Curatorial Smackdown II: Gallery Lambton

2011-07-30T14:44:00.000-07:00

What is a Curatorial Smack Down?

The Challenge:
Using work from the Gallery Lambton Permanent Collection "out-curate" the opponents.

The Objectives:
1. To learn more about curating.
2. To learn more about the collection.
3. To de-mistify the curatorial process for our community.

The Questions:
1. How do collections produce meaning?
2. How do curators produce meaning?
3. How does meaning of the work and of the exhibition shift?

The Process:
1. The Smack Down will take place over two 3 day periods:
Round 1 - July 26, 27 & 28
Round 2 - August 3, 4 & 5.
2. Using work from the permanent collection; select, place, inform and defend your
choice.
3. In response to your opponent; select, place, inform and defend your choice.
4. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
5. On day 6, each contender, in addition to their final selection, has the option to
switch or replace one work from the exhibition.
6. Discuss, critique, share and enjoy the process and the exhibition.

DAY 1 - Round 1 - Preparing the space

2011-07-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

The first thing we had to do today was finish preparing the walls. There was no time between the striking of the last exhibition and the start of the smack down so we find ourselves having to live with the existing wall color.

The karmic coffee tin

2011-07-26T15:04:00.000-07:00

Work in the permanent collection is stored in map drawers, on racks, in solander boxes and on shelves. The gallery registrar put the locations of the work into a coffee tin and each contender selected (by chance) the location that would determine the body of work from which they would make their first selection. Coincidentally, Darryn and Lisa selected a map drawer and Cam a solander box meaning that all works in Round 1 would be works on paper.

Making the first selection

2011-07-25T15:29:00.000-07:00

Cam begins his consideration of the prints that are stored in Solander box #6. It just so happens they are all by the same artist, Hugh Mackenzie.

Mackenzie is a Canadian artist, who's practice swings between figurative and industrial abstractions. This self described painter-etcher, also retired from a long career as an art educator. Mackenzie taught at Ontario Collage of Art, the Art Gallery of Ontario, H.B. Beal Secondary School, the London Public Library and Art Museum, and interestingly for the Sarnia Art Association, in 1966.

In a Curatorial Smackdown, the first choice is often the most difficult because there is no real framework within which to make your decision. Other than maybe the color of the walls, the other exhibition in the gallery or the piece you react to the most intensely, either positively or negatively.

Solander box #6 contained several small prints of differing examples of Mackenzie's reoccurring content. Two figurative prints stood out among the others, Cam chose a small aquatint (5 1/16" x 3 11/16") entitled Seated Figure, 2001. Seated Figure illustrates Mackenzie's use of contrast and ability to carve out a figure that embodies its own emotive abstraction, as the lines that make the image hold the emotion of the figures posture.

This relationship between image and process is described by Andrea Green, a student of Mackenzie's, who wrote the essay in our catalogue for a show titled The Etchings of Hugh Mackenzie in the Collection of Gallery Lambton. Unfortunately the catalogue contains no dates for the show, but Cam gathered from Gallery staff that it was somewhere between 2002 and 2005. In the catalogue essay, Green sources years of letter correspondence and presents it as a personal letter, addressed to her a mentor, Mackenzie. She admires,

“In your new affinity for light, you discovered energy and found the immateriality of matter and the ability to disolve substance. I can think of no more difficult alchemy than to coax light out of zinc, yet your action on the etching plate produces this transmutation.”

There's an irony, but also a logical progression, to hanging this first selection in the same gallery as the just closed ArtOP: Gallery Lambton's Instructors Show. Smack Down II is turning out to be a very educational experience.

Making the first selection

2011-07-24T15:37:00.000-07:00

Darryn begins his consideration of the work available to him in map drawer #11.

After we each picked a location out of the karmic coffee tin, it was clear that we would all be selecting works on paper. There is nothing wrong with this... on a normal day. Today our gallery registrar and in-house framer, Shelly Mallon, was out of the office. This meant that the framing was up to us curators. Again, normally there is nothing wrong with this. However, after my top three picks from that location couldn't find a frame to fit with the matting that was with it, I decided that I would have to wait for Day 2 when Shelly would be able to cut me a new matte to fit a frame.

It is things like this little hiccup that most people don't think about once a show is finalized and opened for public viewing. By that time, everything that needs a frame will have one and these presentation concerns are less visible. It was a fitting start to the Smackdown though; these sort of things are issues to consider when a curator is going through any permanent collection. This initial experience, in my Smackdown debut, left me with a mixed impression. On one hand, I wanted to stick to my initial decision and choose the work that I felt was my strongest first choice. Weighing against that was the desire to have my work hung and properly displayed by the end of day one. In the end, I got to keep my initial choice.

Storage is obviously very important for an issue like this. It is not practical (or possible) to keep everything in its own dedicated frame. Because of this, much of the paper-based works are kept in these map drawers and solander bins. They are all maintained inside a matte (of better or worse condition) and they all have an archival (acid-free) piece of tissue paper on the surface of the image. These conditions are necessary to maintain paper-based artworks for long periods of time without deterioration or discoloration.

Anyways, as my two competitors waged on with fitting frames, I was left to wait until the next day. All that was left for Day 1 was to gather research on my choice, Donald Harvey.

Day 1: Don Harvey

2011-07-23T15:42:00.000-07:00

Darryn settled on a serigraph (silkscreen print) by Don Harvey entitled Off Centre, 1966. The dimensions are 18" x 17".

Donald Harvey was born in Walthamstow, England in 1930. Harvey then taught in Wales, Sicily, and Spain before immigrating to Vancouver, Canada in 1958. He is now a Member of the Royal Canadian Academy and retired as a Professor of Fine Art at the University of Victoria, where he taught drawing, painting, and printmaking. He completed his National Diploma of Painting and Design at the West Sussex College of Art in 1950 and in 1951 he completed his Art Teacher's Diploma at the Brighton College of Art.

This print was purchased from The Print Gallery in Victoria which served as a vehicle for contemporary artists like Jack Shadbolt and Tony Onley who were also working in non- representational compositions. This is an interesting relationship for Gallery Lambton since we also have some work by Shadbolt in our collection. I also see a connection to artists like Guido Molinari who had a keen interest in the surface of a work of art. As the shapes overlap and intertwine with one another, a deep sense of surface is developed. This becomes filled with tension in certain areas of the print as the bottom layers optically fight their way back to the top.

In reference to English art critic Walter Pater, Harvey was quoted as saying that all the arts aspire to the condition of music. “Music comes to you, but you have to go to a painting. A painting requires imagination and involvement to make the body and intellect respond in a lively way.” [Vancouver Sun, April 11, 2010]. There seems to be a kinetic energy built into this print. The colours are very consistent in their value, so that when there is an edge between two colours, certain instability develops. Between this use of colour and the forms themselves, the image retains energy. In this way, we can think of the work of Wassily Kandinsky whose work tried to take us on a physical and mental trip.

As his later work attests to, Harvey gradually accepted a tendency toward landscape, and the role of nature in our lives. More accurately though, Harvey was interested in the effects of mans’ intrusion and intended control of that landscape, colliding the geometric with the organic.

Don Harvey is represented in many Canadian galleries including the National Gallery of Canada, Musee d'art contemporain de Montreal, Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, Seattle Art Museum, and the Canada Council Art Bank along with many private collections. He has been actively exhibiting since 1951.

Discussing the placement

2011-07-21T15:56:00.000-07:00

Lisa ended up choosing the first work she saw when she opened the drawer. The work is a serigraph (silkscreen print) by John Boyle entitled Northern Landscape, 1976 (17" x 24"). It's interesting to note that a different work by Boyle (a painting entitled Vincent) was Daniels first choice in the first curatorial smack down as well, although the reasons for making the choice are quite different.

Boyle is a London Ontario artist who was very involved in the artist run centre/London arts movement back in the 1960s. Boyle has an interesting tie to Sarnia. During his career he submitted a painting into a group show at the London Museum but his painting, that of himself, naked in a chair, was considered to risqué. Since he was denied admittance to the show, all of his friends pulled their pieces out of the show in protest. The shows next stop was in Sarnia where all of the pieces were displayed, including the Boyle.

The reason Daniels chose Boyle in the first Smack Down was because she had a lot of difficulty with his work and wanted to set up a situation where she was forced to consider it more seriously. As a curator in a public institution, one must often separate themselves from works that they are naturally drawn to and consider all works in the collection with equal rigor.

It was not a surprise to Daniels that when she opened the drawer this time round, the Boyle presented itself to her. Boyle is a strong nationalist, at times to the point of being almost anti-American. Questions regarding the Group of Seven, national identity, the Canadian landscape and national pride are inescapable if you're a curator in a Canadian public art gallery that has works by the Group in their collection.

The permanent collection exhibition currently up in the gallery next door includes work by the Group of Seven, so to have the opportunity to place Northern Landscape within close proximity to the work by the Group will, at least for awhile, allow us to consider how the influences of and mythologies created by the work of the Group have been addressed by other contemporary Canadian Artists.

The fact that the title is Northern Landscape, and the image is a portrait of a white male Cowboy and an Aboriginal male, sets up a number of questions and challenges for the viewer, particularly within the context of Canada's social and cultural histories, national identity, and the grip of the Group. It's too early to tell how this piece will relate within the overall exhibition as all the pieces are quite small, very different and have not been hung in relation to each other. We'll see what day 2 brings...

