Our Current Show: THE NEXT 50 YEARS

Headwaters Arts Gallery is proud to present The Next 50 Years, a compelling new exhibition of oil paintings by Toronto-based landscape artist Piera Pugliese. Opening just in time for Canada Day weekend, the show invites reflection on the fragile beauty of the Southern Ontario landscape—and what we stand to lose.

Inspired by the urgent words of Sir David Attenborough, “The next 50 years will determine the fate of all life on this planet,” Pugliese’s collection captures forests, rivers, and skies that are not just picturesque, but essential to our identity as Canadians.

Working en plein air throughout Ontario in the summer, and developing her pieces into large-scale studio paintings in the winter, Pugliese seeks to preserve a sense of wonder in the natural world. Her dynamic brushwork and fearless use of colour create immersive environments that are both tranquil and emotionally charged.

“The land is changing,” says Pugliese. “We’re seeing it burn, flood, and dry up. Through these paintings, I want to celebrate what we still have—and remind us how urgent it is to protect it.”

Piera Pugliese is an accomplished artist with a deep connection to the Canadian landscape. A graduate of OCAD, she first fell in love with plein air painting in the Algoma Highlands. Recently she was awarded the 2024 Kleinburg Village Prize for En Plein Air Painting, adjudicated by Sarah Milroy, Chief Curator of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. Her work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions across Ontario.

Meet the artist at the Opening Reception to be held on Saturday, July 5, 2025 from 2:00 to 5:00 pm in the Headwaters Arts Gallery in the Alton Mill Arts Centre, Alton, Ontario. 

Piera will also be in the gallery each Friday-Sunday of the show.

The show runs from July 2 -Monday, Aug 4, 2025

The Headwaters Arts Gallery is open Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m, and holiday Mondays and is located in the historic Alton Mill Arts Centre, 1402 Queen Street West, Alton, Ontario.

Be sure to follow us on IG @headwatersarts and Facebook.

CONTACT: info@headwatersarts.org or Call 519-943 1149

You can view the pieces in the show in the slideshow below. Click on the Cart to purchase online using a credit card. Curbside pickup at the Alton Mill can be arranged by contacting the Headwaters Gallery at 519-943-1149 or by email info@headwatersarts.org.

We acknowledge that the land on which we gather, and on which the Region of Peel operates, is part of the Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit. For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples inhabited and cared for this land. In particular we acknowledge the territory of the Ani-shinabek, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Ojibway/Chippewa peoples; the land that is home to the Metis; and most recently, the territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation who are direct descendants of the Mississaugas of the Credit.

We are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land, and by doing so, give our respect to its first inhabitants.