Downtown Denman Art Walk

Downtown Denman Art Walk

Denman Island’s tiny ‘downtown’ is just a 450-metre-long L-shaped stretch of road. You can walk from one end to the other in about six minutes if you don’t stop. But people usually do stop—to chat, shop, eat, linger…and to look at art.

With 20 pieces of outdoor art and three venues offering art on exhibit and/or for sale, Denman’s village offers a fun, free, and easy way to discover the island’s visual arts.

This text and the accompanying map set you up for a self-guided art walk through downtown Denman. We suggest setting aside a few hours. You might want to include lunch, coffee, a treat or all three at the local eateries.

By the end of your art walk, you’ll know this place a bit better, seen through the eyes of its artists.

Stop 1: Earth Club Factory Guesthouse & Café—gallery, installations

Step into the whimsical and welcoming world of the Earth Club Factory, Café, and Guest House. Head inside, grab a coffee and fresh-baked snack, peruse the rotating art exhibits in the cozy café, and wander the grounds to see mosaics and creative assemblages of old tools.

For instance, at the top of the parking lot, you’ll find a divinatory wheel of fortune made from an old steering wheel—spin it to get ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ or ‘maybe’ answers to your most pressing questions. Then head towards the ferry. Take the walking trail that runs alongside the road—this is the closest thing to a sidewalk on Denman.

 

Stop 2: Mural, Untitled, by Cindy Dilts

As you approach the corner, look behind you to see this vibrant mural, a burst of colour commissioned by Takeout Near You, the restaurant next door. The artist, a former Denman resident now living in Merville, BC, describes it as “Denman Island wildlife with a Miami postcard colour scheme to brighten up the downtown area.” Her goal with this mural was to “create a sense of dreams and wonder while accentuating the beauty that already exists in the natural world.”

 

Stop 3: New Trauma Camouflage Suit, by Scot Bullick—sculpture— Arts Denman sculpture garden

 

Continue down Denman Road and you will soon be confronted by a life-size sculpture of a human figure bristling with metal spikes.

The work is made of more than 1500 metal washers welded together to make a human form, further extended with a mass of four and six-inch steel spikes. The result creates an electric aura, an effect artist Scott Bullick describes as “a state of visual frenzy.”

The sculpture elicits strong reactions, from terror to a desire to comfort. Viewers have held its hand, and a local truck driver admitted to giving it a hug.

The object can yield infinite interpretations, starting with the title, says Scot. “The term ‘trauma camouflage’ is a psychiatric term for the concealment of personal issues in order to fit in or survive integration into society.” Life’s hardships may leave us defended in ways that limit possibility, yet we continued to march forward, carrying our armour with us.

 

Stop 4: Leaping Salmon, by Peter Karsten—sculpture—Arts Denman sculpture garden

On the other side of the walking trail, a five-foot-high salmon made of steel rods and stainless-steel sheet metal leaps up gracefully, with three herring suspended inside its belly. They move in the wind or when the salmon is touched, inviting interaction, and giving this sculpture a kinetic quality. Sculptor Peter Karsten says he hopes this piece will remind us of the agility and beauty of the salmon and its dependence on the herring.

This is one of several pieces of Denman Island public art that reference herring, a prey fish that is a keystone species at the base of the food chain. These fish provide food for bigger fish who then become nourishment for marine mammals like orcas and seals and land-based species like bears and wolves. Denman and its surrounding waters are one of the few remaining BC sites where these fish lay their eggs, filling the waters with eggs and milt (herring semen), turning the waters a milky aqua colour.

This dramatic natural event takes place in early March of each year, drawing an influx of wildlife to feed on the fish and roe. It also draws humans, some for wildlife viewing but also some as part of the fishing industry. This annual happening inspires both awe at the wonder of nature and concern about the environmental impact of the fishery.

 

Stop 5: The Hug, by Richard Menard—sculpture—under the ash tree in the Arts Denman sculpture garden

Follow the path as it crosses the footbridge over the creek. On your right, you’ll see this carved sculpture of two people embracing. The Hug was created in 2021 as a reflection of artist Richard Menard’s feelings about the COVID pandemic and his hopes for a resurgence of human connection.

“We had stopped hugging as a way of sharing love and affection. I found that troubling,” says Richard. He created The Hug as “both a reminder that we used to hug and inspiration to hug again.”

Richard chose to make the figures androgynous so that their embrace could include everyone, honouring “all the diverse expressions that make up humanity,” he says. “I hope to inspire people to love without judgment and to remember we ultimately come from one infinite source of creation. The two intertwining really are one, carved from a single cedar tree.”

 

Stop 6: Untitled, by Michael Dennis—sculpture—outside the Arts Centre

Look to your left to find a sculpture made of three curving hollow tree-trunks. This work exemplifies Michael’s style—large wooden and sometimes also metal sculptures of human or human-like forms that are both playful and imposing, solemn and sensuous.

“When working from wood I try to retain in the final piece some of the natural lines of the tree of origin. I hope the viewer can be reminded of a tree as well as of a human,” says Michael.

