Richmond BC, Canada #richmondartgallerybc
Drawing from personal memory, collected stories, and archival materials, North Vancouver-based artist Julie Pappajohn’s exhibition Ditch commemorates her childhood growing up in Richmond from the 1950s to the 1970s. The title references the exposed drainage ditches situated in front of many houses in Richmond of that era. This “playground” brought her and her peers infinite joy and wonder. Pappajohn spent her free time exploring these waterways teeming with life—from eelgrass to muskrats—and even racing frogs caught in the ditches. Ditch features paintings depicting these enchanted waterways, a series of acrylic on Plexiglas works inspired by a DIY frog catcher, and a textual piece incorporating stories collected through a Facebook call for childhood memories of ditches in Richmond—which received over 400 replies.
Julie Pappajohn is a multidisciplinary artist and a former arts educator. An avid participant of local arts programs and events, she finds inspiration in routine tasks, chance encounters, and insightful conversations. Working in drawing, painting, photography, and ceramics, she creates work that explores the notion of significance in relation to memory.
