Phiilp Lokic plays the lead role of Horton in the Sir Willfrid Laurier Secondary School production of Seussical the Musical. Fred Sherwin/Photo

The Shenkman Arts Centre welcomes four new exhibits this month featuring works by Ottawa designer and photographer Bert van der Plas; mixed media artist Maya Hum; ceramic artist Mike Doxey; and a group of Polish born artists who all share a love and passion for fabric art.

Bert van der Plas’ collection of fashion creations with accompanying environmental portraits lives up to its “Uniek” – read unique – title in every aspect.

Each creation is unique in its own respect and must be seen in person to be truly appreciated. But van der Plas’ photography is equally enthralling. Each piece is modeled and photographed in an attempt to enhance its uniekness and when exhibited together the combination is a wonder to behold.

Next door to van der Plas’ exhibit in Salon B of the Trinity Gallery is a collection of pencil illustrations and mixed media drawings by Ottawa artist and art teacher Maya Hum entitled “Evoking Worlds”.

As the title suggests, each work evokes a sense of self-worth and self determination of womanhood from the illustration “Care and Protect” in which three women appear to be protecting a transparent globe, to a drawing of a woman outlining a series of rectangular frames on a wall entitled “Dreams and Determination”.

My personal favourite is “The Wish” in which a woman appears to be firing a shooting star into the night sky.

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Michael Doxey’s pottery career spans more than 20 years. Until recently he produced his works under the moniker Banished Moon Pottery based in Portland, Ontario.

His exhibit, on display in the Dust Evans Pottery Gallery on the lower level of the Shenkman Arts Centre, is his first under his own name.

The exhibit features more than a dozen dinnerware pieces, garden pottery, large wheel thrown urns and sculptural tile murals. All of Doxey’s work combines an artistic experience with a rugged functionality.

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The organic theme of Doxey’s exhibit carries over in the collection of fibre art on display in the Lalonde + Doyle Exhibition Space also on the lower level of the arts centre.

The exhibit is sponsored by the Polish Embassy and features the work of six Polish-born artists, including mother and daughter Krystyna Szluinska-Sadej and Justyna Szluinska who are both from Ottawa.

The other artists include Monique Lehman from California and Ewa Bartosz-Mazus, Agata Zielinska-Glowacka and Zofia Werblicka, who are all based in Poland. The works range from large tapestries to small, detailed woven mixed media pieces.

The Bert van de Plas and Maya Hum exhibits in the Trinity Gallery will be on display until Sept. 20, while the fabric art exhibit sponsored by the Polish Embassy will end two days earlier on Sept. 18.

Visitors to the Shenkman Arts Centre can also take in the latest exhibit by members of Arteast directly opposite the Trinity Gallery, while upstairs on the main floor the AOE Arts Council gallery features work by contemporary art photographers Richard Robesco and Glenn Bloodworth until Oct. 11.

(This story was made possible thanks to their generous support of our local business partners.)