As Waves Break

This Town Is Small presents the solo exhibition As Waves Break by artist JoAnna Howlett at the Hilda Woolnough Gallery at The Guild in Charlottetown. The exhibition will be on display during gallery visiting hours, Wednesday to Saturday, noon–5 pm, from February 13 to March 26. All are welcome to attend the opening event on February 12 from 6–8 pm.

Fishing and sailing culture is steeped in superstition, and fishermen are steadfast in upholding tradition. Howlett’s paternal grandfather believed that women were bad luck aboard fishing vessels. As an act of defiance, she began fishing lobster on his boat a couple of years after his death. As Waves Break showcases recent work that addresses her grandfather’s superstition, tradition in the lobster fishery, familial legacy, and gendered labour. The exhibition foregrounds the emotional and physical labour involved in both continuing and challenging family legacy, while posthumously attempting to understand and mend complex familial dynamics.

Howlett is an emerging interdisciplinary artist and lobster fisher from Souris, PEI. Her work reflects on tradition and superstition in the Atlantic lobster fishery using industry-specific materials such as recycled rope, concrete, and lobster trap lumber, as well as photo and video to create installations and sculptures.

The gallery is located at 111 Queen Street in Charlottetown.