Michael has pieces in seven public places on Denman—four of them included on this tour (numbered on the map as 6, 11, 15, and 20), as well as at the Old School, the Medical Centre, the entrance to the Natural Cemetery, at the corner of Northwest and Lake Road, and on private properties.

 

Stop 7: Denman Flags, by Jayne Fogarty—fabric art—Arts Centre porch

Look towards the Arts Centre porch to enjoy the fluttering flags. Creator Jayne Fogarty has been creating art in multiple genres for almost three decades and is motivated by the beauty of her surroundings.

The flags represent the various flora and fauna of Denman Island, hand-printed using a stencil on each flag. They served as the prototype for a successful ongoing series of flags with various themes, including forest, sea, garden, tools, local plants, boating, and cottage life. These can be found at the Denman Island Craft Shop (#11) alongside Jayne’s other work such as aprons, bags, cotton and linen hand-printed tea towels and napkins, hand-sewn mermaids, candles, baskets, and culinary items.

 

Stop 8: Murmuration, by Jean Cockburn—installation/mobile—Arts Centre porch (seasonal: May to September)

Step onto the Arts Centre porch and look up. You’ll see a collection of colourful birds hanging from the rafters and railings. Some are faithful representations of actual bird species native to Denman, and others are the products of artist Jean Cockburn’s imagination.

Jean employed a variety of materials and construction methods. You’ll see papier maché birds constructed out of pages from various publications: a Denman Island newspaper, an out-of-date Oxford English Dictionary (“word birds,” says Jean), and a French atlas. These hang alongside origami birds made of hand-painted and lacquered rice paper or Tyvek (a construction material), and fabric birds decorated with beads and embroidery.

This exhibit is taken down for the winter and reinstalled in the summer, the selection changing each year.

Stop 9: Summer Art Gallery at the Denman Island Arts Centre

If it’s open, step inside the Arts Centre to see what’s on display. From June through August, the Summer Art Gallery hosts rotating two-week exhibits of island artists, including solo and group shows.

The gallery occupies the ground floor of this heritage building, which has a storied history. For close to half a century it was the home of community organizer Dora Drinkwater, who founded a library in the 1920s with her own extensive book collection, hosting it in her home until 1980, when it was moved to the Community Hall. After Dora’s death in 2004, her house was bought by Arts Denman, the island’s main arts organization, and re-opened in 2006 as an arts and culture hub.

When the Summer Art Gallery is not operating, the space is available for rental, self-curated art exhibits, classes, and other community offerings.

Stop 10: Map of Denman, by Gary Piercy—painted illustration—General Store exterior

Head next door to the Denman Island General Store. On the front wall facing Northwest Road you’ll find a cheerful hand-painted map that includes both Denman and Hornby Islands.

Created in 2012, this artwork has guided many a visitor around the island, while also delighting children who like to spot the various island inhabitants depicted: orca, bald eagle, beaver, seagulls, farm animals, and an assorted cast of human characters.

Painter Gary Piercy grew up on Denman (at the historical Piercy Farm, which is included on this map) and is an accomplished cartoonist and comic book writer and artist. Maybe that guy standing in the Piercy Farm field on the map is him—a surreptitious self-portrait.

 

Stop 11: Untitled sculpture, by Michael Dennis

Next, cross the street. Nestled in the shrubbery outside Abraxas and the Craft Shop is this sculpture, which suggests a standing figure with delightful curves. See #8 for more information about the artist.

After this piece, you’ll be visiting two of Denman’s very few commercial outlets, both portals into a world of creativity.

 

Stop 12: Denman Island Craft Shop

Perhaps the Craft Shop doesn’t technically qualify as public art, but it surely belongs on this tour. This welcoming space showcases work by over fifty artists from Denman and the surrounding area, including creators of the public art you’ve been seeing on the art walk.

Relax with the fragrance of beeswax and naturally scented soaps as you wander through the interconnected rooms, enjoying the displays of fabric art, paintings, jewellery, pottery, glass art, woodworking, culinary goodies, and more. The Craft Shop is a volunteer-run artists’ cooperative that has been operating for thirty-one years.

Stop 13: Abraxas Books, Arts and Café

In the back of this charming independent bookstore, you’ll find a café with rotating exhibits by local artists. You are welcome to just look at the art, but also this is a great venue for an ice cream cone, lunch, or coffee and you might want to browse the excellent selection of books, art and craft supplies, and gifts.

Abraxas is a favourite hangout of locals and visitors alike and has been operating for over thirty-five years, all under local ownership. If the weather is nice, eat your food or beverage outside while taking in more public art, such as the big colourful mural on the adjacent building (the next item on the art walk).

 

Stop 14: Herring Moon, by NYWN—mural—south wall of the Activity Centre

Look up Northwest Road and to your left from outside Abraxas and you can’t miss this ocean-themed mural. Artist NYWN says their inspiration for the imagery came from witnessing the herring spawn in the spring and understanding its importance to the ecosystem and the community.

