Join us on Sunday, July 10^th from 2-4 pm for the closing reception of Semá:th Xó:tsa: Sts’ólemeqwelh Sxó:tsa/Great Gramma’s Lake featuring carvings by E’yies’lek Claude “Rocky” LaRock at the Art Gallery at Evergreen. Remarks with contributing artists will take place at 2:45PM. 

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

The Art Gallery at Evergreen is proud to announce its presentation of Semá:th Xó:tsa: Sts’ólemeqwelh Sxó:tsa/Great Gramma’s Lake, organized and circulated by The Reach Gallery Museum, Abbotsford. In November 2021, extreme rains flooded extensive areas of the Fraser Valley, including what is today known as Sumas Prairie. This “once in a century” flooding has dramatically impacted the lives and livelihoods of many Fraser Valley residents, including Stó:lō master carver E’yies’lek Claude “Rocky” LaRock. Originally scheduled for a solo exhibition at the Art Gallery at Evergreen this spring, LaRock needed to prioritize his family and community as a result of the floods, requiring a creative re-envisioning of the exhibition plan. Revolving around LaRock’s powerful carvings, the Semá:th Xó:tsa exhibition also immerses visitors in a life-size rendering of the award-winning children’s book of the same title, co-authored by Kris Foulds, Laura Schneider, Thetáx Chris Silver and Xémontélót Carrielynn Victor, who also created the illustrations. Together, the works speak to the vital, enduring importance of Semá:th Xó:tsa (Sumas Lake) to the region’s past and present, and to the enduring strength and resilience of the Stó:lō people.