Day 1 - Visual re-cap

2010-07-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Harvey, Donald
Off Centre, 1966
Serigraph, 27 3/4" x 21"
Purchased with funds from the Sarnia Industries, 1968

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MacKenzie, Hugh
Seated Figure, 2001
Aquatint, 5 1/16" x 3 11/16"
Gift of Artist, 2001

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Boyle, John
Northern Landscape, 1976
Serigraph, 17" x 24"
Gift from the collection of Jeffrey and Beverly Lipson, 2005

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The walls were still looking pretty bare after the first day. There didn't seem to be much happening between the works or in the space. Day 2 could prove to be challenging for our curatorial contenders.

DAY 2 - Shelly is Back !!

2010-07-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

Day 2 starts off with a sigh of relief as Shelly, the gallery registrar and framer, returns to work. This was especially helpful since both Lisa and Darryn pull another map drawer out of the karmic coffee tin.

Shelly and Lisa discuss the framing options for her second selection.

Shelly keeps a close eye on Darryn.

Cam, although he got to choose from a rack, the piece he chose required some framing "touch ups".

Day 2 - The curse of the Map Drawers

2010-07-18T16:12:00.000-07:00

I must say I was quite disappointed to have pulled another map drawer location out of the karmic coffee tin. I was feeling 'underwhelmed' by the overall results at the end of the first day and was hoping to be able to jumpstart the energy in the room with a nice big, juicy painting. No such luck!

There was not much that offered any inspiration on this particular morning until I got to the bottom of the drawer and saw Bob Bozak's Study for Paul Henderson for Firestone. I was a little shocked by feelings of nostalgia when I saw that hockey player's face starring back at me. (did i say that?!) I had limited time to make the selection and didn't want to overthink it so, because I could easily make connections to the obvious theme of Canadian identity and nationalism that linked to the Boyle from the previous day, I chose it. I decided to just ignore Cam and Darryn's selections at this point and follow my own "game plan".

I found it interesting to consider the theme of hockey and art and Canadianism, particularly given the recent exhibitions that deal with a hockey theme like the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia's Arena: The Art of Hockey and the artists who have been using hockey imagery in their work like Diana Thorneycroft and Brian Jungen (to name only two). Is it to try and loosen the 'grip of the Group' on Canadian contemporary artists whose practice includes working with questions of identity? Is it a strategy to attract the hockey crowd into the gallery? Questions to ponder.

Bozak studied at the Alberta College of Art in the 1960s and received his MFA from York University in the mid 1980s. Given the work that we have in our collection, I was surprised to discover that he is first and foremost an accomplished ceramic artist with a number of sculptural works addressing the hockey theme in public collections. I was further surprised to discover his connection to the 1960s London art scene and his more recent invovlement with Burst: Outward Sound and Vision Festival in London in 2006.

A gap in our collection policy and protocols revealed itself. The eight works in our collection by Bozak came to us through a gernerous gift from Dawn Johnson of London, Ontario in 1992. The works all date between 1972 and 1982 and consist of paintings and drawings as well as the finished Paul Henderson piece below.

Bolzak, Robert
Paul Henderson for Firestone, 1972
Mixed Media, 26 3/8 diameter
Gift of Dawn Johnston, London, Ontario, 1992

Other than a permanent collection file that documents the gift, we have no artist file, no information about the work, his practice or his contact information. A mechanism that would allow us to track an artists practice and stay engaged in the career developments of an 'artist of interest' is necessary - as is a mechanism to identify 'artists of interest'.

Lisa

Day 2: Jessie Oonark

2010-07-17T12:31:00.000-07:00

Jessie Oonark (1906-1985)
Inuk Catching a Bird (1981)
No. 12, 1981 Baker Lake Catalogue
Lithograph, printed by Martha Noah
(26" x 35")
Gallery Lambton: Purchased 1987

With Day 2 comes a real beginning to the Smackdown, as we have each made our first selections and therefore have something to curate against. By this, I mean that there is space taken up on the walls so that our freedom to put our selections anywhere in the gallery is already shrinking. Additionally, different themes (content, colour, composition, etc.) are starting to emerge, giving a springboard to launch our second selections.

The mixed feelings that I felt going through map drawer 11 from yesterday turned to excitement as he looked through map drawer 12 for Day 2. Right away, two different possibilities jumped out at me: one in response to Cameron's initial pick and the other in response to Lisa's. In a situation like this, I turned to research to help ensure the best possible selection. This was not only considering formal aspects of the work, but how the work advances or alters some of the thematic qualities being picked up from Day 1.

One of these thematic concerns seems to be the idea of nationality, and in particular, what it means to be Canadian and how artists deal with representing that. In a gallery like ours, with an extensive Group of Seven catalogue in our permanent collection, this theme is a no-brainer to consider. However, I hope that this decision will throw a bit of a curve-ball at my two competitors as there is such a small contingency of Inuit artists being represented in our collection. Of these, we are lucky enough to have a Jessie Oonark, one of the most prolific and most respected of the Baker Lake artists to work in Canada's rugged north.

Oonark holds many accolades for her work. In 1973, she became a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, a distinction that she shares with my first selection, Donald Harvey. She designed the stamp for the United Nations Habitat Conference in 1976, and in 1984, Oonark became an Officer of the Order of Canada. Her work can be found in the collections of: Musee d'art contemporain de Montreal, Art Gallery of Ontario, University of British Columbia, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, National Gallery of Canada, Edmonton Art Gallery, and many more.

The reason that I consider this decision to be a curve-ball is that with such a small contingency of Inuit artists in the collection, it is highly unlikely that a future selection will share a common history with Oonark. In this way, my selection stands to represent a piece of 'Canadianism' in stark contrast to the Northern Landscape offered by Lisa's first selection. Oonarks' work, like much of the Inuit art being produced, strove to represent everyday activities of life in Baker Lake. Her inclusion in a major exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario entitled "The People Within", focussing on Baker Lake artists, seems to indicate her place within Canada. While it is surely a foreign way of life to many Canadians, it is undoubtedly a part of Canada and what it would mean to be Canadian, at least in part.

Darryn

Positioning and Hanging

2010-07-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

As Cam was considering the location for his 'Day 2' selection he noticed out of the corner of his eye that his first piece stood the risk of being overpowered by the Bob Bozak sketch Lisa chose as her second selection.
(note: Lisa uses the terminology- overpowered, to refer to her moving selection 1, almost off the wall to make room for her selection 2, not the fear that Mackenzie's Seated figure wont hold up against her choice of Bozaks sketch.)

Unwilling to change her mind so early in the match, Lisa agreed to enter into a negotiation with Cam to facilitate a better relationship between the two works - and to convey her good sense of sportsmanship!

A compromise was reached, but not without Cam getting in the last jab! (the measuring tape never lies - Cam)

Darryn helps Lisa hang her selection.

Day 2 - Tony Tascona, Quarter Cycle, 1968

2010-07-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

Being the First to draw from a rack, there were, both paintings and framed prints to choose from, while Cam hesitated to choose the first work that engaged him, upon research it seemed to fit best. This was a painting by Tony Tascona entitled Quarter Cycle, 1968.

Tony Tascona was born in St. Boniface, Manitoba in 1926, and later studied at the Winnipeg School of Art as well as the University of Manitoba School of Fine Arts. His style, like that of Hugh Mackenzie, was informed by technique. Tascona worked as a metal processing technician for Air Canada, which began his attraction to industrial materials and process. Similarly Mackenzie worked as a technical artist working on the Avro Arrow, which informed his style on the side of his practice of depicting industrial themes. For both, technique is of the utmost importance, as their practice is heavily involved with the investigations of process.

Tascona's work developed into what we see in Quarter Cycle, only after his short stay in Montreal where he discovered an affinity to Neo-Plasticien artists such as Guido Molinari. Upon his return to Winnipeg, Tascona's work gradually surprised the textural, and like Darryn's first choice by Don Harvey entitled Off Centre,1966, started to deal with surface. It was not important to Tascona to represent anything, nor to inspire anything specific in the viewer; he wished his images to be seen as an "absolute shape". "With my paintings, I take a thought and make it into a physical reality. And if you want to add the metaphysical, that's your business. But I really feel this type of art doesn't have to be explained. It just has to be looked at and discovered." (Quoted by Patrick Flynn, "To Live Off Art is Not Easy," Winnipeg Tribrune, 4 October 1975)

There seems to be a lot of ties to the Up Close and Personal exhibits the Gallery has been doing over the past year. The influence of Molinari, who's Quantificateur, is showing now in Up Close and Personal III, but also that of the influence, of one's instructor, as Tascona studied under Joe Plaskett, whose Table at night was shown in the Up Close and Personal II Exhibition. Though, neither of these examples truly illustrates these influences as Plaskett's would have informed Tascona's earlier work, and Molinari's was created decades after his work would have influenced Tascona.

The curators discussed how these works related to each other within the collection, and whether there had been some intension in building a collection this way. It was considered that these coincidences might emerge out of Canadian art history because of its relatively small scope, and that rather than a tactical collecting mandate; our past has, luckily, been fortunate. It seems more likely that, similar to our acquisitions of group of seven works, we have been lucky enough in the past to purchase some contemporary work, affordably, in small steps, gaining examples of these artists. By no means is the collection developed enough to celebrate one artist's whole practice, but in their selected works from specific periods, the relations to each other could offer an exciting exhibition of the sentiment in different Canadian art movements.

Day 2 - Conversation & Rationale

2010-07-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Cam introducing his choice and defending it's placement and rationale for inclusion.

Darryn presenting the Oonark.

Careful consideration of the Oonark

Cam sharing insightful comments on how the impact of Darryn's first choice is changing in relation to the Bozak that was installed beside it.

More consideration of the Bozak wall in relation to the works on either side.

