Happenings - Art Gallery of Greater Victoria

Happenings
April 2014
Vol. 1 No. 7
Upcoming events
7 1:30 pm DVD Lecture
Associates members only
9 10 am Art Walk- What’s new in Oak Bay?
11 10 am General meeting
15 Vancouver Art Gallery tour
24 7:15 pm Mughal India
Lecture by Barry Till
28 Volunteer Appreciation Night
May
5 1:30 pm DVD Lecture
Associates members only
9 10 am General meeting
22 7:15 pm Sri Lanka Lecture
Photo credit: Joan Shimizu
April
The very enjoyable and successful What’s It
Worth? event held March 22 at the Gallery
featured appraisals of antiques and collectibles by Jeffrey Dean and Alison Ross
of Kilshaw’s Auctioneers Ltd. Picture above
shows Anne Russell telling the fascinating
story of her Scottish great-grandmother’s
trousseau shawl. More pictures on page 5.
Photo credit: Kinga Biro
Inside this newsletter
Our art tour to Galiano Island, delayed one
week by a snowstorm, came together wonderfully on March 5. The photo shows Mary
Davie, Vicky Turner, Sally Blayney, Kathleen
Graham, Wilma Rowley, Nancy Newton, Anne
Featherstonhaugh, Joan Huzar, and Dorothy
Griffin making their way through the forest to
one of the spectacularly-located studios and
galleries we visited. Story and pictures on
pages 10 and 11.
April Speaker ................................... 2
Mughal India: Lecture by Barry Till
Art Walk - What’s new in Oak Bay?
From the President
From the Editor
National Volunteer Week:
Social Capital.................................... 3
Re-imagine ....................................... 4
What’s It Worth? ............................... 5
Artists Among Us: Iris Nardini ......... 6
Associates on the Road
• Hidden Treasures
in Antigua, Guatemala ................. 7
Features:
• Whose Art is it Anyway?............... 8
• Shinto Shrine
Associates at Work:
• Yvonne Mackenzie ....................... 9
Art Tours
• Galiano Island ........................... 10
Up-coming Art Tours
• Vancouver Art Gallery .............. 11
• Ottawa/Montreal ....................... 12
April Speaker: Tim Willis
Art Walk - What’s new in Oak Bay?
At our April 11 meeting,
Tim Willis will tell us “Why
Museums Matter in the
21st Century.”
As one of Canada’s most
experienced
museum
professionals, Tim has
led the visitor experience
departments of two significant Canadian museums
and directed the presentation of more than 100
exhibitions.
Tim believes that museums can change lives and
that this is done through
powerful storytelling. He
takes us through a presentation of the ingredients at work when a great museum experience works its magic.
On April 9th at 10 am we will have a guided tour and painting
demonstration at the new premises of the Red Art Gallery 2249
Oak Bay Ave. We will follow this with a visit to the newly built Oak
Bay home and studio of Robert and Sara Amos (address available on the day).
Then at 12:30 pm we will have Lunch at Uplands Golf Club. Reservations not required for the tour but essential for lunch and may
be made by contacting Sheila Southworth at [email protected]
or Kathleen Graham at 250 388 3846.
Mughal India: Lecture by Barry Till
Thursday evening, April 22
Barry’s lecture will focus on the rise and fall of the Mughal Empire in India and the magnificent architecture left behind by these
rulers in the northern part of India. The AGGV Curator’s Tour in
January will visit a number of these architectural masterpieces
which are now classified as World Heritage sites.
Even if you’re not joining the Curator’s Tour to India and Sri Lanka,
you’re invited to enjoy this lecture on Mughal India to be presented
on Thursday evening, April 22 at the Gallery. Tea will be served at
7:15 and the lecture (a précis of which follows) will begin at 7:30.
In the early 16th century warriors from Ferghana in Turkestan
were pushed out of their homeland by other warlike peoples. In
1526, the Timurid ruler of these warriors, Babur (1483-1530), led
his army triumphantly southward into India, where he established
the Mughal Empire, which would eventually become a land of
wondrous luxury and a powerful empire extended to almost all of
India and modern Pakistan as well as the eastern part of Afghanistan. Babur was a sixth generation descendant of the great conqueror Timur or Tamerlane (1336-1405) on his father’s side, while
his mother’s side claimed ancestry back to the powerful Mongol
leader Genghis Khan (1162-1227). The word “Mughal” is a corruption of the name “Mongol.”
This newsletter is produced by the Gallery Associates.
