UNews - ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery

Art Gallery exhibition bridging gaps between historical cultural material and contemporary art

trevor.kenney — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 20:09:03 +0000

A unique new exhibit in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery is bridging the gaps between contemporary art and historical cultural material housed in museums.

The Mootookakio’ssin: Creating in Spacetime exhibit in the Dr. Margaret (Marmie) Perkins Hess Gallery brings together ULethbridge art students and artists living in the UK to experiment with what an art gallery can be and whom it serves.

Assistant Professor in Indigenous Art Studio, Dr. Migueltzinta Solís, led the Indigenous Art Studio class that came together to create works for the exhibit. Over several weeks, students engaged in discussion, self-reflection, study and consultation to transform the Art Gallery space into a collective studio.

Choosing projects that were personally meaningful to them, topics for the students’ artwork ranged from critiquing museum practices, to healing from generational trauma to the search for comfort and interactivity in the art gallery.

“This exhibit addresses Indigenous peoples’ right to determine their own cultural expression and unique relationships to traditional objects and material practices,” says Solís. “It’s also an important platform for intelligent and creative critiques of colonial and Western museum practices.

This exhibit is the result of heartfelt collaboration between students, the Art Gallery and members of the Mootookakio’ssin team.”

Art students collaborated with members of the Mootookakio’ssin project to develop the exhibition. The Mootookakio’ssin project connects Blackfoot Elders, artists, scholars and museum professionals living on Blackfoot territory and in Britain and captures historical cultural material in museum collections.

As Solís notes, while these are not easy themes with which to engage, the goal of the exhibit is to bring knowledge and healing to communities.

“The honesty and generosity you see in the art shown is a result of a process of open discussion and generous mutual support amongst students and between staff and students,” says Solís. “I’m deeply humbled to see the level of spirit, knowledge and critical thought each student put into the work.”

One of the students who created work for the exhibit is Pii-taa Kyaa-tsis, Walker English, a ULethbridge Kinesiology student.

“Creating and showcasing artwork for the larger ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and southern Alberta community is a fulfilling experience for me because I am able to express my personal identity, as well as the broader experience as an Indigenous person living in southern Alberta,” says English.

“It helps me foster a sense of community through the sharing of my artwork and allows others to view the artistic expression of my thoughts, feelings and experiences. I am very thankful for the opportunity to showcase my artwork in a public sphere, and I hope that this event becomes a catalyst for future events and conversations.”

Mootookakio’ssin: Creating in Spacetime is open and available to the public to view until December 16, 2023.

More information on the exhibition can be found on the Hess Gallery website.

Stories for British Museums, student art exhibition on Indigenous object project, goes virtual

trevor.kenney — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 22:23:06 +0000

Interrupted and reimagined, Stories for British Museums, a new ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge student art exhibition showcasing works inspired by the Mootookakio’ssin Indigenous object project, is now in the virtual space.

Xiaosi Chen, Welcome to Blackfoot Territory, Printed Matter.

The U of L’s Hess Gallery was initially preparing to open the exhibition of student work as the global pandemic was declared in March. Students in Dr. Jackson TwoBears’ Indigenous art studio class were dropping off works and finishing up their projects when the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ was forced to close, leaving the gallery with a patchwork of finished works, some ready for installation and others not yet delivered.

“As we all adjusted to closures of public spaces and working from home, the issue of how to finish this exhibition hung over us,” says gallery director and curator Dr. Josephine Mills. “The students had done a fabulous job, working hard and engaging with processes, concepts and imagery of objects involved with Mootookakio’ssin.”

Ines Catalini, Come Over, Mixed Media Installation.

The Mootookakio’ssin project is a major research project to create detailed digital images of historic Blackfoot objects housed in three museums in Britain. A Canadian contingent of Elders from all four tribes in the Blackfoot Confederacy, U of L researchers, and artists travelled to Britain in July 2019 to meet with the British team members. Together, they visited the British Museum, the Museum of Archeology and Anthropology at Cambridge ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, and the Horniman Museum, London to view Blackfoot objects that had come from Blackfoot territory (throughout southern Alberta and Montana) and now are held in the UK.

