The yearlong “Afloat: An Ohio River Way of Life” collaboration continues its discussion of Ohio River culture with an exhibition of paintings featuring shantyboats. To call a shantyboat a houseboat is to glorify it — it’s too makeshift for that. Angie Reed Garner uses the DIY boat as a metaphor for resistance and self-preservation. (For historical information on shantyboat life, visit “Shantyboat Louisville,” at The Filson Historical Society through May 10). The exhibition’s reception is on Friday, Jan. 18 from 6 to 9 p.m., the same time as Swanson Contemporary, the gallery next door, is holding one for “Currents: Contemporary Art Along the Banks of the Ohio.”