Associates’ Newsletter Team
Editor: Joan Shimizu
Layout and Circulation: Charlene Brown
Writers and Photographers: Kinga Biro Joan Fraser
Patti-Anne Kay Angela Montanti Schreiber
Judy Thompson
Pieta VanDyke
Contributors to this issue:
Jay Macdonell
2
Barry Till
From the President
Our monthly meetings are a vital part of the Gallery Associates.
At those meetings we get to chat with other members, connect
with friends, find out about what’s going on, volunteer to be part
of a project, be entertained and educated. Our general meetings
are in many ways the heart of the organization.
At the April meeting we will have a special follow-up event to the
hugely successful What’s It Worth? We now have a gift certificate
from Deep Cove Chalet Restaurant, valued at $150, which we
will auction at the meeting. So come prepared (with your cheque
book) to bid, and take home a real treat.
We’ll keep trying to make the monthly meetings informative and
interesting (and not too long!) and I hope that everyone who would
like to come will be able to. Why not call a friend or someone who
lives in your area if you need a ride?
And as Jay Macdonell notes in this issue, we are into Volunteer
Month when Victoria’s cultural institutions celebrate their volunteers and the Art Gallery joins in. Collect your Volunteer Exchange Pass at the front desk, and come to the annual Volunteer
Appreciation Night at the Gallery, Monday April 28 from 4 to 7
pm. Enjoy refreshments, tour the vaults (a delight if you have
not already had the opportunity) and mingle with staff and other
volunteers as the Gallery celebrates its many volunteers.
Joan Huzar
From the Editor
The Gallery Guide arrived in the mail last week. With anticipation,
I opened up the folds of the quarterly publication to learn about
upcoming exhibitions, events and changes in the Gallery. Art from
the Gallery vaults will be shown in two separate upcoming exhibitions. It’s not very often that we have an entire exhibition drawn
from the art that the AGGV has collected during its 62 years.
During the month of April, one can attend free with a Gallery
membership up to eight docent-led or drop in tours, an opening reception, an exhibition opening and an Asian Art Lecture by
Barry Till. The Gallery is a busy place and one’s social calendar
can easily be filled with Gallery activities. Then there are the Associates’ events which you can read about in this newsletter to
add to your calendar.
In this issue, Jon Tupper relates the various plans, over the years,
to move the AGGV “downtown” and how the Board of Directors
decided to stay on Moss Street and renovate the building.
Check out the article “Whose Art is it Anyway?” If you throw something in the garbage is it still yours?
Joan Shimizu
National Volunteer Week: April 6 - 12
Social Capital
by Jay Macdonell, Visitor Services and Volunteer Coordinator
April 6th to the 12th is National Volunteer week in Canada and the AGGV has once again partnered with thirteen other organizations in the
CRD to offer our Volunteer Exchange Pass! Come to visitor services to receive a pass that will give you admission to amazing organizations from Victoria to Sooke to Sydney. The Volunteer Exchange Pass is valid from April 6th to May 6th to give you time to experience as
much as possible our cultural partners in the CRD. The AGGV will be celebrating our volunteers with our Volunteer Appreciation Night at
the Gallery on April 28th 4pm to 7pm. Come join us for an evening of fun and thank-you’s from us to you!
The Volunteer Exchange Pass is a celebration of the people that facilitate the interaction between institution and constituent. The AGGV
has decided to expand our reach to other cultural and community partners for National Volunteer Week. To celebrate others that, like you,
give to their community and will strengthen ours – cultural partners like Victoria Opera, Ballet Victoria, Langham Court Theatre, The Belfry
and The Victoria Symphony. As a thank-you for inviting their volunteers to come visit us, the Victoria Symphony has decided to offer our
volunteers two for one vouchers for the remainder of their season. All you will need to do is to email me and I will put you on their box
office list. Now that’s community! In addition we have chosen Big Brothers & Big Sisters to be a community partner in recognition of all
they do enrich the lives of girls and boys. By choosing these organizations and acknowledging the work they do for the National Volunteer
Week, we continue the work of community engagement that is so vital to being a cultural leader.
How we interact with the public and the lasting impression we leave on the community is essential to the long term survival of this organization and indeed for building block for the support that we will be relying on to facilitate the upcoming expansion of the Art Gallery.
Jon Tupper spoke of the Gallery in sense of being a cultural center, an active meeting place for art and culture rather than a storehouse.