Lisa wonders what would happen if the Harvey was moved across the gallery and hung on the wall next to the Oonark, the Boyle and the Tascona. While Cam & Lisa feel the move supports the Harvey and pulls the wall together both aesthetically and conceptually, Darryn is not so sure. Too early to pull a switch. We'll wait and see what develops on Day 3.

By the end of Day 3 the room should begin to present one or two possible directions. There should be some evidence of an 'exhibition' forming. If not...Round 2 will be a grind!

Day 2 - Visual Re-Cap

2010-07-14T08:10:00.000-07:00

Oonark, Jessie

Inuk Catching A Bird, 1981

Stencil, 44/50

41 5/16 x 29 5/8"

Gallery Lambton: Purchased, 1987

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Tascona, Tony

Quarter Cycle, 1968

Lacquer on Masonite

39 5/8" x 33 5/8"

Purchased with private funds and donations from the industries of Sarnia, 1968

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Bozak, Robert (Bob)

Study fo Paul Henderson for Firestone, 1972
Graphite on Paper
36 7/16" x 32 1/2"

Gift of Dawn Johnson, London, Ontario, 1992

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End of Day 2 and there a bit more of a realtionship between the works is developing...although, they are definitely two different walls. Almost like the curators are working on two separate exhibitions. It is still early in the bout, but there is no question that the curators have there work cut out for them.

Day 3: Karmic Coffee Tin Returns Some Love...

2010-07-14T08:09:00.000-07:00

Today we all met in the gallery first thing in the morning to do our selections from the karmic coffee tin. Lisa drew yet another map drawer, Cam another solander case, and I got my wish to peruse the sculpture 1 storage area. It looks like another day of selecting works that have rarely (if ever) been in display at Gallery Lambton.

I am particularly interested to make this selection today. With a personal interest in sculpture, it is very exciting to be able to bring out a piece of art that many of us in the community have never seen before. To break into three dimensions will also be a good compliment with many of the other works chosen thus far that deal with different surface qualities and depth illusions.

It is good to remember that Gallery Lambton only has so much storage space at our current location! Sculpture takes up a lot of space, and because of that (and collecting directives of past curators) there is relatively few in the collection. As we gear up for our move up the street, it is interesting to think about what place sculpture has in our collection, how the mandate is defined with regards to future acquisitions of sculpture, and what role these pieces can play for/with the community. I would love to see a heightened energy toward the collection of more sculptural works, though practical space concerns alone might discourage that. (Besides, who am I to try and fight for more sculpture?!)

Darryn

Day 3-The Curse Continues

2010-07-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

Day 3 and another Map drawer! By now I have resigned myself to my curatorial smackdown fate. Map drawer #5 is a drawer with about six John Boyle prints. My first choice in the first SmackDown was Boyle because I didn't like his work. Now I can't get away from him. So there was no other option but to face my fate head on and choose a Boyle. I thought it would also be an interesting opportunity to consider more than one work from the same artist in the show. We'll see.

Boyle is largely a self-taught artist. He is a painter, sculptor, film maker, teacher, lacrosse player and a member of the Nihilist Spasm Band. He was associated early on with Gret Curnoe and Jack Chambers as they initiated an artistic movement in London during the 1960s & 70s associated with one of Canada's first Artist Run Centres and the founding of CARFAC.

The print I chose was Shaganappi Point seen here in a mat and frame that are too small. Shelly will re-mat and re-frame it for me before I hang it. Shaganappi Point is referencing the Indians at the treaty signing at Shaganappi Point in Alberta, which is now located in downtown Calgary. Boyle commented to Gallery Lambton's previous curator, David Taylor that "I had done a series of works about Gabriel Dumont and the Riel Rebellion. In my research I found a pattern of the Black foot Indian's tepee. The fan shape is the pattern for the Blackfoot tepee. You can actually cut it out and fold it in to a tepee"

Shaganappi Point easily carried the Canadian identity and Aboriginal thread along (at least on the surface), as well as the aesthetic cohesiveness that was emerging in that end of the gallery. But now I'm inspired to do more research on Boyle and this particular time period and these specific prints. I will blog that research in as I am able.

It will be intersting to see the final layout of this wall and have the opportunity to really consider these works in relation to one another and within the context of the Gallery Lambton permanent collection.

Lisa

Day 3: Ronald Kustyniuk

2010-07-14T07:57:00.000-07:00

Ronald Kostyniuk

Relief Structure, 1974

Paint on mixed substrate

50 ½ x 50 ½ x 8 in.

Gift of the Artist, 2006

Sculpture 1! It was great to see that location come my way from the karmic coffee tin. I have always seen these, a handful of three-dimensional works, waiting on the top shelf of the sculpture storage for their first exhibition. They were wrapped in plastic with bright, colorful, industrial looking forms growing out a solid square base. Even interesting in its bag on the shelf, it is great to now see one hanging on the wall.

The shapes remind me of crystalline growth in a cave: roughly rectangular volumes protruding at different angles from a stable base. The difference is that these shapes are colorful, immaculately painted, and animated through their placement on the base and their relationships to other colours around them. The impression of organic growth is suitable given the artists interest in the natural world. As Kostyniuk explains, “Color-form, as an extension into the real space of the viewer becomes a tangible entity – one which parallels, albeit crudely, the complexity and harmony of the colors and iridescences of nature’s infinitely beautiful world.” [University of Calgary exhibition catalogue, Feb. 24-Mar. 10, 1978]

This idea about the Color-form came up in an interesting way as we discussed each of our selections for the day. There is definitely a connection between the work of Kostyniuk and the more abstract canvasses that Lawren Harris was painting within the Group of Seven. The forms that Kostyniuk produced are directly influenced by natural forms, and informed by the colours and iridescences of that natural world. Harris was painting to relay a sense of place from these Canadian landscapes. The abstract forms that began to inhabit Harris’ later canvasses function in much the same way of Kostyniuks’ protruding shapes. The fact that Kostyniuk also holds a Masters degree in biology helps explain this deep connection with the natural world.

While at the University of Calgary, Kostyniuk came under the influence of Eli Bornstein, the main Canadian proponent of a new art movement known as Structuralism. Roughly, Structuralism was interested in systems of interrelated parts and believed that structures are the ‘real things’ that lie beneath the surface or appearance of meaning. In this mode of production, surfaces were highly polished and there was no sign of the artists’ hand to distract from the raw experiences of looking at the forms and being affected by the structure. Many of these considerations are similar to the print by Donald Harvey that I chose on Day 1. He too was influenced by the natural world around him, and had a very keen appreciation for the perceptual shifts of solid ‘Color-forms’ interacting with one another on the surface of the print.

This is a very strong work to include at this point of the exhibition, largely dominated by small to medium sized paper-based works thus far. I decided to try the work in the middle of the longest wall in the gallery space. On top of that, I made the decision to hang the work 6" higher than the 'standard' hanging height. There were a few reasons for this. One reason is that after day two, there were clearly two dominant themes emerging. The investigation into nationality was starting to take shape with a nice relationship developing amongst those works. These were starting to outweigh the abstract, color-dominated works, which I would like to see play-out further. By hanging this choice higher on the wall, it was a clear focal point. This work will hopefully rejuvenate the abstract portions of the exhibition while maintaining a tie to the organic, nationalistic works too.

Ronald Kostyniuk was born in Wakaw, Saskatchewan in 1941. He graduated in 1970 with a Master of Science in biology and in 1971 with a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin. He has exhibited internationally and his work can be found in the collections of Gallery Lambton, Canada Council Art Bank, MacKenzie Art Gallery (Regina), Mendel Art Gallery (Saskatoon), numerous universities, and many corporate collections throughout North America. He was a faculty member at the University of Calgary for many years.

Darryn

Day 3 - The Match Heats Up!

2010-07-14T07:55:00.000-07:00

Placing the works become more difficult for a number of reasons: the wall color is really strong and can either severely weaken or strengthen a piece; the spaces between the work are becoming more limited and awkward; and one contender (we won't mention names) places their incredibly strong selection smack dab in the middle of the largest wall, restricting everyones options moving forward.

Lisa looks for a spot for Shaganappi Point.

Cam decides his work by Kathleen Pepper, Old Eskimo, needs to squeeze right in between the Boyle and the Oonark.

Clearly, the discussion is becoming more intense as the stakes are rising and the options tightening.

Darryn and Lisa listen to Cam.

Maybe time to consider a new game plan? Everyone to their corners and let's take stock of where things are and what we have to do to bring the first Round to

a place where we feel we can move forward after the long weekend.

Maybe we consider a shuffle! At the end of the day the Curatorial SmackDown is more of a sparring match than a fight. Our ultimate goal is to support each other in some of the practical, hands on considerations of curating, learn about the collection and end up with an exhibition that has some sort of logic to it.

Happy again!

As long as we can all agree and can make our case, we decide to 'shuffle' until we feel good about the placement of the Round 1 works in relation to one another and within the space.

So at the end of Day 3, we reach a place where we can accept that some of our original ideas need to be scrapped for the good of the whole. We'll see what shapes up next week.

Day 3 - Kathleen Daly Pepper's Old Eskimo

2010-07-14T07:53:00.001-07:00

Luck would have it that I pulled Solander Box #9, consisting of 10 or so more Hugh Mackenzie etchings, and 4 other works on paper. It's interesting to be given another chance to strengthen my first selection and expand upon Mackenzie's work, by providing examples of the industrial etchings I referred to in relation to my second selection. But at some point you have to come out of the locker room and face your opponents.

