Exquisite Audacity
Group Exhibition
Opening Reception: Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at 5:00 PM
Exhibition: May 20, 2026 – May 23, 2026
Exhibition on view:
Thursday, May 21, 2026, to Saturday, May 23, 2026
1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Admission is free
Oxygen Art Centre is delighted to present the group exhibition, Exquisite Audacity, featuring artworks by Sharon Inkpen’s Grade Nine students from Trafalgar Middle School.
The exhibition opens with a public reception on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at 5:00 PM. The artists will be in attendance. Light refreshments provided with thanks to SaveOn Foods for their generous support.
To be audacious means to be bold — to take risks, challenge yourself, and step beyond what feels safe or familiar. To be exquisite means something deeply beautiful, carefully crafted, and full of meaning. Together, these words capture the spirit of this Grade 9 art cohort and the work they have created.
Throughout this year, these artists demonstrated exquisite audacity through their willingness to experiment, push their technical skills, and explore new ways of visually communicating ideas and emotions. They embraced uncertainty and creative risk-taking, trying unfamiliar materials, techniques, and perspectives even when success was not guaranteed. In doing so, they discovered that growth in art often begins where comfort ends.
The courage shown in this exhibition goes beyond technique. Each artwork represents a moment of vulnerability — a decision to share something personal, meaningful, or joyful with others. Whether through colour, symbolism, composition, or subject matter, these students allowed themselves to communicate honestly and creatively. That bravery is what makes this collection so powerful.
There is something truly exquisite about audacity: the beauty that emerges when people trust themselves enough to create boldly. This exhibition celebrates not only the finished artworks, but also the resilience, imagination, and confidence developed along the way. Exquisite Audacity is a reflection of young artists learning that taking creative risks can lead to unexpected beauty, pride, and self-discovery.
This student group exhibition is a celebration of young artists in our community and takes place during Oxygen’s spring semester.
Many thanks to Sharon Inkpen, Art Teacher, for supporting these artists and working with Oxygen Art Centre’s team to make this group exhibition possible.
On behalf of Sharon Inkpen and the artists included in this exhibition, we extend gratitude to Positive Apparel Thrift Store for their generous donations over the years, including records, CDs, teacups, magazines, books, and clothing that our students were able to experiment with and transform into found object artworks and creative canvases.
Many thanks to Save-On-Foods for generously providing food for our opening night and helping make the event welcoming and memorable for everyone who attended.
Exquisite Audacity will be on view from Thursday, May 21, 2026, to Saturday, May 23, 2026, from 1:00pm to 5:00pm at the artist-run centre’s downtown facility. Admission is free.
The public are invited to celebrate the exhibition at the opening reception on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at 5:00pm, at Oxygen Art Centre, #3-320 Vernon Street, Nelson, B.C. (alleyway access).
Image Credit: Artwork created by the Grade Nine Trafalgar Middle School Art Class for this Group Exhibition, 2026