“The Elders selected the objects we looked at, told stories prompted by the objects, and the team then made digital images of them,” says Mills. “Words fail to describe how deeply moving and emotional these visits were.”

John Little Bear, Ihkitsikammiksi, 7 Brothers, Big Dipper, Acryclic paint on leather and suede.

TwoBears’ students are the first to tackle the daunting task of working with the Mootookakio’ssin project. Their exhibition is an initial step for students from or living in Blackfoot traditional territory to connect with those students working with their research partners in Britain.

For the Blackfoot, there is no equivalent to the term 'object’ because all things are living beings – the ‘objects’ have a life force and the Elders were waking these objects after a century or more of separation from their people.

“It’s hard for non-Indigenous people to conceptualize this crucial idea of the connection between the objects and the people, of the life force that they each generate in the other,” shares Mills. “I could see how lifeless and incomplete the objects were without the people to wear them, use them, and have them play their role in telling stories and sharing knowledge.”

When Mills returned to campus in October and had an opportunity to see the incomplete works from the proposed student exhibition, she realized a connection to the historical objects in Britain.

“When restrictions began to open up, I went with David Smith, assistant curator and preparator, to remind ourselves what student work we had as we began to think about an online version of the exhibition,” she says. “Standing in that small storage room, I felt so sad looking at objects that lacked the vibrancy of the artists, the energy surrounding the exhibition; works that were incomplete, that didn’t have their context. And then it struck me, this is like visiting the historical objects in the museum storage in England.”

Historical objects convey information, and in the case of Indigenous objects in British museums, they provide the means to explain the ongoing legacies of colonialism and have the power to dismantle colonial narratives and rebuild relationships between people. Talking about the objects opens doors and creates paths to understanding.

Stories for British Museums is a crucial first step in building connections between historical Blackfoot objects and current artists and audiences. The exhibition presented on the art gallery’s website is not the same as the one that never came to be but is a valuable link in the research process and demonstrates the strength of the student artists and their work.

Museum studies intern curates Inuit art exhibition in uLethbridge Hess Gallery

trevor.kenney — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 17:27:55 +0000

Thanks to the significant donation from Dr. Margaret (Marmie) Perkins Hess to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery, and the extraordinary opportunities offered to Art History and Museum Studies students at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, visitors to the Hess Gallery have the chance to engage with never before exhibited Inuit art.

Exhibition curator and museum studies intern Jaylyn Potts. Photo by Angeline Simon.

Unikkausivut: Stories from the North opens Thursday, Jan. 16, curated by museums studies intern and senior fine arts student Jaylyn Potts. Featuring a selection of Inuit prints illustrating the colourful stories that have been passed down through generations, Potts’s motivation was to select artwork that has never publicly been shown at the U of L before, and the Hess donation provided numerous options from which to choose.

The gallery was selected to receive the extraordinary bequest from Marmie Hess in 2017 largely because they do so much to engage people with their vast art collection.

“Marmie wanted her gift to assist young people with learning about the arts and there is no better way to achieve this than to have a student curate an exhibition,” says Dr. Josephine Mills, gallery director and Art History/Museum Studies professor. “The student gets in-depth professional development and they bring a perspective to their curating that helps connect with students who visit the art gallery.”

Gallery staff have been working tirelessly to catalogue and manually enter over a thousand artworks into the database, with a significant amount of it being Inuit work.

“I was immediately drawn to the Inuit prints, particularly those that used a vibrant colour palette, had intricate and detailed texture, and had a unique and compelling title,” explains Potts. “While a significant amount of the works appear charming and playful, they are actually based on dark and gruesome Inuit stories. The juxtaposition between story and artwork provokes and inspires us as viewers to think about Inuit stories and the influence they have had on Inuit culture in the past and present.”

