“Pay Attention. Be Astonished. Tell about it.”
From Sept. 22 to Oct. 3, the Tett Centre displays the Organization of Kingston Women Artists (OKWA) exhibit, Pay Attention!, inspired by poet Mary Oliver.
The intimate space displayed pieces styled after nature and humanity. Many of the paintings were of the outdoors or depicted human figures, from faces to full body.
OKWA is an organization of professional artists from the Kingston area. They have been running for 35 years and host annual shows to display their members’ artwork.
“It’s been a really good organization for me, as an artist,” Jane Derby said in an interview with The Journal. “I get to display my art regularly, which is important, and I get to be among other very professional artists.”
The theme of the 2026 fall show was developed by Derby, who has been an OKWA member for 25 years. According to Derby, she had the idea to call it “pay attention,” and that idea was solidified after reading a headline in The Atlantic with the same name.
The original phrase is comprised of three lines from Mary Oliver’s poem, “Sometimes.” Pay attention. Be Astonished. Tell about it. Oliver instructs readers to live life by finding beauty in small things, then sharing those findings with as many people as possible.
The canvases on the walls all told a different story as the artists all interpreted the theme differently, telling stories of vulnerability and searching for belonging. The artworks themselves varied in mediums from sculptures, to pottery, to collage art in the form of a book.
A standout piece was Argus Watching Cerberus Chase His Tail by Linda Williams. The blue vase included characters from Greek mythology, and was covered in eyes, an apt fit for the exhibit’s theme. Williams took a comedic approach to describing her work, laughing at how the eyes made it somewhat on the nose.
Williams was just one of many who used their art to tell a story that’s challenging with words. Her piece was connected to a traumatic experience, where she’d lost her ability to read. Her way back into the world of literature was through mythology.
Curated by artists Jane Derby and Diane Black, Derby noted they both loved organizing the artworks in the exhibit space.
“It’s wonderful figuring out how to put art together so the works mirror each other or reflect each other,” Derby said.
Shortly after 6:30 p.m., Diane Black began the artist talk with a brief introduction.
Afterwards, the small audience of around 20 people circulated throughout the exhibition space while listening to the artists describe their work and creative process. Out of OKWA’s sixty members, only seven artists spoke about their work at the talk.
Diane Black presented second. Her sculpture, Frankee, is modelled after a real woman with the same name. Black noted being fascinated with her creativity and personal expression.
Although Black finds portraits rigid and challenging to perfectly replicate someone’s likeness, she believes she accurately depicted her model while staying true to her artistic process and vision.
“What I try to do is not overthink it and just kind of be in the moment of sculpting,” Black said during her artist talk.
Most artists had years-long connections to the pieces they created.
Melanie Craig-Hansford’s mixed media and acrylic piece, After the Concert, expressed her interest in trees and their shadows. During the talk, Craig-Hansford described her process of collaging, painting, and sanding — an approach which several other presenting artists took as well.
The work was a culmination of all the artwork she’s created over the years, demonstrating her changing style. She included human figures in this painting, which she’d never done before, but she knew that inclusion was the next step in her practice.
Since many of the audience were artists or members of OKWA, the presentation segment of the event was heavily discussion-based. While audience members asked questions, they also shared their opinions on their interpretations of the art.
The room full of women artists spoke passionately about their artwork, with each piece asking viewers to pay attention to the stories behind them.
Tags
Local Art, Organization of Kingston Women Artists, Tett Centre, Visual art
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