I chose Kathleen Daly Pepper's Old Eskimo, 1955. Daly attended Ontario Collage of Art and the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, Paris. Daly married George Pepper in 1929, and the two practiced together in the Studio Building in Toronto.

Old Eskimo is a Sketch of an Inuit man, much like our only work by her husband George, Half Breed, which shares the same composition but with differing styles. I chose it for its obvious entrance into the conversation between Jessie Oonark's Inuk Catching a Bird, and Boyle's Northern Landscape.

In yesterdays discussion, we spoke about our collection having some gaps that restrict a comprehensive evaluation of our artists range of practice. So what our collection does do is offer a range of perspectives on certain themes, and issues, from the historical to the contemporary.
Here my selection is one that has a personal relationship to our neighbouring Up Close and Personal III exhibit, where some of here instructors and contemporaries are hung. But on the Smack Down side its period is absent.

As Up Close and Personal aims to represent a progression of art history in our collection, I felt Old Eskimo added the frame work for Boyle to make his comment. As Lisa put it on Day One, “The fact that the title is Northern Landscape, and the image is a portrait of a white male Cowboy and an Aboriginal male, sets up a number of questions and challenges for the viewer, particularly within the context of Canada's social and cultural histories, national identity, and the grip of the Group.”

With my third selection I had a chance to include another viewpoint. One from a white female artist who, with her husband, traveled to the Arctic to paint and draw the Inuit people, their daily life and their landscape. Often painting with members of the group of seven, and trained at OCA under Lismer and Macdonald, Daly represent a close tie to the group, accused for their grip. While also standing alone as a charming document of a person.

In the way Jessie Oonark's Inuk Catching a Bird, represents her peoples everyday, Daly's work documents this from the learned knowledge and training of her own culture. Darryn doubted a work would turn up that shared a common history with Oonark and in this I believe he refers to culture, and he will probably be right. But what he wasn't concerned with would be the other perspectives available. With Old Eskimo; on one hand, we have a bridge for the other works to relate in a different way, entering in to a negotiations about the role of the artist and their work as it preserves, celebrates and critiques culture; on the other, I have brought out the work that is being attacked by the argument happening between the other two, about who has license over the representation of culture. Now instead of being “in stark contrast” as Darryn aimed, they are starting to portray a Canadian narrative about the relationships of its peoples.

I took a risk with this work and didn't like it any where around the gallery, and since I was creating a disruption and the work is relatively small I placed it in between Inuk Catching a Bird and Northern Landscape, filling a gap we hadn't noticed.

Day 3 - Visual Re-cap

2010-07-14T07:53:00.000-07:00

Kostyniuk, Ronald
Relief Structure (Oblique Series), 1974
Painted mixed substrate
50 1/2" x 50 1/2" x 8"
Gift of the Artist, 2006
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Boyle, John
Shaganappi Point, 1976
Serigraph
18" x 25"
Gift from the collection of Jeffery and Beverly Lipson, 2005

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Pepper, Kathleen Daly
Old Eskimo, Nain, Labrador, c.1955
Drawing on paper
14 7/16" x 11 9/16"
Gift of Dr. and Mrs O.S. Pokorny, Sarnia, Ontario, 1980

Day 4 - Round 2 - Back from the Beach!

2010-07-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

After a glorious long weekend, Lisa and Darryn are well rested and ready to head straight to the karmic coffee tin to select their location to start Round 2. With Cam missing in action (perhaps a bit too much R&R Cam?) Darryn and Lisa take advantage of his mis-step and force Cam up against the ropes.

Both Lisa and Darryn pull a rack which means we have access to larger work and the possibility to begin activating the space in a new way. Round 2 is off to a great start! At least for Darryn & Lisa...where is Cam?

Day 4: Frances Ferdinands

2010-07-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

Cam admiring a thoughtful selection...

Frances Ferdinands
The Space Between, 1986
52 1/8" x 78 1/4"
Acrylic on canvas with xerography
Purchased from the artist

Rack 8. Coming off of the long weekend, a nice three day breather, it was time to step into the second half of the Smackdown. I drew a rack from the karmic coffee tin, which has been something of a rarity thus far in the competition. The racks are almost always exciting, with each one usually having quite a range in work by ways of content, scale, and age. However, with all of these possibilities, I ended up having a hard time making this decision.

The first problem is that Rack 8 is also home to two Louis de Niverville paintings; two of my favorite in collection. With this in mind, upon pulling out the rack to survey the possibilities, I had to continually put the de Niverville's back in check. I did not want to make a decision based mostly on the fact that I like the work. Liking something, and including something that you like because it makes sense in the exhibition are definitely two different things. Of course, before I made my final decision I had to bring the de Niverville out and see how it felt within the exhibition, only to have my initial feelings confirmed. These paintings will be staying on Rack 8 for now...

The next painting that I brought out was a nice, energetic, airy watercolour by Denise Ireland. It still had some of the sketch lines visible on the paper, and dealt with colour in a very similar way to some of these abstract works that have been coming out. I thought that it would challenge me to pick something that I wouldn't normally be attracted to, and try to give it a fair chance. So I brought the painting out and started doing some reading about the artist, but it just didn't feel right. I don't know if the pencil marks showing through the paint, or the way the paper sat in the frame, or even the way the work reacted on the green wall, but something just didn't feel right. So away it went...

Ultimately, there were a few more decisions that followed along a similar pattern, with each work eventually working itself back onto Rack 8. It is interesting though, that each of the works on the rack could have possibly fit within some dimension of this exhibition. Whether that is a strength of the works or an ambiguity within the exhibition is interesting to consider.

So, with that, I eventually settled on a large canvas by Frances Ferdinands. Born in Sri Lanka, Ferdinands is now based in Toronto. She received her degree in Visual Art from York University and in Education from University of Toronto. As a young art student she was already a recognized Toronto author. In 1973 she co-edited the book Eclectic Eve, a collection of over 50 interviews with 'Toronto Women artists' that was met with much praise.

This work seems to pick up a number of different threads, even if it is somewhat inconclusive on any particular view. The idea of nationalism and its representation is starting to expand and take on more of an international consideration. This is provoked by the strong national symbol of the American flag stuck to the arm of the astronaut floating in space. While I don't think (personally), that the artist intended a nationalist reading of this work, it can't help but develop that theme in the context of this Smackdown.

Ferdinands work is often highly symbolic. Everything seems to represent something, even if it takes some time to get past the compositional elements. For example, cows make a frequent appearance in her work as a stand-in for nature and the natural. Placed on this strict one-point perspective grid, the geometric and technological are all of a sudden underpinning the natural. This collision of the natural with the technological, digital, geometric (read: man made) world is made very clear.

The xerography that Ferdinands included was the image of God giving life to the tip of Adams finger, the iconic image from the cieling of the Sistine Chapel originally painted by Michelangelo. Represented here though, the two fingers never meet. A sharp red arrow seems to keep Gods finger from going any further, while Adam seems to be reaching desparately for the telephone. Regardless of any one view on these decisions, the allusion to the interjection of the technological into our natural, or even spiritual, worlds is obvious. This relationship has been developed to some extent in the rest of the exhibition, with a couple of selections now referencing the interplay between the natural and technological, man-made world.

In the end, I found the chance to interact with a work that I never had that initial attachment to. I found a suitable spot in an exhibition that allows closer consideration of works, and while the work still may not be my own personal favorite in the collection, I can certainly now appreciate how a work of art can function so differently within a context. This context includes the other art around the walls, but also the wall colour, lighting, and everything else! I'm looking forward to Day 5 of this Smackdown, things are getting tight, themes are getting developed, and the show is starting to pull together. Pressure's on!

Darryn

The Return of Cam

2010-07-13T09:15:00.001-07:00

After the long drive back to Toronto from Tobermory, a short rest, an early morning Grey Hound into London and a speedy ride back to Sarnia, I arrived at the gallery around noon. This late start to Round 2 provided me with an unfair advantage as Darryn and Lisa had already displayed their choices before I had made my own. Though the structure is supposed to prevent this foresight, it's impossible to see these new additions, and not consider how they are changing the exhibition. Since, I made my arrival time known in advance to my two opponents, and they made the choice to have their new selections displayed, I don’t feel responsible for the advantage they have provided me. So I'm back to the Karmic coffee tin...

Low and behold, I Pull Rack 13, which holds some goopy painted landscapes, Bozak's Paul Henderson for Firestone, which Lisa has hung the sketch for, and 2 Bozak paintings, I chose Firstness, 1980/81. This painting depicts a neon sing that reads "Firstness" is the same font as the Firestone logo seen on the tire in Paul Henderson for Firestone. When placed in the Exhibition this work conjures the already present debate about our First Nations and Colonialism, while also continuing the comment on our relationship with technology that has been more firmly introduced by Frances Ferdinands' The Space Between.

Hung side by side, The Space Between and Firstness, are both overpowered by a dark, night sky, and relate to the theme of industrialisation and the colonialization of the America's. Firstness begins to allude to the collaged images used in The Space Between. As Darryn has discussed, Michaelangelo's iconic portrayal of God and Adam's reaching hands from the Sistine Chapel are separated, as the image of God falls away and Adam's image is now reaching toward the handset of a telephone. The inclusion of the American Astronaut, also conjures our history of the first man on the moon, which in our American culture, greatly trumps Yuri Gagarin, a cosmonaut, who was the first man in space. In this way my choice, points to the Imperial culture of 'firstness', whether it be the first man, or first man on the moon, there is a system of cultural imposition, that over shadows the history of other cultures. A sifting of origins, selecting only that which supports current politics, becomes a censoring of cultural histories. This practise of one sided selection, if one isn’t careful, can be a lot like curating.

