The Nature of Stillness brings together paintings inspired by water, flowers, and the quiet moments found in nature. Blending realism with abstraction, the work reflects on beauty, memory , and time. The exhibition invites viewers to slow down and experience stillness in their own way.

The opening reception will be held Feb. 19th, 2026 at 7pm. All are welcome!

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My work is an exploration of memory, nature, and emotional resonance through the language of abstract realism. Each piece begins with inks and unfolds through layered textures, mixed media, and is finished in oil, creating a sense of depth. I am drawn to the tension between seen and felt, form and formlessness.

 Animals, landscapes, and traces of the natural world often emerge from abstraction as symbols of intuition, stillness, and transformation. I paint to reveal a world beneath the surface — one shaped by reverie, memory, and the deep need to create something meaningful. At its core, my crafting is about painting spaces where imagination and nature meet – where viewers are invited to pause, reflect, and feel.  Each person experiences Art differently.  When a piece resonates with the life experience of a viewer, a connection occurs, and they fall in love with the piece.

Artist Bio

Elena Derksen is an artist whose work bridges the realms of abstract realism and painterly expression. She was born and raised in Kazakhstan, where enjoyed a happy childhood with her siblings.  Watching her best friend draw fairytale characters in elementary school ignited her passion for art.

Her path led her across continents: from her childhood in Kazakhstan to Germany, where she met her husband and started a family, and now to Canada where she continues to live  and create. Elena graduated from the Milan Art Institute in 2025, refining her voice and technique as an artists. 

Her Art is influence by the places she has lived and travelled. Using a mixed media approach, refined in oil she portrays creation with themes of connection, memory and inner transformation – inviting viewers into a world where emotion and reality meet on the canvas.

Gather brings together the work of five potters and ceramic artists, Kristina Lik, Renae Hildebrand, Val Zacharias, Lori Friesen, and Jane Reimer, to explore the many ways clay shows up when people come together.

Ceramics naturally live in places of gathering, around the table, around a fire, in kitchens, living rooms, and shared spaces. The artists in Gather draw from personal experiences: learning alongside friends, remembering loved ones, honouring cultural traditions, and marking moments that are both joyful and solemn. The result is work that feels familiar, meaningful, and meant to be lived with.

Gather runs from January 15 to February 10, 2026. Opening reception on January 15th at 7pm and is free to attend and open to all, we hope to see you here!

Each year, Winkler Arts + Culture has the joy of hosting our Annual Members’ Show, a celebration of the incredible creativity found within our community. This exhibition offers a chance for our members from all backgrounds and mediums to share their work with the public.

The 2025 Members’ Show will run from November 6 – January 3, 2026, filling our gallery with what will be a collection of paintings, photography, mixed media, and more.

Why Participate?

The Members’ Show is more than just an exhibition, it’s an opportunity to:

• Showcase your work in a professional gallery setting
• Connect with other local artists and creatives
• Contribute to a community-wide celebration of art

Whether this is your first time exhibiting or you’ve shown with us before, we encourage all members, current and future, to take part.

Key Dates to Remember

• Submission Deadline: October 23, 2025
• Artwork Drop-Off: By November 1 at 3pm
• Opening Reception: Thursday, November 6 at 7pm

How to Participate

The Members’ Show is open to all current WAC members, and there are no additional submission fees beyond membership. If your membership has expired, or if you’ve been thinking about joining, now is the perfect time. Becoming a member not only makes you eligible to participate, but also comes with a range of benefits, from discounts on workshops to supporting the arts in our community.

You can find the submission form here.

Membership information can be found here.

Winkler Arts + Culture is proud to present “Landscapes in Focus,” a photography exhibition that celebrates the beauty of the Pembina Valley while showcasing striking landscapes from beyond the region.

Featuring the work of local photographers including Joey Siemens (Joe Michael Photography), Steve Hiebert, and others, this exhibit captures the essence of our surrounding scenery—rolling prairies, dramatic skies, and quiet natural moments. Complementing these are a selection of landscape images from outside the region, offering a broader look at the environments that inspire our local photographers and enrich our connection to place.

Location: Winkler Arts + Culture, 547 Park Street, Winkler, MB
Exhibit Dates: October 2 – November 1, 2025
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 2 at 7:00 PM – Free & Open to the Public

Photography Contest

The submission period has now closed and the voting has begun! Winners for both the Judge’s Choice and the Community Choice awards will be revealed at the opening reception night

Cast Your Vote for the Community Choice Award Now!

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Meet the Photographers

Joey Siemens – Joe Michael Photography

For Joey Siemens, photography is more than a visual medium—it’s a way of chasing untamed beauty and preserving fleeting moments that stir the soul. Whether standing beneath a stormy prairie sky, waiting for lightning to strike, or lying under a shimmering canopy of stars in Manitoba’s most remote places, Joey’s work captures the awe and drama of the natural world.

Joey’s passion lies in exploring both the intensity and the stillness of nature—from the explosive power of a thunderstorm to the quiet magic of the Northern Lights dancing across the sky. His camera becomes a storyteller, freezing time in scenes that speak to wonder, solitude, and the deep connection between people and place. He also finds inspiration in the haunting presence of abandoned buildings—timeworn structures that whisper of lives once lived, now frozen in decay.

His ability to blend adventure, artistry, and emotion has earned him recognition across Canada. Most notably, Joey was named runner-up for the Canadian Wildlife Federation’s 2024 Reflections of Nature contest for his striking image Power & Glory, a testament to his eye for drama and light.

Photography, for Joey, is just as much about the people he shares it with as it is about the images themselves. The journey, the laughter, the shared awe of a moment seen from a new perspective—all are part of the story behind each photograph.

Follow Joey’s work at Joe Michael Photography and experience the wild beauty that lies just beyond the horizon.

Website: Joe Michael Photography

Steve Hiebert

Steve Hiebert’s journey into photography began during an ice storm in the early 1980s. Armed with his father’s old Spotmatic 500 Pentax and no electricity in sight, he took his very first photograph—and in that frozen moment, a lifelong passion was born.

For Steve, photography is a sacred process of discovery. Whether he’s traveling down dusty backroads, immersed in the stillness of a forest, or watching the stars unfold above a quiet prairie field, each photo is a personal expression of awe for the beauty of God’s creation.

His work is rooted in a deep reverence for both the grand and the small: the sweeping vistas of Southern Manitoba, the tiniest wildflowers nestled in the grass, or the delicate detail of a passing insect. Every image is an invitation to slow down and marvel at the world around us.

Website: Steve Hiebert Photography

Textural Dimension
By TFAM (Textile and Fibre Artists of Manitoba)
Upper Gallery · September 9–27, 2025

Abrasive, bumpy, cratered, dense, engraved, fluffy, gelatinous, hazy, inset, jagged, knobbed, layered, motion, patterned, perspectives, ragged, scraped, thorny, translucent, velvety, woolly.

Our Upper Gallery features “Textural Dimension”, an exhibition from the Textile and Fibre Artists of Manitoba (TFAM). This collection showcases the wide range of approaches and techniques that artists are exploring with fibre and textile materials today. Rich in detail and variety, the works highlight the many ways texture can shape both the surface and the story of an artwork.

Peer to Peer (P2P Show) is a travelling exhibition open to artists in the central area of Manitoba. Works are a variety of media from paintings, sculpture, ceramics, drawings and more.

On display at Winkler Arts and Culture from September 2nd – 30th, 2025!