Unikkausivut: Stories from the North opens Thursday, Jan. 16 with an opening reception at 4 p.m., remarks from the director at 4:30 p.m. followed by a curatorial talk with Potts. The exhibition runs until March 13, and is free to the public Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Thursdays until 8:30 p.m.

Largest gift of cultural properties in ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge history given by Dr. Margaret (Marmie) Perkins Hess

caroline.zentner — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 16:29:46 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery today unveils an unparalleled bequest of more than 1,000 works of art valued between $4 and $5 million from the estate of Dr. Margaret (Marmie) Perkins Hess (DFA ’04).

“This is the largest gift of art and cultural properties to the U of L in its 51-year history,” says Dr. Mike Mahon, U of L president and vice-chancellor. “We are honoured to become the home for these iconic works of art. Marmie was truly a renaissance woman; she was highly educated and committed to the arts, education and the community.”

The diverse collection is like a hidden treasure — most of the works haven’t been seen in public since Hess acquired them, including Cliffs Near Petawawa by Tom Thomson, a contemporary of the Group of Seven. It alone is valued at more than $1 million. The collection also contains more than 400 works by Indigenous artists, primarily Inuit and Northwest Coast First Nations.

“It was important to Marmie that her collection be open and accessible to the broadest audiences possible and also be used to support education, teaching and research. Given these wishes, we find it so satisfying that the Hess collection has found a new home at the U of L,” say Dale Boniface and Richard Haskayne, co-executors of the Hess estate. “Recognized nationally for the quality of its art collection and the standard of care and stewardship it provides to the collection, we take great comfort in knowing that Marmie would be absolutely thrilled with the new home and plans for her collection.”

Cliffs near Petawawa, Tom Thomson

Together, these works help tell the story of Canadian art in the 20th century from both settler and Indigenous perspectives. A.Y. Jackson, a member of the Group of Seven and a personal friend, advised Hess on her Canadian art purchases, which include works by Lawren Harris and Emily Carr. Another friend, the late photographer Roloff Beny, advised Hess on her purchases of international art, which include artists such as Picasso and Chagall.

“Marmie had a really good eye and she was ahead of her time with her strong interest in learning from Indigenous people and their art,” says Dr. Josephine Mills, U of L Art Gallery director and curator and Fine Arts professor. “This collection is an amazing addition for us.”

The U of L Art Gallery, in addition to renaming the main gallery space as the Dr. Margaret (Marmie) Perkins Hess Gallery, will focus on researching the works and providing access to them through exhibitions and public programs.

“The U of L Art Gallery is the perfect home for this gift because of our emphasis on creating in-depth engagement for students, scholars and the public,” says Mills.

Dr. Margaret (Marmie) Perkins Hess (DFA '04). Photo courtesy of The Alberta Order of Excellence.

Margaret (Marmie) Perkins Hess, a community leader, internationally recognized art historian and lecturer, businesswoman, rancher and philanthropist, was born in Calgary on May 3, 1916, an only child whose father was president of the Revelstoke Sawmill Company. She attended high school in Calgary and began her post-secondary education at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta in 1934. Hess completed a Bachelor of Arts at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Toronto in 1938 and post-graduate studies at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Iowa in 1947. During her time in Toronto, she met several members of the Group of Seven and they encouraged her love of art.

During the Second World War, she returned to Alberta to teach art history at what are now the Alberta College of Art and Design and the Banff Centre, replacing male instructors who had enlisted. When she lived in Banff, she hosted parties that were attended by the likes of A.Y. Jackson and Lawren Harris. Hess may have met the renowned Canadian photographer, Roloff Beny, during this time. They became lifelong friends and, following Beny’s death in 1984, Hess served on an advisory committee to his estate that determined his collection should come to the U of L.

In the 1950s, Hess travelled extensively in the Canadian north. These journeys, and later visits to the West Coast, inspired her love of Indigenous art. In 1970, Hess opened Calgary Galleries Ltd., which was one of the first galleries in Canada to showcase Indigenous art. Recognized as a world authority on Inuit and First Nations art, she willingly shared her knowledge with students and scholars.

