2025 New Definition of Home Exhibit
Confederation Art Gallery, Charlottetown
October 16, 2025 - Jan 16, 2026.
James Aquilani
When I moved to PEI, I was thrilled to see that beach parties are still a thing! The guitar strings represent the instruments and musicians, and the blue marble represents the ocean. Kitchen parties, an Atlantic Canada tradition, are casual and intimate social gatherings with music, dancing, food and good company. A blast! These pieces capture the kitchen party magic with mixed metals representing the organized chaos of people, pets, food, and instruments; the diamonds and blue bulbs represent the stars and the ocean.
Kitchen Party (2025) (necklace and pendant) Sterling silver, brass, copper CZ diamonds, blue trail camera bulbs and guitar strings; cold-connection and soldering
Beach Jam (2025) (ring) Copper, sterling silver, vintage marble, and retired guitar strings
Island Skies (2025) (earrings) Sterling silver, copper, brass, retired guitar strings, CZ diamonds, trail camera blue bulbs; soldered and cold-connected
Ruth Aquilani
Canada is my home; Scotland is in my blood. Reading the sentiment that “my heart lies in the land of my ancestors where the thistle grows in the heath,” I wanted to make a thistle quilt. It reminds me of my childhood stays in Scotland, visiting family and exploring the countryside. To me, the scenery of Prince Edward Island is similar to Scotland with green rolling hills, blue blue water and sky, as well as the sense of community. Since moving to PEI, people have been so open and welcoming, and I’ve leaned and shared a lot. This quilt is a tribute to all those wonderful connections made in this beautiful Celtic rich province.
Flower of Scotland (2025) Traditional pieced cotton fabric, machine sewn and quilted
Celtic Connections (2024) Traditional pieced cotton fabric, machine sewn and quilted
ellen burge
Diversity reflects the transformation of our communities from the cultural identity of the 1950s into vibrant multicultural spaces shaped by immigration. It celebrates the beauty of belonging and the evolving meaning of home in a diverse and inclusive society.
Diversity (2025) Clay, sagar firings
Ashley Anne Clark
Photographs give us a short glimpse into the past. These silhouettes were based on a photo of the artist’s grandparents. This work speaks of our connection to our ancestors but also the fleeting memory of them. It symbolizes the fading past and changing times, as old ways and customs adapt to our way of living in modern society.
Vanishing Portraits (2025) Photograph silhouette, ink, watercolour and repainted vintage frame
Nancy Cole
No matter where we go or where we stay, there is always a special chair waiting. Home can be a place of comfort, familiarity, and contentment.
The old suitcase hidden under a bed at home, and opened after 50 years, revealed photographs … were they deliberately saved or simply forgotten? Our history, recorded in printed images, is so easily lost after only three generations.
Murmurations (2025) Double exposure film printed on canvas, embellished with copper wire and thread
CU (2025) Vintage photobooth photographs printed on canvas, embellished with copper wire and thread
Jamie Germaine
I am most at home when at the sea - walking the red sand beaches and swimming in the warm waters of the Island’s south shore. The colours and textures of the shoreline feature prominently in my ceramic work and I bring back techniques and collected items from my travels to incorporate in this work.
Red Sky at Night and Sea Floor (2024) Clay imprinted with textured Italian wood, grandmother’s lace, and Mexican beach shells; smoke-fired, bronze metallic finish
Trudy Gilbertson
I left PEI as a wood carver and, almost 30 years later, returned home as a carver of antler and bone, influenced by art and people from Canada’s North to the South Pacific. My work has always featured wildlife, but after years of being homesick for coastal landscapes, I now look to the ocean for inspiration.
Tide Pool (2024) Beef bone, acrylic painted cotton, driftwood, up-cycled vintage frame
Jessica Hutchinson
These pieces were made during one of the driest and hottest summers on record in PEI with wild fires burning in neighbouring provinces. This work explores the fragile boundary between shelter and exposure, safety and loss. The idea of home is increasingly unsettled; the changing climate creating tension between familiarity and disruption.
Fragile Tension (2025) Stoneware clay and high temp metal; cone 6 electric fired glazes
Arlene MacAusland
In early April, Dad would check his seed germination before planting. Mom would offer an old aluminum foil pie pan that she had been saving for this day. The paper towel was wet and my job was to spread out the seeds. The pan was then set on top of the fridge where it was nice and warm for the seeds to sprout. Dad would count the sprouts at coffee time during the week … and that was home! The summer that I was seven, I spent the days making mud pies on the veranda. I prayed to Mother Earth for a hot sunny day to bake them on old wooden shingles. If I added flour, I could get my dog to eat them. This summer, I stirred a three-year old indigo vat on my front deck. I fed her lime and saki and offerings of white cloth. She will winter in my kitchen … and that is home!
Rooted Corset and Living Skies Skirt (2025) Wheat grown on doily; thread-resist indigo-dyed cotton organdy.
Beach Dress with Pockets (2025) Thread-resist indigo-dyed cotton organdy.
Robert McMillan
I pay homage to those who are settling here on the foundations of those that came before, as they put down roots in Canada and start a new life. These newcomers often settle in the old farmhouses nestled in the island’s rolling hills. As the center of family life, these iconic buildings represent our past and are now being filled with hope for a new beginning, in a country miles away from their own.
Putting Down Roots (2025) Carved stoneware clay, slip and spray glazes; sectional thrown, cone 65 oxidation fired
Noella Moore
I had the opportunity to learn quilling from Cheryl Simon in 2016, starting with the plain star which I still use when leading a workshop. I enjoy doing snowflakes and the L’nu symbol that means “the people”. Over the years, I designed my own pieces using the eight-pointed star representing the eight nations, as well as experimenting with variations of flowers and animals including the eagle that is sacred and brings good luck. Quilling is a part of who I am, where I feel relaxed and right at home.
Untitled Samples (2016 - 2025) Dyed porcupine quills, birch bark
Quilled Petroglyphs (2025) Dyed porcupine quills, birch bark
Quilled Eagle (2025) Dyed porcupine quills, birchbark, beads
Cathy Murchison Krolikowski
When visitors come to our island from the hectic world of large cities, they reimagine what home means. Cities offer opportunities but sometimes rob us of the tranquility that nature brings. Remote work and Covid made people take stock of what is important and look to making their home in a place they may not have considered previously. This little house by the sea represents security and sustenance.
Little House by the Sea (2025) Fused glass panel in light box
Julia Purcell
The motivation of creating a new artwork can begin with a theme. The initial inspiration for this exhibition did provide soul searching and direction. My long connection to this Island home and my concerns around promoting and preserving a healthy natural environment influences all my work.
Birds and their Lyrics (2025) Linocut block prints using multi-block
Nora Richard
My ancestors, the Mi’kmaq people, were nomads who moved their homes from place to place, following the fish and clams to store for the long winter. The men fished and hunted, while the women gathered berries, other wild food, and medicinal herbs. The basket that I created - baskets within a basket - is inspired by this tradition. It is designed to gather anything such as berries, nuts, and shells; it is a vessel for collecting and storing supplies for the home for winter. With the false bottom and nested baskets, it is the basket that keeps on giving.
A New Version of a Market Basket (2025) Smoked reed and white ash