To make this project happen we will be reaching out to a wider community and our Volunteers are on the front lines of spreading that
message. We extend our community by engagement and the building of relationships. It’s what makes the AGGV special. We are not a
turnstile establishment. We are a special place that inspires people. Anyone can put an attraction together and market it. It’s what Janyce
said when I first met her and it has struck me as so true. The cultural travelers seek us out. Let others put on the show. We succeed when
we focus on building an organization that inspires and engages. People return to the Gallery because of the consistently strong programming and the ability to engage with it on a personal level.
Guest-member-volunteer-supporter of the arts… When I talk to people about membership I can give a long list of reasons and services
that go with their membership... Who doesn’t like 10% off in a Gallery shop, Curators’ talks and unlimited access to our amazing programming? All this pales though when I tell them that their membership helps to fund our Gallery in the Schools program, through which 10,000
children in schools throughout the CRD are engaged every year, that family Sunday is packed every time, that small children are walking
through the gallery with Sandy almost every day starting a lifetime of engagement with art and expanding their horizons beyond measure,
and that outreach programs engage and partner young artists with established ones, mentoring the next generation.
The truth is, that is what membership and volunteers that facilitate the programming make possible. A place of community based on the
belief of the importance of art and culture in society, the best of ourselves as it were. This is the reason that you, The Gallery Associates, give your time and resources, the reason our membership program is as strong as it is, the reason that Anthony Thorn gave us an
extraordinary gift of 2.5 million dollars. And it’s the reason the community that we are all a part of will help us complete the expansion of
this institution. As a wise woman once told me, ‘Community’ is the rising tide that lifts all boats.
Ruth Wittenberg, Board President
and Jon Tupper, Director of the Art
Gallery of Greater Victoria, volunteering at the TD ArtGallery Paint-in
3
Feature:
Re-imagine
by Jon Tupper, Gallery Director
Recently the Gallery made two announcements regarding its renewal plans. The first was the generous donation of $2.5 million from Oak
Bay artist Anthony Thorn in support of the Gallery’s plans to repair and enhance its Moss Street location. The second announcement was
the selection of the architecture team of Lang Wilson Practice in Architecture Culture + Moore Architecture to help guide us through this
next stage is the AGGV’s building plans.
The Gallery’s last addition was completed in 1988, 25 years ago. It was soon after that the AGGV started to seriously contemplate a move
to a more central location in Victoria. It was felt that the distance from downtown, the lack of adequate space and the conditions of the
buildings made the existing facility unacceptable. In addition the restrictions imposed in the Land Use Agreement, which limited growth
to the current footprint, made future additions seem impossible. Over the subsequent 25 years the Gallery looked at many possibilities
including: the St Anne’s Academy, the Y-Lot, Wharf Street, Rock Bay, Centennial Square, the central Post Office, Crystal Court Motel
and the Canadian Pacific Lawn Bowling green to name only a few. Many of these proposals included feasibility studies, functional plans,
architectural renderings and many long hours of negotiations but none came to fruition. Dorothy Mindenhall devoted a whole chapter to
the Art Gallery in her wonderful book Unbuilt Victoria.
After the economic downturn of 2008 the notion of the AGGV being able to build a new purpose-built gallery, with a potential price tag
of more than $60 million, became unlikely. At that time we commissioned an engineering study to report on the Gallery and its physical
integrity, including from a seismic perspective. The good news came back that we were in decent condition and with a few improvements
could withstand all but the most severe earthquake. We then projected our program requirements into the foreseeable future to see how
much space we would need. We calculated that we would likely need another 5,000 square feet of exhibit space, another 2,000 square
feet of storage space and another 3,000 for education and public programs. That could add up to a considerable amount of money
however much less than that of a new building, and the work could be phased over several years.
Our next step is to see if the funds to do this can be raised. Funding projects of this sort generally come from a blend of private and public
sector sources. We are in discussions with our government partners and have commissioned a study to report on what conditions exist
for donations. This will depend largely on what the perception of the Gallery is within the local community.
Anthony Thorn’s gift to the Gallery has given us real boost, but it was in our conversations that he really lifted my spirits. Anthony has
said that he has always felt home in the Gallery, and when he heard of our plans to remain he wanted to contribute. His donation will be
transformational to us, it’s the type of gift that has a massive impact on a relatively small organization like the AGGV. It will have a positive
effect on current and future generations of Gallery visitors.
First addition to the Gallery in 1957, Gallery Archives
4
Associates at Work
What’s It Worth? - March 22
Update and Acknowledgments by Anne Russell and Patti-Anne Kay, Co-chairs
Photography by Joan Shimizu
The gallery hosted a brand new event, “What’s It Worth?” on March 22nd. We are pleased to report the response has been overwhelmingly
positive. Many of those who attended made a point to speak to a volunteer saying they enjoyed the event and would like to come again.