Hess was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1993 for her research, writing, exhibitions and lectures on Canadian Indigenous art. She also received many other awards, including the Alberta Order of Excellence and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal. In 2004, the U of L awarded Hess with an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts, one of several honorary degrees she received from universities.

Generous with her time and expertise, Hess supported students through scholarship and endowment funds and she volunteered on many community organizations, including the U of L Senate and the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede. She was appointed by then-premier Peter Lougheed to the Kananaskis Citizens Advisory Committee tasked with developing a provincial park for the 1988 Winter Olympics. Hess was given an honorary membership in the Ranchmen’s Club long before the organization officially allowed women to join in the early 1990s.

Hess passed away on Sept. 2, 2016 at 100 years of age.

Rising-star Indigenous Artist Meryl McMaster explores identity through self-portraiture

trevor.kenney — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 17:39:47 +0000

It is with excitement and great anticipation that the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery welcomes Meryl McMaster’s Confluence to the main gallery, January 18 through March 15.

Meryl McMaster's Dream Catcher (2015) Ink jet print, edition 2 of 2 AP. Courtesy of the artist and Katzman Contemporary.

A rising star in the Canadian art world, McMasters’s series of photographic self-portraiture explores identity, representation, storytelling and the environment in this touring exhibition from Carleton ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Art Gallery, curated by Heather Anderson.

“The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery has been waiting three years to present this exhibition,” says gallery director Dr. Josephine Mills. “Carleton ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ approached me in 2015 when they were first planning this touring exhibition and I immediately jumped at the opportunity to bring McMaster’s stunning and powerful photographs to Lethbridge.”

As an individual of mixed Plains Cree and Euro-Canadian heritage, investigations of identity and issues of Indigenous representation inform McMaster’s work. Her potent, mysterious photographs explore the fluid domain of identity, and the possibilities of examining the self and its representation.

Meryl McMaster Secret Darkness of Birds (2015) Ink jet print, edition 2 of 3. Courtesy of the artist and Katzman Contemporary.

Placing herself in front of the camera, McMaster transforms her appearance by layering photographic images onto her body or the elaborate costumes and props she creates, and presents these alter egos as solitary in the landscape. Her self-portraiture challenges the ways that Indigenous peoples have been, and continue to be, represented within a colonial framework while opening up imaginative spaces of possibility that explore the complex, layered and nuanced ways in which identities are shaped and experienced.

“The work could be called self-portraiture because she places herself in the images and she takes the photographs, but they are so much more than that,” exclaims Mills. “She stages elaborate scenes with costumes and make-up that invite the viewer to think about how identity is constructed and our own relationships with the land and cultural concepts that she references.”

The exhibition opens with a reception Thursday, Jan. 18, 4-6 p.m. and runs until March 15. The gallery is free to attend, open weekdays 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Thursday until 8:30 p.m.

Media are invited to a sneak peek of Confluence on Thursday, Jan 18, 10-11 a.m. in the main gallery.

They're back!

caroline.zentner — Fri, 05 Jan 2018 22:43:53 +0000

After a two-year absence, the six maquettes, or preliminary models, that were perched on the seventh-floor plant deck of the Atrium are back pointing, waving and peering after being reinstalled in their boxes.

From the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Collection; gift of an anonymous supporter, 1995. Workers install Man & Child next to the Waver and Pointer figures.

They’ve been joined by four new figures and all are characters from The Audience sculpture by Canadian artist Michael Snow. They are about a third of the size of the final figures that are suspended above the two main entrances to Toronto’s Rogers Centre.

“Each character has such a strong personality and, after two years, it’s really good to see your friends again,” said David Smith, assistant curator/preparator with the Art Gallery.

