Shurniak Art Gallery

On July 30, 2005 the town of Assiniboia shed its typical unsophisticated small town image as it was launched into a cultural evolution with the opening of the newest tourist attraction in the area, the Shurniak Art Gallery. The gallery welcomes visitors from near and far who would like to view the substantial art collection of Bill Shurniak, amassed during a lifetime of world travel.

The seven gallery rooms and all offices are named after former and existing villages as well as municipalities in the area: the RM of Stonehenge, and the Villages of Limerick, Wood Mountain, Lakenheath, Congress, Flintoft, Bexhill, Maxstone, Valor and Melaval. The room in which The Tea Room and Reception are situated is named after the Rural Municipality of Old Post where Bill's parents homesteaded.

The Tea Room serves wonderful fresh lunch selections daily, from Tuesday to Saturday, as well as homemade cakes and pies. The special "Drink of the Day", herbal teas, and specialty coffees round out the menu. Afternoon Tea featuring scones, Devonshire Cream and fruit, is available by reservation. Also offered are the only true cappucinos and lattes in town!

The gallery is dedicated in memory of Bill Shurniak's parents, John and Anna Shurniak, and, symbolically through them, in memory of the scores of other people of their generation that underwent the hardships of homesteading in southern Saskatchewan and helped to settle and develop this vast province.

There are currently in excess of 150 paintings and artefacts on display, which is only part of the overall collection and which includes works by A.Y. Jackson, Lawren Harris, A.J. Casson, Arthur Lismer and Allen Sapp. Approximately 60% of the works comprising the overall collection are by Canadian artists. Some of the international works are from the United States of America, England, Scotland, Spain, Russia, France, Turkey, Australia, Italy, Israel, India, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Myanmar, Jamaica, Japan and Vietnam.

The Gallery contains an extensive library of art books for visitors to read and study in the peaceful and comfortable setting of the gallery. There are outdoor sculptures by Joe Fafard of Saskatchewan and Robert Davidson of British Columbia, who attended the opening of the gallery to unveil their works of art.

The current exhibit is the Prairie South Art Exhibition, with work on loan by artists from southern Saskatchewan. The display changes periodically to present different artists to the public.

Open six days per week year round, there are no fees to tour the Shurniak Art Gallery.

  Please visit the extended photo collection of the Shurniak Art Gallery which includes the Grand Opening ceremonies.

To contact the Shurniak Art Gallery:

• 122 3rd Avenue West
• Phone: (306) 642-5292
• Email: shurniakgallery@sasktel.net
• Website: http://www.shurniakartgallery.com

Hours
Tuesday to Saturday	10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Sunday	1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.