At a time when many of us are in intense proximity with close family and friends but cannot gather with our broader communities to celebrate or even mourn together, we can find solace in small gatherings. In both being together and staying apart we are enacting practices of care. It is this relationship between gathering and care that is the core of this exhibition.

Small Gatherings brings together three artworks from the Nanaimo Art Gallery collection with works by three local artists. Through painting, cedar weaving, drawing, video, and sculpture, the works in the exhibition embody different approaches to gathering that are initiated in the process of making, and continue to speak through new gatherings with visitors in the gallery.

Small Gatherings is not only the first exhibition at the galley since the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic, but it is also the first exhibition in our 2020/2021 inquiry What moves?