About the Dal Schindell Gallery

Since 1990, the Dal Schindell Gallery has been a place where people are invited to make meaningful connections between art, theology, and the human condition. Originally known as the Lookout Gallery, the gallery was renamed in April 2019 after its founder and first Director, Dal Schindell.

Mission


The Gallery exists to:

  • enrich the life of Regent College through the celebration of creativity and excellence in the visual arts
  • promote theological education and learning through engagement with the arts
  • stimulate thought and reflection on the beauty and complexity of the world and on fundamental questions of meaning and identity
  • foster dialogue and discussion about our shared humanity with those of other faiths and of none
  • encourage active participation in the creative arts

Submissions

Submissions are open to artists who are sympathetic to the Dal Schindell Gallery’s mandate. We value artwork that stimulates thought and reflection on the beauty and complexity of the world and on fundamental questions of meaning and identity. We aim to foster dialogue and discussion about our shared humanity with those of other faiths and of none.

Send us Your Submission

Gallery Curator

Aften Thiessen

Aften Thiessen


Aften Thiessen joined the Dal Schindell Gallery as the temporary Curator in the summer of 2024. She is a Regent College alumna, graduating in 2010 with her MATS, completing an IPIAT (Integrative Project In the Arts and Theology) with a short film called “Six Days.” Aften is deeply fascinated by the convergence of visual art, theology, stories, and questions about what it means to be human and dwell well in this world. 

Aften was born and raised in Texas, and attended Dallas Baptist University, receiving a BA in Print Graphic Communication in 2005. She now lives in Abbotsford, BC with her husband, Greg, and their 3 children. 

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DAL SCHINDELL GALLERY

When the Regent College building opened in 1988, the space occupied by the Dal Schindell Gallery was originally intended as a boardroom and classroom. But the openness of the space didn’t quite work for meetings or classes. And so the purpose for the area remained for a time, until its potential as a space for art began to take shape.

Things started happening organically in the space: some walls were built to provide a studio for a fine arts professor on sabbatical, who painted on site and showed his work on the walls. Student Lindsey Farrell came to Regent from Australia on a government grant that stipulated a public exhibition of the work he did while at Regent. Well respected Vancouver artist John Koerner, with strong family ties to UBC, held an exhibition of his work in the space.


Dal Schindell

These shows indicated great promise for the space to become a formal art gallery that showcased first-rate artwork and brought together a virbant mix of people. Individuals such as Laurel Gasque worked very hard to promote the value of the new gallery, which officially opened in 1990 under the direction of Dal Schindell. Sculptor David Robinson held a very successful show here, and news of the Lookout Gallery, as it was originally called, spread throughout the city as David also began to exhibit elsewhere.

Over the past twenty-five years, the Lookout Gallery has thrived as a place where work by students, as well local and international artists, has been shown without the demands of the commercial gallery scene. This freedom has allowed emerging artists to have a place to exhibit their work. The College's commitment to allow the gallery to be a place of development and challenge has been key to its mandate.

In April 2019, the Lookout Gallery became the Dal Schindell Gallery. The unveiling of the new name took place during a special ceremony on April 2, 2019. This ceremony came as a complete surprise to Dal. Led to Regent on a ruse, Dal was greeted by President Jeff Greenman and escorted to the gallery accompanied by his wife, Kit Schindell. There, they were welcomed by dozens of friends and former colleagues including two former Regent Presidents, past and present staff and faculty, friends of the College, and a number of artists who have exhibited in the gallery. After an introduction by Jeff, Dal was instructed to rip the black curtain off the middle wall. Behind the curtain was the new name, along with a charcoal portrait of Dal, done by Vancouver artist Grace Tan. Read the full story here.

Study at Regent College

Regent College offers a concentration in Christianity and the Arts as part of its Master of Arts in Theological Studies degree. Students in this concentration can complete an Integrative Project in Art and Theology (IPIAT) as their capstone project. For students who have experience in the arts, the IPIAT is an opportunity to create and present a major new work of art (e.g., an exhibition, a short film or documentary, a concert of original music, a screenplay, a play script, a collection of poetry or short stories), accompanied by a research paper investigating the historical contexts and theological dimensions of the work. An IPIAT may be taken for 6 or 12 credits, depending on the size of the project.

Completing an IPIAT in the visual arts includes an opportunity for students to present their work in a solo or group exhibition at the Dal Schindell Gallery. Learn more about the IPIAT.