Those who attended were asked to fill out a survey. The comments included: “Good job. Thanks to Art gallery for making event available.
Great event! Very entertaining and informative. The appraisers were great; very knowledgeable and entertaining. Fascinating! Please do
this again.”
The “What’s It Worth?” committee would like to thank everyone who contributed to its success, all the volunteers and gallery staff. We would
like to acknowledge the generosity of the arts and business communities who demonstrated their support of AGGV by donating items for the
Silent Auction: Thrifty Foods, Baden-Baden Boutique, Beach House Restaurant, Beagle Pub, Belfry Theatre, Bon Macaron, Butchart Gardens, Chateau Victoria, Fairmont Empress Hotel, Guild Restaurant, Helijet, Hoey, Tim-Artist, Munro’s Books, Oak Bay Beach Hotel, Outlook
Menswear, Pacific Opera Victoria, Prestige Picture Framing, Rogers’ Chocolates, Sea Cider, Victoria Spirits, Victoria Symphony, Art Gallery
of Greater Victoria, and Western Allergy Services (Dan Sharp).
We also wish to thank Kilshaw’s Auctioneers Ltd. Those who attended were treated to wonderful music of Clare Hoeschen. The Grand Piano
was provided by Tom Lee Music Ltd. Thanks also for the refreshments provided by Serious Coffee, Silk Road Tea and Thrifty Foods, and
Floral arrangements designed and donated by Associate Norma Fitzsimmons.
Penny Davies, Angela Buckingham, Jean Hollingworth and Donna Jones are seen above registering participants in What’s It Worth? Mary
Davie, Sally Blayney, Louise Watts and Dorothy Wing are shown serving tea and treats. Patti-Anne Kay, Anne Russell, Ruth Ann Johansen, Muriel Neale and Vicky Turner explain how the whole thing works, and the show begins! Sandra Kamper was one of the Associates
standing by to receive last minute bids on the great array of Silent Auction items available.
5
Artists Among Us
The Sculptures of Iris Nardini:
“It’s the Process of Creating
that is Rewarding.”
by Angela Montanti Schreiber
Photo credit: Angela Montanti Schreiber
Iris Nardini spent most of her formative years in Europe surrounded by the luxury and beauty of viewing Old Masters’ works.
Many of her family members were musicians, theatre actors,
writers, and artists, and this artistic potpourri around her fuelled
her love for the arts and, in particular, the visual arts. When I
visited her studio, I found Iris surrounded by art, but this time it
was her own art, her provocative and extraordinary sculptures,
that I am about to acquaint you with.
While in Europe, she was exposed to Northern Renaissance
Sculpture. The churches were filled with elaborate wood and
marble sculptures and at the time Iris was unaware that sculpture would become her passion. In 1994 she enrolled at Long Beach University in the Fine Arts Program. At the time her explorations were focused on two dimensional work, drawing and painting, but a required
studio course in figurative sculpture changed all that, and as Iris puts it, “I was hooked.”
Encouragement to continue her path in sculpture came from several professors. Iris revealed to me, “Bruno Luchessi was instrumental in
my beginnings.” As well as Andrew Fagan and Max Lieberman, Luchessi, at the time, was a professor at Long Beach in California, and
had published a book on the subject of traditional sculpture. Iris called it “The Bible.” With tension and conviction in her voice she recalls,
“There was no other book, this was one of the only books on classical sculpture technique available to us, at the time.”
When I visited Iris in her Gordon Head Studio she had several pieces she was working on. Her studio is large with high ceilings, lots of
windows and very white. She explained that she works on several pieces at a time, working approximately three hours on one piece at
any particular time. This allows the artist to step away from their works, giving them a fresh perspective when engaged. Currently, she is
working on a couple of ongoing series and enjoys both portrait and figurative sculpture equally well.
One of the series I’d like to talk about is called “Francesca”. An interesting story regarding the discovery of “Francesca” goes like this.
Several years back Iris was in her studio waiting for a model to arrive. The model was two hours late and so, to pass the time, Iris started
sculpting and that’s how “Francesca” the chubby little pigtailed girl, hands clasped behind her back and dressed in a tutu was created.