“Blurring the line between two vast and mysterious domains, the night sky and the depths of the sea, the Herring Moon mural pays homage to the elements of each that are vital to our survival,” explains artist NYWN. “Part of both realms, but belonging to neither, the central figure expresses both grief and hope, simultaneously embracing and releasing the fish as they embark on their journey.” See #4 for more information about herring.

 

Stop 15: Untitled, by Michael Dennissculpture

As you leave Abraxas and head towards the Activity Centre, you can walk past, through, or around this circle of dancers. See #8 for more information about the artist.

 

  • Stop 16: Denman Tree of Life, by Jeanie Rogers—ceramic mural—exterior wall of the Activity Centre (facing Northwest Road)

This mural is inspired by a Garry oak that grows by the artist’s house. To create a uniquely Denman take on the tree of life, Jeanie intertwined the critters with the tree itself to reflect the oneness of nature. Chorus frogs and salamanders became bark, deer antlers became branches, and checkerspot butterflies and hummingbirds became leaves.

Tree of Life was sculpted in terracotta clay with iridescent lustre glazes and framed by a recycled fireplace screen. Although this is the only ceramic artwork on the walk, Denman is known for its vibrant ceramic arts community, which is what tempted Jeanie to live on the island. For years, while living in Vancouver, she’d been visiting Denman to participate in the annual community firings in potter Gordon Hutchens’ Anagama (wood fired) kiln. When retirement beckoned, she knew that’s where she wanted to be.

Stop 17: Mosaic works by Fern Neidermoser, Cheryl Jacobs, and Jeff Honsinger—outside the Activity Centre

You’ll see these collaborative marine-themed mosaics in various places around the Activity Centre and Museum: on the Activity Centre’s exterior wall, the picnic table, and benches out front, and planters by the entryways of both spaces.

They represent work by three artists: Fern is a maker of many things, including felt rugs from the wool of sheep she and her husband raise on their Denman Island farm; Cheryl is primarily a jeweller working in sterling silver, stone, and pearl; and Jeff offers artistic tiling by commission, and has work literally embedded in numerous Denman homes.

Stop 18: Herring Power, by Peter Karsten—sculpture—front wall of the Denman Island Museum

This wall sculpture is an homage to Pacific herring and shows how essential they are to the marine ecosystem. A group of more than 100 herring made from stainless steel sheet metal represent part of a ‘herring ball.’ This phenomenon occurs in the ocean when the herring swarm in tight formation, rotating around a common centre, as a defensive measure against predators.

Next to the swimming herring, fourteen animals, all of them reliant on the herring as part of their diet, are outlined in ¼-inch steel wire. See if you can find them in the sculpture: bald eagle, common merganser, black bear, great blue heron, orca, seagull, pacific white-sided dolphin, lingcod, river otter, humpback whale, sockeye salmon, sea lion, harbour seal, and coho salmon.

 

Stop 19: At the Museum, by Katarina Meglic—mixed-media painting—on the front wall of the Denman Island Museum (facing Northwest Road) (summer months only)

Artist Katarina Meglic created this painting as a response to her experience visiting the Denman Island Museum. In the piece, three items from the museum’s collection are referenced (though not reproduced in a high-realist manner): an archival photo of two children in a quarry; the colour, sheen, and abstract patterning of a spiral ammonite fossil, and the elaborate textile pattern of a handbag. These elements are interwoven, representing disparate threads of the island’s history, connected by geographic proximity.

At the end of summer, this painting is brought inside the building where it shares space with a mural by Katarina and metal art by Mary Hicks.

 

Stop 20: Untitled, by Michael Dennis—sculpture—front porch of the Community Hall

 

To get to the final stop on the art tour, cross Northwest Road and continue up the walking path to the Community Hall. Michael’s sculptures are built into the entrance of the front porch—two graceful figures, reaching joyfully towards each other, support the porch roof.

The Hall was originally constructed in 1912 and has played a vital role in the community since then. Currently it houses the volunteer-run library (see #9, above, for more info), the food bank, a games room, a warming and cooling centre during extreme weather, the Farm to Family community food-sharing program, and a youth hang-out space. It provides a venue for events including concerts, theatre, weddings, and political meetings. The sculptures were added in 1989 when the front porch was added. See #8 for more information about the artist.

 

This tour covers the downtown village area only. More public art is scattered around Denman—for instance, at the Old School (site of the Denman Island Farmers Market on Saturday mornings), Medical Centre, the entrance to the natural cemetery, and inside several public buildings.

As well, Denman creativity is on display in everyday objects like hand-painted signage, artistically crafted fences, gates, and kiosks, the island’s many locally designed and built houses, and the graffiti fence at the top of the hill on Denman Road.

Public art both reflects and enhances the Denman Island community’s relationship with place, adding delight and joy to daily life. We hope you have enjoyed your art walk!

Denman Works and Visit Denman Island would like to thank Arts Denman for coming up with the idea of an art walk, helping create this guide, and contributing so significantly to public art, especially but not only through their 2021 initiative commissioning eleven public works, funded by the BC Arts Council.