With a feisty start to our round two blogging, I am reminded of our goal in sparring, being one of investigation and exercise in curatorial practice. While my opponents gloat in a sense of competition and victory, I am becoming more and more aware of the missing link between the two emerging streams of thought. What is our national identity and how has it been formed into the culture in which we live today? And how, through abstraction, can we investigate the cultural implications of the relationship between our creations and the natural world? I have hope that there will be a selection that ties these close yet unfocused threads together, but I fear that my opponents may be too concerned with their own success to really consider the strength of our final exhibition. If in the end the show is staggered and lacks unity we all lose.

Day 4 - Installing

2010-07-13T09:15:00.000-07:00

Cam shuffled in around noon but by then Darryn had already installed his piece, The Space Between, by Frances Fernandes, and Lisa had selected and placed hers: Colour and Composition 2 by Milly Ristvedt-Handerek.

Cam quickly hit the karmic coffee tin and he too was able to choose from a rack. He was able to shake off his late start and made a great selection, Firstness by Robert Bozk. Cam again slides his selection in between Darryn's and Lisa's.

Darryn helps to hang the Ristvedt-Hederek while Cam, once again, gives his two cents worth.

Although the wall is coming together, it's looking a little unbalanced...perhaps a bit to the right and an inch or two higher?

Day 4 - Talking & Considering

2010-07-13T09:13:00.000-07:00

As the exhibition space begins to fill up the conversations are getting longer and considerably more interesting. Through the discussions at the end of the day, we are able to consider each work individually... CAM - get your hand off the wall!

...and collectively within the context of the other works. New insights are being considered and the works are entering into dialogue with each other in ways we could not have imagined when we were in the storage room making our choices.

Lots of talking...
Lots of listening...

Lots of contemplating....

For the joy of Painting

2010-07-13T09:12:00.000-07:00

Milly Ristvedt was born in British Columbia in 1942 and studied at the Vancouver School of Art from 1960 - 1964. She was picked up by the Carmen Lamanna Gallery four years later and has an impressive series of exhibitions in major galleries across Canada ever since, including the National Gallery of Canada.

Ristvedt's body of work belongs to a long list of artists who, through their practice, investigate color, surface, form and the interplay between all three. Artist's including Jack Bush, Ray Mead, Bruce O'Neil and Gershon Iskowitz come to mind. That said, her work embodies an intuitive personal statement that is unmistakingly her own.

This painting was on the same rack as two of my favorite works in the collection by David Bolduc and I had to fight the impulse to choose one of those. I was specifically looking for something that would work next to Relief Structure by Ronald Kustyniuk as I didn't think there would be too many options in our collection that could hold their own next to such a strong piece.

In the past, I had overlooked the Ristvedt numerous times because on the rack it appears washed out and weak. But, in the spirit of the Smack Down, I would give this work a chance, try to learn more about lesser known works in the collection, and see how it stood up in the space. After all, there was a musical quality to the composition that I felt just might resonate with the Kustyniuk.

What a delightful surprise! The work looked amazingly different in the gallery against the red wall with proper lighting. Rather than washed out the surface of the canvas came alive as the strokes of color seemed to break free from their surrounding atmosphere of color. WOW! The space created in this composition, purely by the application of color was amazing.

The artist scrubs, sponges and brushes the paint which, together with the exhuberant color choices, activates the surface. With prolonged consideration, the colors and forms begin to float in four dimensions out toward the viewer, creating a tension between the flatness of the ground and the implied illusion of overlapping shapes. The forms animate the surface with a visual energy. At the same time there is an overall sense of calm as the swatches of color sing harmoniously together, but are held firmly on their own plane - a sense of order that is experienced like a suspension in time.

It's as if the strokes of color break free from their surrounding atmosphere of color but remain trapped on their designated plane. NICE!!

Lisa

Day 4-Visual Re-Cap

2010-07-13T09:10:00.000-07:00

The day began with lots of potential and at the end of the day we weren't disappointed. All contenders had the opportunity to choose from the painting racks, adding another dimension to the exhibition which, at the end of Round 1, was primarily drawings and prints.

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Ferdinands, Frances
The Space Between, 1986
Acrylic & Xerography on Canvas
78 1/4" x 52 1/8"
Purchased from the Artist

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Ristvedt - Handerek, Milly
Colour & Composition #2, 1989
Acrylic on Canvas
36 1/8" x 72 1/8"
Gift of Rod Anderson and Scott McColl

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Bozak, Robert (Bob)
Firstness, 1980/81
Acrylic on Canvas
52 1/8" x 78"
Gift of Dawn Johnson, London, Ontario, 1992

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The space is taking on an entirely new feel and sense of meaning.

Shelly re-framed the Boyle print (seen above on the floor) and the piece looks considerably better in an appropriate sized frame. A decision was made to put off hanging it right away. The placement will either require a re-shuffling of the entire wall to balance it out or, if someone selects a small piece, it may fit nicely to the right of the Boyle. We'll wait and save the need to patch holes!

In fact, there's not a lot of room left for the remaining 6 works that still have to be added to the space.

Perhaps Day 5 will require a bit of fancy foot work from all contenders!

Day 5: Early Morning

2010-07-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

Note: two computers + Blackwater Americano = extra productivity

Day 5. It's an early morning today. I didn't get around to the blog last night, and had some catching up to do. It's always nice at the gallery in the morning. Since it isn't opened to the public yet, there are no visitors walking through the gallery (where this office is located) and in the case of an exhibition that includes audio, none of that equipment would be turned on yet. All of this means that in the morning, the gallery is known to be quite a peaceful and productive place. I have a good feeling about today. The walls are starting to fill up and with it, the thematic narratives within the exhibition are starting to be quite developed.

As I sit here waiting for the day to come, I am wondering what would happen if Cam draws a video today from the karmic coffee tin, or if Lisa draws another sculpture shelf. All that it takes is one fortunate draw from the tin to drastically change the feel of this exhibition. While there are currently 12 pieces selected thus far, it is exciting to see how much one work can energize and relocate the readings of other works in the room. Even across different thematic foci, works can directly influence each other. Of course, a bad selection is still a bad selection; not necessarily a bad work of art, but there is certainly a defined aesthetic and thematic quality to this Smackdown, and being ignorant of these things at this point would lead to a certain knock-out blow!

With fingers crossed for a good pick today...

Darryn

Day 5: David Milne

2010-07-13T09:08:00.000-07:00

David Milne

Ski Jump, Lake Placid, No. 3, 1925

Watercolour on paper

15" x 21 1/8"

Gift of the estate of Douglas Duncan, 1970

Well, so much for my wishful thinking early this morning. The challenge was on as soon as I picked Solander case 10 for today. Right away I knew that I would be dealing with works on paper, and the next thing was to see what was in that case. A quick overview showed me an abundance of Tony Urquhart, one L.L. Fitzgerald, and a lone David Milne. As a group, this box is quite interesting. David Milne was a contemporary of Fitzgerald, offering a different take on Canadian landscape and degrees of abstraction from the same time period. I can see some similarities between Urquhart's very identifiable style with that of Milne as he worked with a more modern than impressionistic feel for the natural landscape. Furthermore, Urquhart often exhibited with the group of London artists in the 1960's that included Jack Chambers, Greg Curnoe, and Murray Favro. These London artists can be seen as one of the larger groups of artists that developed in Canada post-Group of Seven, and because of that they can be seen as taking off in a different direction from where the group left off. So already there were many connections emerging between these artists and others in the collection.

At left, the actual Lake Placid, New York State

In a catalogue from the Swift Current National Exhibition Centre, June 18 - July 18, 1981, Milne is presented as, "one of Canada's foremost painters, who, by sheer personal commitment developed his own pathways amid the canons of nationalism. Through painting David Milne has chosen to see the world as a search for design - a challenge that is handed over to us," when we look at his work. What might be in contrast to this view comes from a letter dated March 17, 1931, from David Milne to the then Director of the National Gallery of Canada. In it, the artist is describing his work and basically helping the Director through an understanding of it. "The real subject is concerned with (1) line (2) the separation of colour into black and white values and hues (3) the arrangement - the use of the blank space, light in value..." I would like to look at this work as falling somewhere in between these two quotes.

The reason that I want to look between these two quotes is that I think they are both right. I think that today, Milne's work does carry with it a nationalist undercurrent, a distinctly Canadian feeling. However, after reading about the artist, and even the artists' own words, I do not believe that he purposely set out to establish a nationalist dictum through his painting. The man is portrayed as more of a recluse, eliminating everything in his life that could possible interfere with painting. He was committed to his practice, and is reportedly quoted as saying that he would rather die than not paint. The point is that his main interest and conviction does seem to be a long-term investigation into the qualities of paint and the experiences of painting. Even in his letter to the Director of the National Gallery he takes time to point out that all of these academic things are post-mortem to the painting; all after-thoughts taking off from the physical remnants of the experience of painting.

I think that the time period that he was working, and therefore his contemporaries, have made it easy for us to put a nationalist label on Milne's work. Certainly, his work is something to be proud of with its' Canadian roots. We like to hold onto our homegrown artists, and see a little bit of ourselves in their work. It is much the same in how we associate with the rugged landscapes and sweeping vistas that the Group of Seven painted; this is our home and native land. When you consider that the artist lived in upper New York state for a few years before finally settling in Canada permanently, it appears that Milne didn't see national borders as having any impact on the world around him that he was attempting to paint.