After Iris completed Francesca she made a mold of her. This, Iris explained is general practice for her when she completes a sculpture,
using either water-based clay or oil-based clay called plastilina. This allows Iris to cast multiples. Each “Francesca” becomes distinct in
the sense that she is placed with meaningful and relevant objects to change her story. By doing this, Iris allows viewers to interact with
the piece and bring their own dialogue to it. At present, “Francesca” is a series of nine. Iris’s plans for “Francesca” to be an ongoing
series, as she continues to juxtapose different versions with new and interesting found objects.
Another series called “Truth In Line” continues Iris’s exploration of movement. For these pieces Iris works closely with Ballet Victoria, collaborating with the dancers (instruments of movement). The dancers provide form and motion for Iris. As described by Iris these pieces
capture the fluidity of the human form, focusing on the positive and negative spaces,
creating the line seen and line not seen. These pieces are unusual because, for most
of them, Iris pushes the compositional boundaries but still maintains a symphony of
movement through space. The works possess unusually beautiful and alluring qualities,
allowing the viewer to visualize motion captured in the round.
“There are endless challenges to creating a sculpture. From clay to bronze there are
many decisions that need to be made. Whether it’s finding the right model and pose,
building an armature, or deciding on the size and patina, it’s all in the process of creating that is the most rewarding,” Iris comments. Some of the sculptors Iris respects and
enjoys are Italian sculptor, Bernini, for his movement in Baroque Style, Dutch sculptor
Claus Sluter, known for northern realism, Tilman Riemenschneider, an early Renaissance German sculptor and wood carver, and Jules Dalou, a famous French sculptor of
the 19th Century.
Iris is represented by Douglas Udell Gallery in Edmonton and Vancouver. Her works
have been collected internationally and she has been in a variety of shows in Canada
and USA. She has won awards in the US and more recently has won ‘Certificate of
Merit’ at the 2013 Canadian Portrait Competition: The Miracle of a Portrait, for her piece
“Riocco.”
If you have not viewed Iris Nardini’s mesmerizing work, I invite you to go to her website
www.ihnardini.com and familiarize yourself with one of our Gallery Associates, an artist
among us, and an international sculptor.
6
Associates on the Road
Hidden Treasures
in Antigua, Guatemala
by Pieta VanDyke
Guatemala can be a very dangerous place. On a previous visit we came
across a shooting that had just taken place, which explained the billboard that
we saw later, advertising personal body armour. I can recommend the city of
Antigua as a safe place to visit, however, and the rest of the country is safe
if you are in the company of local citizens or ex pats. I traveled there with a
group form my rotary Club, as part of our international aid mission, attending a
conference with other Rotarians and then travelling outside the city to monitor
projects that we have funded.
Antigua is interesting because it has been preserved as a UNESCO World
Heritage site. It was founded by the conquistadors in the 1500s and was the
capital of the area until a series of earthquakes in the 1700s left much of the
city in ruins. Today most of the ruins - mostly of Catholic churches - are only
partly restored or not at all. The streets of the small city are rough cobblestones, and the houses are all behind colourful stucco walls. What is behind
them can be a bit of a mystery.
We stayed at the Casa Santo Domingo, a 5 star hotel where (thanks to the
Rotarian owner) we were given a cut rate on our rooms and the conference
facility. The hotel is built on the site of a ruined convent which was bought by a
wealthy amateur archaeologist, who hired an architect to build the hotel using
materials found on site. Stone from the convent was used to build two-storey
wings of hotel rooms, nestled in among courtyards lush with tropical plants
and colourful birds. In every nook or cranny we were surprised to find either ancient religious sculptures or pieces of contemporary art. The expansive
property – which is open to the public – includes the remains of the original
chapel, refitted with teflon sails that form a roof. It is now used as the site for
society weddings.
There is an archaeological museum as well as an art museum with a collection that ranges from pre-Columbian sculpture to the most modern art. Mostly
small pieces, they are installed in display cabinets with themed items - birds,
or animals - where an ancient item is matched with contemporary works - usually glass, from all parts of the world. A bulbous piece of pottery with stylized
facial features is found next to a cobalt blue Swedish piece with exactly the
same face, and other modern pieces with similar features. I was surprised to
see, featured off to the side, one of Susan Point’s large etched glass spindle
whorls. The collection was put together by a master curator who was able to
find similar pieces that raise questions in the viewer of which one is modern
and which is old. Often you can’t tell without looking at the tag.
Ancient fountain at the Casa Santo Domingo
Contemporary mosaic mural in the dining room of the hotel.