The original six, including Pointer, Bruiser, Binoculars, Point-to-Sky, Man & Child and Waver, were taken down after a structural problem with the deck was identified in 2016. The statues were not in danger of falling but a restraining handrail was beginning to bend as a result of pressure from two steel cables attached to two of the sculptures. They were moved to the U of L’s Art Vault while reinforcements were made to the plant deck.

Ribbon Bronx Cheer

While they were in storage, students in Museum Studies helped to clean the sculptures using

Binoculars

cotton swabs and a special conservation detergent. Given to the U of L by an anonymous donor in 1995, the maquettes are made of wood, foam, burlap and plaster. They vary in size with an average weight between 75 and 85 kilograms.

“While we missed the sculptures the two years they were down, it gave our students the chance to learn about hands-on collection care, cleaning, repairing and the whole process of doing a project,” says Juliet Graham, Art Gallery registrar.

The four new maquettes installed include Ribbon Bronx Cheer, Blow-a-Kiss, Fatso and Thumbs Down. Still in storage are Heart Attack, Nose Thumber, Camera and V-for-Victory. Art Gallery staff hoped to display all 14, but the final four can’t be installed yet because their box interferes with a drop-down screen attached to a nearby concrete beam.

Third annual En Plein Air exhibition returns to Penny Gallery

trevor.kenney — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 21:28:21 +0000

The beautiful gardens of the Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage continued to inspire artists throughout 2017 during the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery’s En Plein Air artist opportunities, and the fruits of their labour will be on display at the Dr. Foster James Penny Building December 2-22.

En Plein Air runs Dec. 2-22, and is open to the public Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

From May through August 2017, the uLethbridge Art Gallery hosted three “En Plein Air days” and the Faculty of Fine Arts hosted the Coutts Centre Arts Festival on July 23 – a day of live music, art making, garden tours and a performance by the Lethbridge Shakespeare Performance Society. The works submitted for the En Plein Air 2017 exhibition represent the work of participating artists, depicting the many moods, weather systems, and lighting conditions of the Coutts Centre, from blossom to harvest. The array of colours and media in this exhibition are as diverse as the grounds at the Coutts family homestead.

“This year we are excited to present 97 distinct pieces from 29 artists that joined us at En Plein Air this summer,” says Jon Oxley, uLethbridge Art Gallery administrative manager. “There are 92 2D works, with one artist submitting 26 small pieces installed in a grid, and the rest are 3D sculptural works including a grouping of five ceramic poppy heads with metal stands, small knitted yarn pieces, a wall mounted grain silo and a large quilt.”

Donated to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in 2011, the Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage has become a living classroom where students, faculty and visitors can make use of the natural setting to study the history, artwork, ecosystems and geography associated with the area.

“Dr. Jim Coutts believed strongly in supporting the arts,” explains Oxley. “It’s an honour to help continue his legacy by inviting artists to his property each summer and seeing their work exhibited soon after.”

Co-sponsored by the Faculty of Fine Arts and Alumni Relations, En Plein Air opens with a reception on Saturday, Dec. 2, 3-5 pm in the Penny Gallery. The exhibition, running until Dec. 22, is open to the public Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

To Dwell in Pitch Black Pearls shifts the perspective of Lethbridge landscape

trevor.kenney — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 17:37:17 +0000

Inspired by the landscape of southern Alberta and the coal mining history of Lethbridge, Amsterdam artist Karin Van Dam opens her first Canadian solo exhibition at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery, Thursday, Nov. 9 at 4 p.m.

To Dwell in Pitch Black Pearls shifts the perspective of what has become the everyday for Lethbridge residents, embodying the theme of the Art Gallery’s You Are Here series.

Artist Karin Van Dam's piece 17 Pearls, currently being featured in the U of L Art Gallery.

“When I first saw her art practice I knew it would relate to the You Are Here series because she works with local materials, thinking about one's environment and the everyday,” explains curator Dr. Josephine Mills. “To Dwell in Pitch Black Pearls offers Karin’s perspective on our location, stuff that we take for granted, that we’ve grown up seeing. It shifts the perspective, which is part of the idea behind the You Are Here series,”

Mills was first introduced to Van Dam through artist Ed Pien, whose exhibition Liquid Being preceded Van Dam’s in the main gallery. Mills was blown away when she saw her work.