This work is also the first direct landscape in the exhibition. Though there is one print, titled Northern Landscape, it is not a landscape in a literal sense. It is exciting to include a literal landscape because it draws many connections while also opening many doors. The abstract artists that are included in the exhibition thus far have nearly all cited nature as their inspiration, and after considered viewings of the work, this is fairly easy to see. Looking back at my first choice in the Smackdown, Donald Harvey's Off Centre, I now see a planetary grouping of shapes and colours, floating on a blue background. The other artists, who in general are doing more figurative works, are dealing with a social landscape and its representation. I hope that Milne's literal landscape can help to realize a bridge between the abstract works and the figurative works, moving towards a unified exhibition, albeit one with a wide-gaze. It is still exciting to see what my competitors choose today, as well as tomorrow, but it seems that a landscape would inevitably make its way into the Smackdown. Going back to Smackdown 1, Cam's first choice was a large landscape painting.

There are definitely some threads emerging both from within our collection, as dictated by the karmic coffee tin, as well as within the exhibition. It is my hope that tomorrow we will get some good karma and some flexible locations from which to choose and end up with the most unified exhibition as is possible through a process like this. Hopefully this Milne selection will contribute towards that end. More on Milne later!

Darryn

Day 5: More on Milne!

2010-07-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

David Milne (1882-1953)

b. Paisley, Bruce County, Ontario, Canada
d. Toronto, Ontario, Canada

“Feeling is the power that drives art. There doesn’t seem to be a more understandable word for it, though there are others that give something of the idea: aesthetic emotion, quickening, bringing to life. Or call it love; not love of man or woman or home or country or any material thing, but love without an object – intransitive love.”
David B. Milne, ‘Feeling in Painting,’ 1948

David Milne is a regionally, nationally, and internationally significant Canadian artist best known for his paintings, but the artist was also a printmaker and writer. He was educated in Paisley, and soon after that he worked at a country school near there. He went to New York for formal art training in 1903 at the age of 21. He went on to paint commercially, and also went to Europe toward the end of WWI as a war artist (during which time he produced some beautiful images). After the war, Milne continued to define himself as a landscape painter, living around upper New York State until 1929 when he moved back to Canada once and for all. He settled intially in the Temagami area, eventually living the rest of his life in Toronto. His work can be found in many galleries around the world, he has been exhibited widely, and his work has been the subject of multiple major retrospectives including ones at The National Gallery of Canada as well as the Art Gallery of Ontario.

The only reason that I wanted to include some more information on this artist stems from my initial reaction to the painting. I didn't understand the significance that Milne has in Canadian art history, and didn't have any idea how his work would fit in this context. In fact, it is just now (after meeting with Cam + Lisa) that we found the perfect spot for it. There is one wall in the gallery, at a 45 degree angle to the others, and straight ahead of the sightline coming into the exhibition space. It was a daunting space because whatever ended up going there would have to be able to hold its own with such prominence. Aesthetically and thematically, this Milne painting seems to be the first step in tying up the remaining loose ends of this exhibition. The black in the land links in with Cam's pick from yesterday, and the loose flickers of colour in the vegetation picks up nicely with Lisa's pick from yesterday as well. The scale of the piece is just right so that it isn't in your face (from its already prominent location), but big enough that the colours can have an effect beyond its frame. Milne has definitely grown on me today!

Darryn

Happy Birthday - Doris McCarthy

2010-07-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

Doris McCarthy in her studio, Fools Paradise, 2003.

McCarthy turned 100 years old on July 7, 2010...

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When I chose Rack 2 from the tin, my heart sank as I knew that most of the works on that rack were already in the Up Close & Personal III exhibition. But there on the bottom at the far end of the rack was a Doris McCarthy watercolour, Pangnitung, Late Night, 1983 (the only McCarthy in our collection). To my knowledge it has never been on display at our gallery and given that her 100th birthday was celebrated this summer with numerous exhibitions mounted in honour of her and her artistic production - it seemed fitting to give McCarthy a place in the Smack Down.

McCarthy painting on site, Gris Fjord, Nunavut, 1976.

McCarthy has worked her way into the hearts of Canadians. She is a teacher, adventurer, writer and as Nancy Cambell recently noted, an experimental ground-breaking painter. For her continuing contribution to Canada's artistic community, Doris McCarthy has received The Order of Canada; The Order of Ontario; 5 Honorary Doctorates and an Honorary Fellowship to The Ontario College of Art and Design. In November 1999, McCarthy was named the first Artist of Honour at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. On March 11, 2004 the University of Toronto, Scarborough Campus opened the Doris McCarthy Gallery.

McCarthy's Pangnintung, Late Night is refreashing and strong and a welcome introduction into the space. As soon as the McCarthy was introduced, the visual connection to the Kustyniuk was evident and a relationship between the works immediately struck. I can't help but wonder if I'm clutching at straws here, trying to find some coherent logic to this somewhat random process of building an exhibition - but wait - a relationship to the Ristvedt and the Harvey begins to emerge as well.

In a recent exhibition, Doris McCarthy: Roughing it in the Bush, curated by Nancy Campbell and mounted at the Doris McCarthy Gallery, never-exhibited panels from McCarthhy's "hard-edge" period of the 1960's were on display. In this body of work, the abstracted forms of nature dance across the canvas not unlike in the Ristvedt and Kustyniuk. The oscillation between nature and abstraction and the resulting relationships is bubbling to the surface as these works by such diverse Canadian artists find each other and begin their dialogue.

Today we saw the first inclusion of landscape into the exhibition, which seems odd given that our collection is so landscape heavy. Darryn selected a Milne and it too contributes as much to the abstract, lyrical nature of the evolving exhibition as does the McCarthy. It's refreshing to see these two works in a new context.

Where the McCarthy will hang at the end of the day is still under debate - as is a number of the works. We are definitely moving into the final day of the Smack Down as the positioning of each work comes under more scrutiny. We decided not to hang any pieces today and would wait to see what works emerged out of the vault tomorrow before committing these works to their hanging place.

Day 5 Round 2 - Urquhart.

2010-07-13T09:04:00.001-07:00

After being back for 21 hours, I arrive at the gallery to tie up some loose ends (pun intended- see 'return of cam'). After reading some of the jabs posted, I finished up my blog on yesterdays picks with a little bit of retaliation. I now concede about roping Darryn in and admit that he is making great efforts to bring the exhibition some cohesion. After drawing Video A-M, and getting very excited, we decide Video is off limits, as we have discussed the future of the video art we have in relation to distribution rights, ownership, and the compensation of artists. (Thanks to Deirdre at V-Tape for our meeting last week in Toronto)

On my second try, the Karmic tin awards me with solander box 10, and I curse my way all the way back to the collection room and find a box full of works by Tony Urquhart, a regional artist of whom we have plenty in our collection.

(Interestingly the only other work in the box was that of Ray Robinson who taught at Lambton College with our education coordinator, Dave. As well, during last week's trip to Toronto we saw a Robinson piece that was rescued from a flea market by Artist/Curator Jason Baerg, who was also one of his students. Small, Canadian art world, eh? If my early ideas of Canadian art and the relations between teachers and students had taken a major role in the development of the exhibition I would have gladly found a place for it.)

Born in Niagara Falls, Urquhart studied at Albright Art School and the University of Buffalo, later becoming the first artist in residence at the University of Western Ontario, launching a three decade teaching career. Now a nationally celebrated artist, Urquhart has been shown alongside and the London group that Boyle was a part of, curated 'Swinging London', and curated a two person show for Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, titled Dark Bridges. The show consisted of etchings by Hugh Mackenzie, and photographs by Jane Hinton. The exhibition made two stops, first K-WAG and then here, to Gallery Lambton, in 1997. Urquhart, also ironically was involved in founding CAR/FAC (Canadian Artists Representation), which "is incorporated federally as a non-profit corporation that is the national voice of Canada’s professional visual artists". (It's CAR/FAC that sets up the fee structure and protects artist from copyright infringement. It's this model that we use in relation to screening video art, ironically, why we have decided to exclude Video from this Smack Down)

Going through the solander box I found many Urquhart's that bare the familiar style of his drawing technique and colour. But one stood out, Urquhart's Hero, 1963 is very different than the rest of his work that we have in our collection. This image is a wood cut from a sketch Urquhart did of a French-Napoleonic uniform, displayed at the Musee de Louvre, in Paris, 1958. This image is easily read as Napoleon, though there is an absence of figure, the clothing that remains is displayed. The clothing really does make the man. Though this uniform could have been worn by any official of the Napoleonic era, as Canadians we often only recognise the icon. Napoleon's relevance to Québécois is one of a cultural martyr. Author Sen. Serge Joyal explains, “When the British defeated Napoleonic France, French Canadians were put in a situation where commerce, international relations, leadership were in British hands. So in order for them to maintain their language, culture and institutions, they had to constantly affirm their identity. The person who best personified this resistance was Napoleon. Very quickly, they took up Napoleon as a hero in their battle against the English.”( Quoted by Martin Patriquin on Thursday, June 3, 2010 11:20am for Macleans- http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/06/03/what-would-napoleon-do/ )

This relationship of national identity is interesting as the colony of New France spread over North America's heartland, seizing a vast area from the First Nations stretching from Louisiana to Newfoundland, only to later find themselves at the mercy of British take over. The French who settled in Canada found themselves in the same struggle to preserve their own culture as the aboriginal Canadians. It is interesting to see how this 'hero', when placed in dialogue with Boyles Shaganappi Point and Northern Landscape, as well as Oonark' Inuk Catching A Bird, presents a new voice on the struggle to maintain ones cultural identity on national and international levels.

