SSNAP Press release
Announcing the 52 Finalists for SSNAP 2025
We are proud to announce the 52 artists selected as finalists for the Salt Spring National Art Prize (SSNAP) 2025. Chosen from thousands of submissions from across the country, these finalists represent a powerful cross-section of contemporary Canadian visual art.
Shazia Ahmad • Etty Anderson • Robyn Asquini • Krystal Ball
Melanie Barnett • Haley Bassett • Anna Belleforte • Catherine Blackburn
Linda Brine • Ghislain Brown-Kossi • Ernesto Cabral • Colin Campbell
Mimi Gellman • Murray Gibson • Shoshannah Greene • Anna Gustafson
Bron Hawkins • Maria Hupfield • David Kaarsemaker • Jake Kimble
Christina Leslie • Dillon Lew’chuk • Yen-Chao Lin • Bettina Matzkuhn
Marney McDiarmid • Jessie McNeil • Raul Mendoza Azpiri • Kuhlein Migue
Alyssa Miller • Virginia Morgan • Par Nair • Vick Naresh
Yomi Orimoloye • Debra Frances Plett • Julie Pongrac • Terri Potratz
Melissa Renwick • Joanna Rogers • Natalie Rollins • Carol Schlosar
Taryn Sheppard • Cheryl Simon • Ralph Simpson • Reegan Snider
M.E. Sparks • Kim Stewart • Jason Stovall • Tad Suzuki
Jessica Winters • Amanda Wood • Vance Wright • Gang Yin
This year’s selections were made by our esteemed jury: Mireille Eagan, Dr. Heather Igloliorte, Sarah Milroy, and Dr. Kenneth Montague.
With deep expertise and diverse perspectives, the jurors brought thoughtfulness and rigour to the selection process—resulting in a vibrant and compelling exhibition.
The 2025 finalists will have their work exhibited at Mahon Hall on Salt Spring Island from September 27 to October 19. This national exhibition invites the public to engage with bold ideas, imaginative visions, and urgent questions shaping the artistic landscape today.
We are honoured to present these exceptional artists and look forward to celebrating their work in the months ahead.
In Dialogue with the Collection: Fierce Female Artists
March 29 to May 24, 2025
Gallery press release:
The Community Art Collection holds over 300 works representing over 100 artists from the Arts Council’s early days in the 1970s until present. Six of those artists are women artists who faced and overcame significant barriers and challenges. We wish to honour those women by asking local artists to respond to their works.
Featuring local artists Lou Conron, Destanne Norris, Carol Schlosar and Heather Yip responding to the works of Vivian Lindoe, Diane Akey responding to artwork by Alice Montjoy, Jennifer Chernecki responding to artwork by Chris Czajkowski, Spud Barker responding to works by Delores Purdaby, and Lisa Figueroa responding to artwork by Mary Thomas. A community collaborative by over 50 creative folks honours Faye Fawcett with a garden of “Flowers for Faye.”
The Opening Reception is Saturday, March 29, 2025 from 11am to 1pm. The Coffee Break and Artist Talk is on Thursday, April 17 beginning at 2pm. Everyone is welcome to attend!
Carol Schlosar
Pages from the Book of Women
Sunshine Coast Arts Council
March 21 - April 15, 2025
5714 Medusa at Trail, Sechelt, BC
Artist Talk + Reception: Friday March 21st @ 5pm
Gallery press release
“The CIA should hire as spies only women over fifty because we are truly invisible” (Marge Piercy).
How did the natural process of a woman aging, a testament to her strength, become one of society’s greatest stigmas? Pages from the Book of Women explores these subversive attitudes and how contemporary older women have generated new definitions of social identity. Invisible… laughable! Juxtaposing traditional and contemporary elements, this exhibition invites viewers to examine their personal narrative of aging and visibility, and celebrate older women.
As an older woman in a community of older women, I’m currently most curious about these three things: How do we defy the pervasive stigma of aging as a time of decline and invisibility, and craft a counter-narrative that celebrates vitality, wisdom, and resilience? How do we navigate the occupation of space as individuals and as a community? How do we, as women, respond to the environmental challenges in our ever-changing world?
Carol Schlosar is an artist, teacher, and musician rooted in Sicamous, British Columbia. Armed with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Thompson Rivers University (TRU), she continues to refine her skills and spark her creativity through independent study with ‘Scholars without Institutions.’
Her artistic practice encompasses a range of mediums, including painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, and more. Schlosar’s work, both solo and collaborative, has been showcased in various galleries across BC.