08/18/2026
On June 3, 1983, the White Water Gallery hosted Seven Years, an exhibition celebrating its founding board of directors. Keith Campbell submitted a piece titled “Untitled – porcelain vase with airbrush decoration.” When asked about the name, we would guess that Keith likely offered a typical sardonic dare to the viewer: “I’ll let you fill in the blanks.”
The artist behind that unpretentious art piece title was one of the most brilliant and technically accomplished artistic minds in Canadian ceramics and glass. Keith didn’t just fill in those blanks over the next four decades, he forged a path to reshape the entire cultural identity of North Bay.
When Keith arrived with his wife Terry in 1977 to teach ceramics at Canadore College, the concept of an “alternative gallery” was prime material for his humor. As Keith and fellow local artists dryly asked: “Alternative to what?” At the time, there were no public galleries in North Bay. The White Water Gallery was quite literally an alternative to nothing at all, so Keith set to work helping to build the regional art scene from the ground up, co-founding the White Water Gallery, the W.K.P. Kennedy Gallery, Artsperience, North Bay Art and Craft Co-op, the Nipissing Stage Company, and the North Bay Arts Council.
To talk to him, you met a wiry, sharp-witted, deeply unpretentious man. But behind that casual exterior and signature pantos-style glasses, was a man with a kaleidoscope of artistic discipline and extraordinary pedigree. As Canada’s first graduate in glass, Keith studied under masters like Ruth McKinley and Vivika Heino, founded the ceramics program at George Brown College, and earned over 50 honors, including the Governor General’s Medal and an Ojibwa Eagle Feather. His works reside in the Royal Ontario Museum, the National Museum of Civilization, and private collections worldwide.
Over the years, his art evolved from subtle porcelain forms into razor-sharp visual satire. Through series like Toast and The Flying Fat Ladies, Keith operated as a political historian and satirist disguised as a master potter. He didn’t just court controversy; he engineered it with clay and technical brilliance, creating pieces that could elicit an immediate laugh and, upon closer inspection, leave you completely quiet.
As the White Water Gallery approaches its 50th anniversary under the leadership of his daughter, Executive Director Alex Campbell, our board and members reflect on an unfathomable legacy. Keith Campbell proved that world-class, uncompromising artistic vision belonged right here in the North.
Thank you, Keith, for asking the sharp questions, stirring up the quiet, and forging the path. There will never be an alternative to you.
– From all of us at The White Water Gallery.