The placing of Hero was also important as it relates aesthetically to Bozacks sketch of Paul Henderson, which is also a circular framed 'hero'. There is also a relation personally with Mackenzie's etching, aesthetically invoking humanity, in contrast, by not illustrating a figure but suggesting a character. Ultimately Hero is stronger in the company of Boyle, and conveniently may pull Tascona back into play. (if only the ladder could stay)

Day 5: Catch-Up, Selection, Arrangement

2010-07-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

The mood of the Curatorial Smackdown is burning strong, and has found its way into our staff meeting this morning. I wouldn't quite call it intimidation, but there is some real curating action going on around here. With just one day left, nobody wants to make a mistake. But really, we're all in this together, and the only way for one person to win is for everybody to meet with some success in the realization of a strong exhibition.

Cam is back at home in his office in the Sadie Knowles Gallery. Catching up from yesterday, Cam is now back on his feet and trying to toss his opponents around.

Is this the gallery through Lisa's eyes?

"Hey, what is that curator doing in the sight lines of my excellent selection from yesterday?"

Darryn felt that Cam's selection from today might look better between the Bozak and the Oonark. After getting a feel for the wall, the curators decide that sometimes a wall can actually be too balanced and in return, make the work on it seem dull and lifeless (comparatively speaking). In the end, the Urquhart goes back onto the right of the Bozak.

Cam, too, had some insight as to some placement changes that might help the flow exhibition. suggesting that Darryn's Milne jump over to the dreaded thermostat corner, assisting a transition into the other black paintings and the other way from dark realism to abstraction.

Hey, nobody said that curating was easy!!!

Cam and Darryn listen to Lisa's reasoning to the selection and placement of a very nice Doris McCarthy watercolour.

Day 5: Visual Recap

2010-07-12T21:06:00.000-07:00

On the second last day of the Curatorial Smackdown II, things are starting to tie together more and more. Cam and Darryn both drew Solander cases, while Lisa managed to pick a rack. Overall, three extremely established Canadian artists make their debut in this exhibition today, and all three selections help make some connections amongst the others works chosen thus far.

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David Milne

Ski Jump, Lake Placid, No. 3, 1925

Watercolour on paper

15" x 21 1/2"

Gallery Lambton: Gift from the Douglas M. Duncan Collection, 1970

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Tony Urquhart

Hero, 1963

Woodcut

7 3/4" diameter

Gallery Lambton: Gift of Charles and Jeanne Fader, 1999

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Doris McCarthy

Pangnirtung, Late Night, 1983

Watercolour on paper

22" x 30"

Gallery Lambton: Heritage Part Estates Collections: Gift of the Artist, 1996

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One more day to go... we will make sure to post some photographs of the finished exhibition, until then, you're just going to have to come in and see how things are shaping up heading into the final round. From what started out with a seemingly chaotic series of initial selections is now morphing into quite a nice exhibition. Two days to the final presentation!

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Final Day!

2010-07-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

The final day of Smackdown II has arrived, as all 3 curators gather excitedly around the Karmic coffee tin. But we all cant choose at once!

First up is Darryn who gets rack number 14, and enthusiastiacally snaps photos as his opponents reach for thier own new options.

Lisa is the second to draw her location, and fate dishes out map drawer 8.

Finally Cam dives into chance and comes up with Rack 19, but before you could say "lets get ready to rumble", they are off, abandoning a retired Karmic coffe tin.

In the permenent collection room all sence of competition washes away as each curator excitedly looks at thier choices together, for the first time. The mood today is one of hope and axhilaration as we collectively aim to tie this exhibition together.

Darryn views the first side of Rack 14, admiring the many works by Thomas Ackerman, a local artist, but it is another home grown painter on the other side of the rack that catches Darryns fancy.

Lisa riffles through map Drawer 8, un earthing quite a few interesting possibilities, luckily someone has the chance to find the missing link in our works on paper.

(it's refreshing today, seeing Lisa keeping the gloves 'on'!)

Cam, thrilled by this new sense of team work, actually invites Lisa into his decision making process.

What will these final 3 selections be? and how will they, together round off the exhibition?

A young Curator's work is never done.

2010-07-12T21:03:00.000-07:00

With work selected and awaiting final discourse, Darryn prepares for our up coming First Friday opening. He has prepared a slide show of around a hundred of the pictures captured over both weeks by Guy, our master of documentation.

A real go getter, Darryn installs a projector in the open area on the way into the exhibit, where his slide show will provide gallery patrons a peek into our activities during these 6 long days.

And then, he conquers lighting!

Hanging the rest of the selections is next on this busy Curators task sheet, but his friends arrive to cheer him on.

Making a Final Decision

2010-07-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

In the permanent collection room I find my self a pretty diverse rack. It holds mostly abstract paintings but also a few landscapes and a still life or two. I am immediately drawn to Lawrence (Larry) King's Fiesta, 1967. This abstract circle mighty just be what I need to save my selection on day 2, Tony Tascona's Quarter Cycle.

Out in the gallery it fits! There's room for just one piece on this side of the room, and Fiesta, works between Quarter Cycle and Urquhart's Hero, mirroring some of the colours in the Napoleonic Uniform while stretching to scale of the circular Tascona. Fiesta, is a mixed media work, using acrylic, rice paper and ink on masonite. It looks, like it could almost be a collage constructed out of torn up remnants of its two neighboring works.

I'm not able to find out much about King, other than a hand written bio and a flyer for an exhibit titled 'Five Sarnia Artists' a group show featuring King, Gary Nixon, Mildred Gerrard, Helen Jones, and Jane Hunter. The Exhibit was shown at the Sarnia Public Library and Art Gallery, winter 1975-76. This issue has brought up a new discussion about our responsibility to act, now that we have identified major holes in our records, on much needed research for us to illustrate these works importance as well as the gaps in our collection as a whole.

In our discussion and collective dialogue about placement, I begin question if whether or not i have made the best choice, both Darryn and I return to the collection storage to see what else we might consider. I bring out an abstract painting by Paul Sloggett, tittled March Dun, from 1994. It serves Tascona as well as its colours and investigation of line are very similar. Where March Dun differs is the use of paint where in contrast to Quarter Cycle, its lines are rough and the paint is built up. It doesn't out weigh Fiesta, confirming my first gut instinct, but it does do some thing, So we try it on the other side of the entrance creating a gateway between it and the Tascona.

This works really well, but means that my choice number one, Hugh Mackenzie's Seated Figure, is getting bumped out for the greater good.

In our files I find its Application for Certification of Cultural Property for Income Tax Purposes, containing an Explanation of Outstanding Significance and National Importance, which describes this new work (at the time) in comparison to his early practice.

"Less emphasis is placed on texture and flat area's of geometric form. Instead, line plays a greater role while some of the rough shapes are loosely filled in with colour. There is some residue of the geometric shapes of past work but it is far less structured. A painted frame, withing the actual frame surrounds the work which adds to the floating quality of the image. Although it was painted in the last two years, it is a significant work and it will add considerable strength to the abstract collection of Gallery Lambton."

This statement perfectly illustrates March Dun's relationship with Tascona's Quarter Cycle. I'm glad to finish day 6 with a sense that we were able to round off the show, to present to our First Friday patrons, online followers and a couple weeks or so of gallery goers.

The only thing left to do is to hang Lisa's unquestionably wise choice in the last remaining wall space.

Here is what I could gather for Sloggett and King.

Lawrence F. King was born in Toronto in 1913. Professionally a research chemist, King was an active artist in our region starting in the 1950's. Larry King Served on the executive of the Sarnia Art Association for many years, including 6 as president. With no former training, King did study under many influential artists. Artist such as the locally and nationally celebrated, Agnes Depew, and Herbert Ariss, an influential member of the H.B. Beal Technical School staff in London. Later continuing his study in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, under Edward Osman and James Pinto, who after leaving Walt Disney Studios, taught painting at the Bellas Artes and later at the Instituto Allende. Of his extensive world travels it was this experience in Mexico that informed many of his paintings.

Paul Sloggett, born in Campbellford Ontario in 1950, graduated Ontario College of Art, in 1973. Awarded Royal Canadian Art Association recognition in 2001. Professionally Sloggett has taught drawing and painting as an assistant professor at York University and, currently, full time at OCAD. In addition to his teaching Sloggett has served as MFA Advisor at York and Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Art at OCAD.

Pulling it together

2010-07-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

After pulling our respective locations out of the tin, we all went to the vault together - passing Devin, our summer student on the way. Without a doubt there was a completely different mood. Today we were restricted not only by the limits of our respective rack or map drawer, but also by the physical space remaining in the gallery. Our choices today were informed not just by our own likes, dislikes, and personal considerations of the space and how the pieces were relating to one another, but today - we had to pull it together and work as a team. Today discussion happened in the process of selecting as we wanted to understand each others options and collaborate on this, our last choice.

I pulled Map Drawer #8 which contained numerous prints by a number of different artists including David Blackwood, Ronald Bloore, Jessie Oonark and Brian Fisher. While the Fisher was amazing and the Bloore interesting, there was no question that the Oonark would be the strongest choice for the exhibition. Darryn gives some information about Jessie Oonark in his Day 2 posting, so I won't repeat those details here.

Oonark's father was a shaman and, as in most of Oonark's work, powerful inuit myths are thoughtfully recorded. In The World of Sun and Moon, 1976, as in much of her prints and fabric pieces, a geometrically strong, graphic sense informs her work. Using bold, primary shapes and colors, the repetative circular motif stabalizes the eye, allowing the viewer to navigate the central narrative.

Wait until you see this piece in real life! Check out the exhibition in person at the opening reception tomorrow night, Friday August 6 from 6:00 - 9:00 pm. The exhibition will be up until August21.

