The first ever visual arts exhibition at the Manitou Opera House has been a great success. Partnering with the Pembina Hills Arts Council, the Manitou Opera House Foundation has opened a satellite visual arts gallery, and held their initial exhibition and opening reception on Thursday evening, Sept. 5th. Many gathered to meet artist Cristiane Pravaz and view her beautiful paintings. Entitled “A Moment in Space for the Space of A Moment,” the paintings were displayed throughout the Opera House in three separate areas - the Backstage Gallery, the Hall Gallery, and Under the Balcony Gallery. Access Credit Union had provided funds which enabled the group to purchase professional visual arts hanging systems which have been install- ed permanently in the Opera House and will be used for future exhibits. Pravaz is very passionate about her work. She paints using a number of mediums, but mostly acrylic on canvas or paper. Some of her artwork is also created using walnut and mahogany inks. Originally from France, Pravaz moved to Canada in 1995 and is now residing in Quebec. Her progression as an artist is an interesting story. At the age of 15, Pravaz was involved in a motorcycle crash, and after 10 days in a coma, was amnesic. At odds with the inertia and obscurity of coma, she began to explore colors and movement. Pravaz says her first figurative work “explored characters - feminine and ambiguous, and guided my quest for memories that I no longer had, searching for an emotion.”