Hard Westerlies

Grenfell Art Gallery | Nov. 12, 2025 – Jan. 10, 2026

Reviewed by Aley Waterman

Named for a belt of prevailing wind blowing from the west, “Hard Westerlies” is a group exhibition at the Grenfell Campus Art Gallery (Memorial University) that showcases the diverse works of the School of Fine Arts (SOFA) teachers, past and present. Since opening in 1988, SOFA has shaped, and been shaped by, creative minds whose impacts have had a major impact on the community in Corner Brook, rippling outwards towards the rest of the province and beyond. 

As a kid growing up in Corner Brook, I believed beyond further critical inquiry, and no doubt as a result of SOFA’s influence, that almost everyone was an artist. Not only has the school’s bright presence in this small town supported local artists, but it’s also brought world-class artists and teachers from other provinces and countries here and supported their talents in a copasetic relationship whose creative impacts speak for themselves. The result of this magical convergence can be felt in “Hard Westerlies,” which reflects on the legacy of artists and educators past and present, showcasing more than three decades of creative practice, research, and mentorship. Artists include Gerard Curtis, Robert Hengeveld, Barb Hunt, Kent Jones, Marc Losier, Michelle MacKinnon, D’Arcy Wilson, and Andrew Testa. 

To consider the metaphor of hard westerlies as a crosswind that works to converge local and mainland talents, what results is not a tension but a cohesive vision of influences that coalesce in a surreal and engaging collection of works that can’t be typified in a sentence, as they’re all distinctly unique. Kent Jones’ stone lithograph Cobra, Friend and Boat (1984) is presented alongside Andrew Testa’s between floor and foot, sky and window (2025) against a deep green-grey backdrop, both colourful and abstracted, experimental pieces reflecting a singularity as well as a continuity between founding faculty member Jones and his successor, Testa. Both wonderful artists and engaged pedagogical mentors who have helped shape the minds of so many emerging printmakers in this province, both pieces playful and of similar pastel-meets-deep-grey vignettes that are deeply pleasing and dreamy to look at. While this kind of dual-exhibition exists across the show, incorporating founding and contemporary influences in a kind of coherent display reminiscent of a good playlist, there is no blending when it comes to the unique vision of each piece. Larry Weyand’s massive bedazzled floor-bound lobster offsets the precision of Michelle MacKinnon’s taut and imaginative drawings, and there’s such a variety in the show as to offer something for anyone. 

The exhibit is accompanied in the gallery by “To Launch Forth Into the Deep,” part of Memorial’s 100th anniversary celebrations, showcasing works of other iconic Newfoundland artistic talent like Mary Pratt and Don Wright. Viewed together, these two shows offer a glimpse into the visual arts magic in this province spanning decades. Moving through both exhibits, I left the gallery with the hair raised on my arms, feeling the inspiring impact of influence over time. People here might not preach their accolades much, so seeing the great works of so many from the community was a deep reminder of this humility in the face of imagination and talent. Drop by Grenfell Gallery by January 10th to drink it all in.

Aley Waterman is a writer of fiction, poetry, and music from and living in Newfoundland. Her first novel Mudflowers was published by Dundurn in fall of 2023. She has had work appear in Border Crossings, Brooklyn Review, Bad Nudes Magazine, the Trampoline Hall Podcast, Riddle Fence, and elsewhere.