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About Jessie Oonark, taken from Spirit Wrestler Gallery at http://www.spiritwrestler.com/catalog/index.php?artists_id=88

Jessie Oonark was born in the area of northern Canada known as the Barren Lands, north and west of the present-day village of Baker Lake, Northwest Territories, where she settled in the late 1950s. Her childhood and young adulthood were spent in the traditional pursuits of an Inuit woman: dressing caribou and sealskins, and making parkas and other items of traditional clothing.

Oonark began her career as a graphic artist in 1959, when a Canadian biologist working in Baker Lake gave her art supplies. Her talent was immediately recognized, and she was soon making drawings for sale. A selection of Oonark's drawings were sent from Baker Lake to Cape Dorset, the only Inuit settlement issuing prints at the time.... She was the only outsider ever included in the Cape Dorset print program.

Oonark was a major force in the development of the graphic arts program at Baker Lake in the 1960s and 1970s. Her singular talent was rewarded by an art advisor at Baker Lake who gave Oonark her own studio and a small salary to allow her the freedom of full-time artistic creativity.

Day 6: Gary Nixon

2010-07-11T07:59:00.000-07:00

Left:
Gary Nixon
Porphyry, 1976
Acrylic on canvas
21 ¼" x 23 ½"
Gallery Lambton: Sarnia Industries Art Fund Purchase, 1977

Right:
Gary Nixon
Pinnacle, 1988
Acrylic on canvas
33 1/16" x 39 3/16"
Gallery Lambton: Gift of Kelly Mancari, 1997

As Lisa has mentioned in her last post (Day 6: Jessie Oonark), the final day of the Smackdown took on a very different tone as we all collaboratively made decisions in the best interest of the exhibition. While we each drew our own locations, just like the other days, we would work with each other on the placement within the gallery and were very open to suggestions in this way. It was a very nice shift from the regular pace of Smackin' down!

For my final dive into the karmic coffee tin, I drew another rack. This particular rack just happens to be full of regionally significant painters, including Gary Nixon. There is some added significance to this rack for me because, until recently, I have known this artist as Mr. Nixon, the educator that ultimately inspired my own interest in the arts. He taught me in both senior level art classes at St. Patricks Secondary School, here in Sarnia. I couldn't turn down the opportunity to curate my former teacher, particularly when his work turns out to be so relevant to many of the themes that have emerged in this exhibition.

I can always remember sitting in class, and listening to his stories about going up to the cottage, canoeing around the lake, and admiring nature for all that it is. Truly attuned to his natural surroundings, this influence has clearly translated into his paintings. This becomes almost startingly clear when looking at the work Porphyry. Not knowing what Nixon would think of this comparison, the painting initially reminded me of the brush stroke works by Lichtenstein in the 1960's. The graphic clarity of Lichtensteins work appeared to be emotionally charged as a gestural mark on the canvas in the work of Nixon. But this relationship was one that developed instantaneously as my eyes saw the canvas on the rack. Over time though, I started to recall the camping stories that Nixon would tell his classes. I could picture the artist sitting out on a bluff, or even in a canoe, focussing on a not-too-distant island with just a handful of trees growing precariously on a small piece of land. Focussing back on the painting, the scene is nearly identical, save for the additional personal quality that Nixon always lends his paintings; a raw emotional charge that transcends mere representation.

Even the title, Porphyry, has its own ties with the natural. Porphyry is actually a type of igneous rock formation characterized by its colour and the size of the chrystalline structures that develop within the rock. The colour is actually fairly similar to that of the base that the three vertical elements emerge out of in the painting. With some additional research, I found that the rock shares its name with an island, Porphyry Island, situated east of Thunder Bay in Lake Superior. It would be interesting to see if Nixon knew about this connection, or if in fact that island is the subject of this painting.

Regardless, the connection with the other abstract works in the exhibit is clear: all share a
connection to the natural. The source of inspiration and forms that influence the marks on the canvas are all gleaned from the natural world around us. Since I did not know Kostyniuk personally, I do not know what his camping habits were or what kind of connection he had with the environment. I do know, however, the Nixon is very connected to his surroundings and loves the chance to be in the wild, untamed Canadian landscape. (See image of the artist above)

The fact that this was the last day for selection also affected my decisions. I wanted to make sure that I picked juuusstt the right Nixon for the show. Part of this process was bringing out a couple different canvasses and getting a feel for them as they interacted with the other works in the room. While doing this with my fellow curators in the room, we all decided that both of these paintings actually activated and contributed to the exhibition. Instead of sticking with the Smackdown tradition established thus far, we decided to include two paintings for my selection today. Aside from the primary concerns of learning about curating, and learning about the permanent collection at Gallery Lambton, we were also trying to put together an exhibition. When we conferred with each other, and decided that both canvasses were indeed fitting in, it would have been prude to sacrifice a part of the exhibition by only including one of these works.

From a University of Regina catalogue, March 25 - April 7, 1975, Nixon is quoted describing his paintings as such:
"Within them exist autonomous components which may comprise the sheer beauty of colours, the interaction of colours, the tensions between shapes and areas, or the stacking of space. They do not depict the traditional landscape, dreams or memories, but rather the basic elements of some or all of these items."

And from a Gallery Lambton catalogue, December 3 - December 22, 1982, Nixon continues:
"...The paintings can be self-referential events, or they can apply to mankind's experiences... Ultimately, I want the painters to refer implicity to a universality and man to man - his conflicts, achievements, and destiny."

It is clear that like Lisa's selection of the Ristvedt painting, Nixon is truly a painters painter. Colour, form, line, and the experience that these elements leave with a viewer, are the fuel to propel these paintings to completion. The raw inspiration can find a source in the natural, but it is not a practice that uses paint simply as a means, but as content in its' own right. To move beyond the representational, into a realm of experience (as a viewer, or as the artist) that can forge new connections, "man-to-man," is the driving force behind Nixon's work of this period.

Gary Nixon was born in Sarnia, Ontario, in 1945. He received his B.F.A. from the University of Windsor in 1972, and his M.F.A. from the University of Regina in 1975. He has received scholarships and has been exhibiting his work for more than 40 years. He has been an educator at the Saskatchewan Summer School of Fine Arts, Lambton College (Sarnia), and most recently St. Patrick's Secondary School where he had the chance to inspire many youth such as myself. He recently retired from teaching, and still lives and works in Sarnia.

Darryn

Final Visual Re-cap

2010-07-11T07:52:00.000-07:00

Lawrence F. King
Fiesta, 1967
Acrylic, ink, rice paper on Masonite
47 ½" x 43 3/8"
Gallery Lambton: Sarnia Industries Art Fund Purchase, 1975

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Paul Sloggett
March Dun, 1994
Acrylic on canvas
24" x 22"
Gallery Lambton, Heritage Park Estates Collection: Gift of the Artist, 1996

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Gary Nixon
Porphyry, 1976
Acrylic on canvas
21 ¼" x 23 ½"
Gallery Lambton: Sarnia Industries Art Fund Purchase, 1977

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Gary Nixon
Pinnacle, 1988
Acrylic on canvas
33 1/16" x 39 3/16"
Gallery Lambton: Gift of Kelly Mancari, 1997

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Jessie Oonark
The World of Sun and Moon, 1976
Serigraph22 1/8" x 29 7/8"
Gallery Lambton: Purchased, 1987

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Taking Stock - the Morning After

2010-07-10T07:52:00.000-07:00

Well, the formal part of the Curatorial Smack Down is over...and now the work begins. We met in the gallery at 9:30 a.m., refreshed after a night to digest the entire process and the final product.

We discussed the different threads that emerged and then disappeared and then re-emerged over the course of the six days. Rich conversations had transpired, covering numerous topics including nationalism, identity, regionalism, abstraction, environmental issues, landscape, globalism, surface activation, mark making, perspective....there were many. There were new discoveries made about local artists, regional practices and the national art scene - all through an investigation of our rich collection.

We discussed the traditions of the institution and of the profession, we considered the restrictions inherent in curatorial work, only to discover that these restrictions were countered with freedoms. We talked about the origins of the collection, how it may have been developed, who made decisions, how the public would respond to the exhibition, whether or not any one was following the blog.

We talked about the colors of the wall and how it serves as a mechanism to harmonize works, we cursed the limitation of our lighting system and our gratefulness for Shelly (the framer) and Guy (the photographer) and Devin (the student who taught us how to blog).

At the end of the session, with two Smack Down's under our belt, we agreed that it was time to embark on a structured project to strengthen the archival resources on works in our collection. Using the two Smack Down exhibitions as a starting point, we will undertake to develop a process to build our archive.

Now, time to get ready for tonights opening...

First Friday Opening - Facing our Public

2010-07-10T07:50:00.000-07:00

Lisa responds to a really good question from Richard.

Cam sharing his experiences with the project.

Darryn explaining his choices of work and their placement.

Visitors to the First Friday opening. Over 400 between 6 & 9 pm!

The curators mingled with their public throughout the evening.

Our community is very supportive and engaged with the exhibitions and projects at Gallery Lambton - They deserve a New Gallery!

Up Close & Personal III is on view in the small gallery adjacent to the Smack Down.
Collectively, both galleries celebrate the wonderful collection of work at Gallery Lambton. From the Group of Seven, to Guido Mulinari, Maurice Barbeau, Sarah Ann Johnson, Stephen Andrews, Oscar Cahen, Jane Hunter....amazing!

The two exhibitions give a really good snapshot of the depth and the breadth of the permanent collection at Gallery Lambton.
Thank you to our community!