current - Gallery Vertigo, in alliance with the Artist Michelle Loughery Sunflower Project, proudly announces the Vernon B.C. opening of the National Internment Art Exhibit Pause in Plight, curated by Winnipeg Visual Artist Kerri Parnell, in support from the Endowment Council of the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund (CFWWIRF).
The 17-piece Art Exhibit aims to inform the masses of the WW1 national security fears and wartime prejudice, which led to the internment of 8,579 men, among them, women and children, identified as "enemy aliens". Pause in Plight is touring across Canada between 2020-2025 to help bring awareness to this historical injustice. This National Internment Art exhibit is laid out in five different sections: War Posters, Light Installation, Emotional Interpretation Series, Old Eyes Series, and To Hell with the Alien Enemy.
Pause in Plight is a touring exhibition making its way across Canada between 2020 and 2025 to help bring awareness to this historical injustice.
The Sunflower Project event “Let the Sun Shine In” - A Concert of Hope, Resilience & Joy, and hope to use the power of art and music and challenge other communities connect with Wayfinder Sunflower Art and Music in a flower power global peace movement. The Wayfinder Sunflower Project, Big Apple Productions & North Okanagan Artists Alternative are challenging community artists and organizations to rise up and create art and art events to support local artists, non-profits while also fundraising to support Ukraine.
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Leading The Year of the Sunflower - The Wayfinder Sunflower AR:T Project at Gallery Vertigo.
Seed by Seed Artist Collaboration Exhibition, Vernon BC
The Sunflower Project and Gallery Vertigo proudly presents the results of the collaborative efforts of over 25 local artists in an installation entitled Seed by Seed. Artists were invited to repurpose satellite dishes destined for the land fill and turn them into works of art representing the vibrancy, resilience, and light of the Sunflower. The artists, using the medium of their choice, displayed their sunflowers in a variety of ways, which has adorned the walls of the gallery with the hope of renewal, strength, and sunshine. A listing of participating artists can be found below. We invite you to visit their websites, or Instagram accounts.
An internationally renowned artist Michelle Loughery lead art collaboration.
Collaborating Artists:
AJ Jaeger, Ardene Howe, Brenda Ellis, Brigitte Red, Brigitte Stass, Burnsy (Kristin Burns), Charley Hampton, Destanne Norris, Eileen Sawracki, Gabrielle Strong, Jennifer Greenwood, Jill Meredith, Jo Petty, Liz MacArthur, Lynn Stoughton, Melina Schein (Moore), Melissa Dinwoodie, Noah Macleod, Patricia Doyle, Quincy Gaven, Rob Creelman, Sharon Isaaks, Sharon Rennie, Sheila Tansey, Stacey Phinnemore.