“She makes these incredibly intricate worlds,” says Mills. “She takes ordinary items, industrial materials, construction materials, and in our case she was absolutely captivated by going to the UFA, Canadian Tire, Home Depot. Her entire practice is based on making work on location with materials from the location, which makes it engaging and relevant for gallery visitors.”

Mills adds that Van Dam’s approach also makes her exhibition financially feasible. Hosting international work can be an expensive endeavour when considering the cost of shipping works across the world. This exhibition is possible because the work is inspired by Lethbridge and created in Lethbridge specifically for the uLethbridge Art Gallery.

Van Dam visited Lethbridge on two research trips and was immediately taken with the history of coal deposits and how the deep black colour of coal appeals visually. She spent time in the Galt Museum archives looking at maps of coal deposits and mines, and that imagery inspired her, prompting her to think about the coal in different visual ways.

Van Dam “selects materials and reworks them into something that doesn’t look anything like they were originally built for,” says Mills. “She’ll use hundreds, sometimes thousands of the same object. In this exhibition, there are 900 Styrofoam balls in a woolly casing. Tomato cages wrapped in wool. It’s an immersive exhibition with items hanging from the ceiling.”

To Dwell in Pitch Black Pearls marks a few ‘firsts’ – the first solo exhibition for Van Dam in Canada, and the first exhibition working with an international artist for both Mills and the gallery. “We have international works in the collection but actually working with the artists themselves is a first,” explains Mills.

The exhibition opens in the main gallery, level 6 ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Centre for the Arts, Thursday, Nov 9 with a reception from 4 to 6 p.m., and runs until January 4, 2018.

uLethbridge Art Gallery Launches You Are Here Series with Liquid Being and Up in the Air

trevor.kenney — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 20:42:03 +0000

Internationally renowned artist Ed Pien joins the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery to kick off the You Are Here series of exhibitions, workshops, performances and presentations running from September 2017 to March 2018. Opening September 14 in the main gallery is Pien’s exhibition Liquid Being and Up in the Air in the Helen Christou Gallery, both exhibitions curated by gallery director Dr. Josephine Mills.

The You Are Here series invites southern Albertans to find new ways to think about the future of their environment. Pien began his research and community connections a year ago, with three visits to Lethbridge to meet with Blackfoot environment experts and scientists researching water and climate change and to work with youth from Lethbridge and Kainai First Nation.

“Ed Pien is one of Canada’s top artists,” shares Mills. “His work has been created and exhibited all over the world from Japan, to Cuba, Brazil and more. We are very lucky to have him here. He produces art to engage with the audience, not just in his installations but also in the creation. During his time in Lethbridge he has spent dozens of hours working with the public, especially with children.”

Pien’s research and collaborations led to the creation of Liquid Being, an installation that includes drawings of monstrous fish etched onto hundreds of Mylar sheets suspended in the main gallery. With light projected through them, the drawings become visible in the shadows. The installation also includes a channel of water brought in from the Kainai reserve which runs through a Mylar structure. The water projects a shadow through the structure and evaporates over time. Leading environmental lawyer and Indigenous ally, Merll-Ann S. Phare (Winnipeg) will contribute text. Liquid Being will be in the main gallery Sept. 14 through Oct. 26.

The Helen Christou Gallery, uLethbridge Art Gallery’s satellite space in the hallway between the library and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Centre for the Arts, will feature more of Pien’s work in Up in the Air from Sept. 20 through Oct. 20. After conducting workshops with youth from Lethbridge and Kainai First Nation, with senior new Canadians and through ULAG’s Culture Vulture Saturday program, over 30 kites with images inspired by the fate of fresh water fish and the monstrous results of climate change were created. Images of the work by the young participants, a video documenting the performances of kite flying, and drawings by Pien will be on display.