It is easy to spend a week in the town, meandering
through shops selling exquisite jade pieces, colourful
textiles and single malt rum! (who knew?) There are
not many other art galleries, but there are interesting
archaeological sites and elaborately decorated newer
churches. Antigua is also a good jumping off point for a
tour to Tikal to see ancient Mayan pyramids and mysterious oversized animal carvings.
(Left) Pre-historic jade death mask reproduction
(Right) “La Madre de las Lágrimas” (Mother of tears) by
María Dolores Castellanos
7
From the AGGV Archives:
Whose Art is it Anyway?
by Judy Thompson
In conjunction with Expo ‘86, the AGGV prepared an exhibition “Art in
Victoria 1960-1986.” Submissions of portfolios were made to the AGGV,
followed by curator interviews with the artists. Luis Ituarte was one of the
artists chosen, with a piece, La Venus de Fan Tan Alley.
The curator understood that the work was collected from the garbage in
an abandoned studio in Fan Tan Alley. It was modified by Ituarte and the
originator was named as Ari Kattan. After the opening of the exhibit, Kattan’s wife demanded the return of the work and Kattan claimed that it had
been stolen. The work was temporarily removed from the exhibition after
warnings that it would be destroyed. The Times Colonist headline on 30
September 1986 stated, “Artists squabble over clay sculpture.”
The piece had been a model for a bronze casting by Kattan, who had given it to Luis Merino. When Merino left Victoria he agreed that Ituarte could have what was left behind in his studio. Ituarte subsequently agreed to return it to Merino but felt that the intellectual ownership
was his. The AGGV changed the credit in the catalogue to read: “Luis Ituarte (discovered, rescued, restored). Original by Ari Kattan.”
To prevent legal action, a Commission of Inquiry was formed with four artists named by each of Ituarte, Merino and Kattan. James Lindsay
chaired the Committee. The AGGV was not represented on the Committee. The results of the deliberations were that Merino owned the
physical property and Kattan was the artist and owner of the intellectual property. “The AGGV and Luis Ituarte are guilty of infringement
of copyright.”
The remedies suggested included the return of the sculpture to Merino, the return of Ituarte’s artist fee of $45 to the AGGV and an apology to Ari Kattan by the AGGV. The Committee agreed that the AGGV “deserves censure for ill-informed and unprofessional curatorial
decisions, insensitivity toward the author of the piece and ignorance of Canadian Copyright Law.” Although the piece had been accepted
in good faith by the curator, the AGGV accepted the Commission’s findings.
The Shinto Shrine in the Asian Garden
by Judy Thompson
Who could imagine purchasing a Japanese Shinto shrine, shipping it to Canada and reassembling it? The answer, of course, is Barry
Till. And he did just that on behalf of the AGGV. The deconsecrated shrine, built in 1900, narrowly escaped destruction. The Japanese
government, in 1921, ordered thousands of shrines destroyed in an effort to centralize power. It was saved by moving it to the Hayashi
family estate whose family were the original donors. The shrine, made of keiyak wood with a copper roof, weighed over ten tons. Very
few shrines had carvings but this one has ornate carvings, representing the best of the Meiji era shrines. The carvings are symbols from
Japan’s past including the peony, lion-dogs and the dragon.
The purchase became possible with an $85,000 lottery grant, a donation from the Asian Art Society, and other donations. After a long
negotiation, the contract to purchase the shrine was signed on November 5, 1986 for $50,000 U.S. With shipping costs, insurance, site
preparation and installation, the cost was
over $100,000. The shrine arrived by ship
in February 1987, was moved to the Gallery
by truck and lowered over the Gallery wall
with a crane.
The shrine was unveiled on March 6, 1987,
with an invited audience. Guests of honour
were Lieutenant Governor and Mrs. Robert
G. Rogers, Consul General of Japan and
Mrs. Shunji Maruyama and Attorney General
Brian R. D. Smith. It was dedicated as part
of the Gallery’s 40th anniversary of incorporation. It was (and still is) the only shrine
from Japan in Canada. The shrine has been
a serene addition to the Asian Garden.
(To read the full story of bringing the shrine
to Victoria, as well as an essay on the Shinto
religion, see “The Japanese Shinto Shrine”
by Barry Till. It is available at the Gallery Gift
Shop for $6.95 plus tax.)
8
Associates at Work:
Yvonne Mackenzie
Photo credit: Joan Shimizu
by Joan Fraser
Ever since she joined the Gallery Associates (then the Volunteer Committee) thirty years ago, Yvonne Mackenzie has been a welcomed
worker and a fount of ideas. Over time she has developed a special niche; she now provides Associates with opportunities to meet local
artists.
