The Minto Arts Gallery is preparing to showcase a new student exhibition this June, highlighting young artists from Norwell District Secondary School.
The show, titled Within the World, will feature 19 students exploring themes of family, daily life, and personal connection through a range of mixed media, including painting, drawing and sculpture.
Wendy Lockwood, a member of the Minto Arts Council’s board of directors, says the exhibition has grown significantly in recent years.
"We doubled the last show...we had so many people we could barely fit into the gallery for the opening reception," she said, pointing to what she called "incredible success" for the student-led exhibit.
She says part of the appeal is the gallery itself, located on the third floor of the Harriston Library in a renovated Carnegie building.
"It’s quite a unique space...it’s very welcoming," Lockwood said. "There are three separate rooms that flow into one another, and we get a really good cross-section of artists."
Beyond the setting, she says the student exhibition has become a meaningful annual partnership with Norwell DSS, giving students full ownership of the process, from hanging their work to organizing their own reception.
"They really find it exciting to come into the gallery," she said. "They hang it themselves, they plan their reception themselves...from creation, to putting the show on, and taking it down at the end."
Lockwood says the goal is to give students real-world experience in presenting their work in a professional setting, while also strengthening community connections.
"It encourages other students that there is a welcoming place in this community that they can participate in," she said.
The exhibition runs June 2-16, 2026 at the Minto Arts Gallery in Harriston, with an opening reception set for June 4 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Artwork will also be available for purchase.