“The drawings in the Helen Christou Gallery were made with ink and water,” says Mills. “Water is his collaborator. He studied the eleven species of fresh water fish found in southern Alberta and created loose and abstracted drawings of ghostly images of monstrous fish. He also let ink evaporate on different materials, creating abstract topographical maps of lakes and rivers.”

Both exhibitions open with a reception, Thursday, September 14, 3 to 6 p.m. in the main gallery.

Faculty of Fine Arts/Medalta Residency rewarding for first uLethbridge participant

trevor.kenney — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 22:13:53 +0000

Thanks to a new partnership between the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and Medalta Potteries in Medicine Hat, third-year Art students now have the opportunity to apply for a one-month intensive ceramics residency. The first recipient of the Faculty of Fine Arts Medalta Residency, Grace Wirzba, spent the month of May in the 150-acre Historic Clay District.

Art Studio student Grace Wirzba in front of the exhibition she curated for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's 50th Anniversary, Looking Forward / Looking Back.

This was the fourth year that Medalta has hosted undergrad students as part of the International Artists in Residence Program. The program provides opportunity for students from various institutions to spend a month in an immersive residency environment to create a much broader dialogue amongst ceramic programs across Canada. Medalta provides the studio experience including 24-hour access, a 20-square metre personal studio, facilitated access to the entire Historic Clay District site, firings, use of shop glazes and possible exhibition opportunities in their on-site contemporary art galleries. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge provided a $1,000 stipend for travel and living expenses.

The residency is open to a third-year student returning to their studies in the fall. Wirzba became the lucky first recipient by being in the right place at the right time.

Medalta provides the studio experience including 24-hour access, a 20-square metre personal studio, facilitated access to the entire Historic Clay District site, firings, use of shop glazes and possible exhibition opportunities in their on-site contemporary art galleries.

“I heard Jenna Stanton (Medalta curator) talk in Art Now about two years ago and she talked about Medalta,” says Wirzba. “I thought it was really cool, so I just sat on that idea, and then last year I was introduced to Jenna again. I told her I was interested in Medalta and had heard a lot about the residencies. (Art faculty) Annie Martin got the ball rolling on the opportunity for the U of L. I think they were already working on getting it started so when a student showed interest they were thrilled!’”

In the future, the residency will involve an application process for students. The residencies are in high demand, so while it may not be an annual opportunity, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will accept any chance they get to send a student.

“I was really lucky to just be a keener that showed interest,” admits Wirzba. “I was super lucky!”

Wirzba was somewhat nervous leading up to the residency as ceramics are not a primary area of her art practice, and others were coming from institutions with specific ceramics programs and experience.

“Coming in green to the technical components of ceramics influenced my experience immensely,” shares Wirzba. “I think it made for a very positive experience. Learning from my fellow undergrad residents, as well as long-term residents at the Shaw Centre was extremely rewarding and incredibly fun. It was a constant learning curve and my knowledge on the subject grew about 300 percent by the end of May, though I’ve only still brushed the surface of what there is to know in ceramics.”

“One of the most important aspects of the residency was forming connections with my peers in universities and colleges across the country, as well as internationally exhibiting artists. Being able to have conversation and create discourse on contemporary ceramics and art at an undergraduate level with these peers was valuable and so important for me.”

Wirzba focused on simple sculptural forms and glaze mixing and application.

“Most of my work was hand built mid-fire sculpture that I worked with in an installation context,” continues Wirzba. “At the end of the residency, the five undergrads put together a small pop up exhibition in the ‘bone yard’ behind Medalta. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of installing my new ceramic pieces on this site. Site specific installation is exactly what I am interested in at the moment and it was an incredibly rewarding opportunity to get to install work in this unique and challenging location.”

Wirzba will be displaying her ceramic creations on the 8th level exhibition wall in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Centre for the Arts from August 28 through September 8. Check it out during the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s 50th Anniversary Homecoming events on the September long weekend. Register for a Fine Arts Facility tour at uleth.ca/homecoming.

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