If you have ever had a personal experience with bedbugs or are squeamish at heart, you might be taken aback by your first impression of the Beany Dootjes’ new exhibition at the Bowman Arts Centre, Ruin and Reclamation Revisited, which opens Nov. 6.

 That’s because the first thing you see upon entering the gallery is a stack of mattress springs  adorned with gigantic bedbugs, way larger than bedbugs should ever be.

“I’m glad you had that reaction,” siad Darcy Logan, Bowman Arts Centre curator, stringing lights for the display. 

He added Dootjes was inspired by last May’s “ Ruin and Reclamation” exhibit in the old Leo Singer Building,  which  featured numerous local artists using a variety of found objects to create unique and somewhat disturbing pieces in addition to a variety of paintings and more traditional works.

The new display includes Dootjes’  quilt from last year, the bedbugs, a giant centipede on cloth as well as numerous paintings and drawings of bedbugs, spiders and other creepy-crawlies.

“We’d love to have  other artists revisit any of our previous exhbitions,” Logan continued adding  the Bowman features more of Dootjes’ work in the other gallery — “Dick and Jane,”  which revisits the classic children’s readers from the ’50s and ’60s.

“They not only taught children how to read, but they also  reinforced the social code of the day about what people were expected to do. So not only did they teach children to read, they also taught  a husband’s dutires, a wife’s duty, a child’s duty,” he said adding there is also a display of jewelry in the main cabinets  from Bea Jovanason.
 The opening reception  is 7-9 p.m. at the Bowman Arts Centre. The exhibition runs until Jan. 8.

University of Lethbridge releases Snap, Crackle and pop book

The University of Lethbridge is also  having a celebration this weekend.

 They will be officially releasing Snap, Crackle and Pop, a Patrick Côté designed 72 page publication featuring full colour  reproductions of the works of artists including by Lisa Brawn, Dave and Jenn, Len Komanac, Jason Mathis, Christopher Moore and Shanell Papp and includes essays by Josephine Mills and Riva Symko who are all exploring themes and iconography from popular culture
The opening reception for the new book will be Nov. 5 from 4-6 p.m.