This came about because of Yvonne’s work with the House Tours. She was chair in 1990, and co-chair in both 1991 and 2001. In the
last year she added a new feature. With advice from Robert Amos, who paints the “poster house” for the tour, she invited artists to paint
and to show some examples of their work in the gardens of the tour houses. Although she started the project somewhat tentatively, she
soon found that artists were delighted to take part, and so many display paintings have sold it is obvious that visitors liked seeing their
work. “Artists in the gardens” is such a success it is now a part of every House Tour.
Yvonne continues to work with House Tours and now she organizes a similar project for the Art Tours group. She finds the artists to visit
on the popular “Tiny Tours” day trips planned for visits to studios outside Victoria. “I get help from the regional director of the Arts Council,
who suggests artists that we can “Google” to find the best mix of mediums for an interesting tour. The director then acts as our guide.”
Each artist submits a bio; Charlene Brown prepares an information sheet for the travelers, and Aldyth Hunter and Angela Buckingham
attend to the trip’s details. Some of these short trips are off-Island and involve a ferry. If, on one of them, Yvonne is standing on the deck
watching the water, she may be thinking of the three month open sea sailing trips she and her husband used to take every summer.
One year they spent 87 days exploring Alaska, and another time they circumnavigated Vancouver Island. “We had a 50 foot cruiser.
My husband had a Captain George Vancouver personality with the intent of visiting every bay and inlet on Vancouver and surrounding
islands. Lots of thrills and scary moments,” says Yvonne. She knows the territory.
Yvonne studied Home Economics and was a partner in a design firm in Regina before she moved to Victoria in 1979. Betty Henry, one
of the earliest members of the Gallery, persuaded her to join in 1983. Since then Yvonne seems to have assisted with almost all major
fund-raising projects. She has volunteered at every Gallery Paint-in on Moss Street. She chaired a fashion show and dinner which sold
out for two nights in the 1980’s. She modeled for the tea time fashion shows, important fund raisers that were held in the Spencer Gallery
from the 80’s to the mid ‘90’s. In the mid 90’s she was a committee member for Art for our time, a book of days, the Associates’ 45th
anniversary project featuring pictures of paintings purchased by the Associates. She also co-chaired the anniversary celebration. She
found auction items for the first “Art in Bloom.” She was co-chair for the “Let’s talk design” lectures that started in 2010.
Her biggest disappointment has been the lack of follow-up on a project called “Cuisine Art” that she chaired in 1995, a year when
there was no house tour. This was a three day extravaganza that included talks by celebrity chefs, a tour of eleven Victoria kitchens,
and two days of cooking demonstrations
with a mobile kitchen that was taken to different restaurants. Guests watched a meal
being demonstrated, and then the restaurant
reproduced it and served it. The project had
excellent sponsors but it was not a huge
success, perhaps because there was not
enough lead time between the time it was
planned in the spring and the time it was put
on in September. Yvonne still thinks the idea
has great potential.
As if her work as a fund-raiser for the Gallery was not enough, Yvonne also has been
a docent at the Royal British Columbia Museum. She was President of the Docent Association, and she chaired a two day docent
symposium, “Being the best we can be.” But
she says that when she volunteers there
“most dear to my heart” are teaching projects on wild life and natural history, raptors
being one her special interests. She has
given classes at both the Museum and at its
outreach posts, and once taught on a five
day program that ran at schools from Merritt to Kelowna. “I love working with kids. It’s
the look on their faces when they discover
something.”
The Gallery Associates made Yvonne an
Honorary Member in 2011, and in recognition of her service, the Gallery presented her
with an Honorary Life Membership.
Art Tours
Galiano Island
March 5
by Charlene Brown
Photo credit: Charlene Brown
Photo credit: Kinga Biro
Photo credit: Kinga Biro
Our day-trip to Galiano had to be delayed a week while the Islanders dug
themselves out from a huge dump of
snow, but went off without a hitch, under the able and entertaining guidance
of Keith Holmes. Keith, Larry Foden
and Brian Mitchell are The Three Artists
whose work hangs in Brian’s purposebuilt home (right), the first studio/gallery
that we visited. Below, left we see some
of the participants signing up for the
Three Artists August show.
After a delicious lunch at the Humming-
Photo credit: Kinga Biro
Photo credit: Charlene Brown
bird Pub, our next stop was the Insight Art Gallery (below, left) designed and built by Tish Saunders and her husband. Her mandalas and
glasswork share display space with two landscape artists Betsy Fairbrother and Bruce Dolsen. Yvonne Mackenzie introduced Tish and
Betsy, who then told us about their work.
