A compelling exhibit exploring the themes of Original Sin is currently being showcased in the Burman University Library.
"We had a few artists who had created works prior to this, and I was trying to figure out what is the tying theme here," said Annina Engelbrecht, an art instructor at the school. Ultimately, she noted the works consistently had something to do with the concept of 'sin' - thus the exhibit's thought-provoking moniker.
There are images that hearken viewers to consider the story of the Garden of Eden, but in a modern sort of way, for example.
As the exhibit statement reads, "This exhibit ponders various takes on sin. Through this exhibit, you will encounter the human reaction to sin, and the desire to escape its clutches, sin as something that is committed against fellow humans, sin as a universal concept portrayed in historical iconography and symbolism, sin as an inevitability, and sin as both corporeal and existential dread'.
Meanwhile, as a professional art teacher, she has also delved into many media, from sculpture to painting to drawing.
"My father was an art dealer for awhile when I was very young, so I got to spend time in galleries," said Engelbrecht, who hails from South Africa. "I also think my turning point came when I went back to South Africa, and I showed my art teacher some of my books. I expected her to be wowed by my work - I was 11 or 12 at the time," she recalled with a laugh. "She looked through it, and said, 'You aren't very good at faces, are you'."
Rather than backing away from art, Engelbrecht found that comment something of a catalyst to push forward.
Meanwhile, her family settled in Fort McMurray upon relocating from South Africa. She would eventually attend Burman to study, later furthering her education in Scotland and ultimately in Vancouver.
It was just three years ago that she and her husband decided to settle back in Lacombe. It was kind of a homecoming, and ever since she has been passionate about sharing her love for art with a range of students from various areas of study.
"Here at Burman, you get people in every discipline. I have biology students, and education students. We don't have a mainstream art program here, and because of that I get students who are taking electives and may want something a bit different. So I get to discover artists who are also going to be doctors and dentists.
"I think sometimes they find a passion they didn't expect in the arts," she said. "It's a fantastic thing."
Engelbrecht also has some retired students, who have found a passion for exploring their creative sides after wrapping up careers in seemingly unrelated fields.
"One was a pharmacist for many years, and now he has discovered art. He said he can spend hours in it! It's a 'light' for for him that he hasn't seen before," she said, adding typically, people are far more creative than they might think they are.
"I've had students who will throw themselves into it with abandon. They might not know anything about art, and then they are making canvas after canvas after canvas. After a while, there is a style that emerges. I've told my students if you do something over and over again, you will figure out a style, and then it's about figuring out how to display your work."
Engelbrecht has some of her own photography featured in the exhibit - portraits of a cemetery in Scotland with one 'mirrored' tombstone which quickly draws the eye. There are graves from the 1600s and even earlier, and for the photo, she placed the 'mirrored' stone among the others. The impact is striking.
"It's a reminder of death, but hopefully also a reminder that you are alive right now."
She hopes the community will drop by and check out the remarkable talents that are taking shape so close to home, and that the exhibit itself will prompt reflection as well.
"When you use the word sin, it's very loaded - in our context here, but also in other contexts. I think we should think about the words we kind of take for granted."
The plan is for Original Sin to be on display through to the end of the year.