Next we saw Cre8 Glassworks, followed by the Bodega Gallery (top left, page 11) to be shown Rolando Lampitoc’s encaustic paintings
and Kasumi Lampitoc’s elegant ceramics, then we went to see Kenna Fair’s fascinating bas relief carved paintings of coastal wildlife
and birds at the Blackbird Studio (above, right), and finally Roksan Kohen and Keith Carlson, who each have studios in the Gallery and
Studio complex at 33 Manzanita Road.
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Photo credit: Charlene Brown
Photo credit: Charlene Brown
On our way to the ferry at Sturdy’s Bay, we visited the Oceanfront Inn to see the famous Kunamokst Mural (above, right), 231 original
paintings that combine to bring to life a huge painting of an orca mother and calf. This splendid artwork contains paintings by several of
the aritsts we visited on the tour, as well as artists such as Robert Bateman whose studios we have visited on previous art tours.
An Art Tour that will include a guided tour of Vancouver Art
Gallery exhibition of the work of one of Canada’s most celebrated artists is planned for Tuesday, April 15.
Lawren Harris, one of the most prominent figures in the history of Canadian art, was a founding member of the Group
of Seven. The exhibit , Lawren Harris: Canadian Visionary
traces Harris’s artistic journey from the early years of the
twentieth century to the mid-1960s.
There will be ample time for participants to visit the second
exhibit, which show-cases three decades of powerful photographs by acclaimed Canadian artist Edward Burtynsky,
who is considered comparable to Harris in his impact on
Canadian art. Burtynsky’s early series of homestead photographs shot in British Columbia in the 1980s, documentation of the recent extraordinary growth and transformation of
China, and his groundbreaking new project on the subject of
water, are among the many well-known subjects on display.
Cost of the trip for members of the Associates will be $120
for Seniors (including the 50% ferry fares we now pay), and
$137 for those under 65.
Reservations may be made at the Gallery, or by phoning
Aldyth Hunter at 250-598-0003 or, if still available, at the
Associates’ meeting April 11.
Edward Burtynsky, Marine Aquaculture #1,
Luoyuan Bay, Fuijan Province, China, 2012,
chromogenic print, © Edward Burtynsky, Col.
of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Gift of the Artist
Lawren Harris:
Canadian Visionary
A Terrible Beauty:
Edward Burtynsky
Lawren Harris, Mount Thule, Bylot Island, 1930,
oil on canvas, Collection of the Vancouver Art
Gallery, Gift of the Vancouver Art Gallery
Women’s Auxiliary, Photo: Rachel Topham, VAG
Upcoming Art Tour
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Upcoming Art Tour
Ottawa-Montreal: September 11-18, 2014
Ottawa: September 12-14
The National Gallery:
There will be tours of two special exhibitions:
• Gustave Dore: The Master of Imagination
• The Great War: The Persuasive Power of Photography
The Canadian War Museum:
• Transformation: A.Y. Jackson and Otto Dix
• Witness: Canadian Art of the First World War
Carleton University Art Gallery
• Making Otherwise:
Craft and Material Fluency in Contemporary Art
Canadian Museum of History
• Agamemnon to Alexander the Great:
a touring exhibit from Greece
Walking Tour:
• We will take the West End Studio Tour
organized by 20 artists.
Guided Tour:
• Parliament or Rideau Hall.
Via Train to Montreal
Montreal: September 15-17
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts:
• Fabergé objects, including four Easter eggs
Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art
• A Matter of Abstraction:
~100 or so works dating from 1939
Canadian Centre for Architecture
• The research museum founded by Phyllis Lambert
Stewart Hall Art Gallery
• Located in an historic manor on the Saint-Louis Lake,
with works by beaux-arts and contemporary artists.
Professional Guided Bus Tour of Montreal
• Tour will take us to various neighbourhoods with
emphasis on the City of Montreal’s public art collection
The tour price for Associates (approx $2600 with shared accommodation) will include air (Victoria –Ottawa, and MontrealVictoria) and train fare (Ottawa-Montreal), hotel accommodation, some meals, city travel, admissions, taxes and gratuities,
and a tax receiptable donation to the AGGV. A minimum of 24 travellers Is required. Details at the Associates’ meeting April
11 and in the May/June issue of Happenings.
To put your name on the list of people interested in taking the trip or for more information,
contact Bill Huzar at [email protected]
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