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

Auction of the late Dr. Coutts's personal items to benefit Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage

trevor.kenney — Fri, 03 Oct 2014 20:36:36 +0000

The late Dr. Jim Coutts (LLD ’12) left a legacy to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge with the establishment of the Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage, and now, that legacy will endure thanks in part to an auction of Coutts’s personal items in support of the Coutts Centre.

The late Dr. Jim Coutts was a southern-Alberta based art collector and philanthropist who made his mark professionally and politically as the former secretary and advisor to two Canadian Prime Ministers (Lester B. Pearson and Pierre Trudeau).

In 2010, Coutts donated his family homestead outside of Nanton, Alta. to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ to establish the Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage. He also donated a significant portion of his personal art collection to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery. This gift currently numbers over 300 pieces that are a part of the collection and is a much-cherished resource for the students of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the people of southern Alberta.

Prior to his passing on December 31, 2013, Coutts had expressed his desire that items remaining from his personal collection of art and furnishings that were not given to the U of L Art Gallery be publicly auctioned, with the proceeds going to support the Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage.

One of the pieces available for auction.

“Jim entrusted the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ with a significant part of his life's work and passion by gifting his art collection and family homestead in Nanton to the stewardship and care of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge,” says ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Mike Mahon. “We were humbled to receive that gift at the time and remain grateful to Jim for leaving such a legacy to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ with the expressed desire to see it benefit Canadians. This auction will further that vision.”

Jim Coutts was a southern-Alberta based art collector and philanthropist who made his mark professionally and politically as the former secretary and advisor to two Canadian Prime Ministers (Lester B. Pearson and Pierre Trudeau).

The auction will be conducted online from Oct. 6 to 18, 2014 by Levis Fine Art Auctions & Appraisals. It will feature more than 200 pieces from Coutts’s collection, including paintings, prints, sculptures, photography and a collection of over 40 unique and unusual walking sticks and canes. A live auction of select items will then take place in Calgary on November 23, 2014.

“Jim’s life was one that was well-lived and the items available for auction represent the many aspects of his vibrant character,” says Mahon. “He truly was a one-of-a-kind individual and an iconic Canadian. We’re very grateful to have had such a great relationship with him.”

Coutts never failed to express his affinity for his hometown of Nanton and the southern Alberta area, and upon reflection, recognized how it shaped his art collection.

“Part of the landscape you know as a youth travels with you – and part of you always remains in your home landscape. That was my experience of southwest Alberta – especially the Porcupine Hills,” Coutts once wrote in an essay on collecting for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. “There is a German expression, “Heimweh”, which translates as “home pain”. It is more than home-sickness – it is the profound and lasting longing in the stranger to be home – a feeling that over the years gave much substance to works of art and song. The works that I’ve collected along the way usually reflect my “home pain”.

For more on the Coutts art auction, visit the Levis Fine Art Auctions & Appraisals website.

For additional information on the life of Jim Coutts, visit the Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage website.

Art Gallery a leader in Holocaust-era provenance research

trevor.kenney — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 21:21:26 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery will play a leadership role on a two-year project aimed at furthering Canadian efforts to build and disseminate Holocaust-era provenance information on Canadian public fine art collections.

With support from the Department of Canadian Heritage via its Museums Assistance Program, the Canadian Art Museum Directors Organization (CAMDO) embarked on the important project last spring. CAMDO’s Holocaust-era Provenance Research and Best-Practice Guidelines Project will develop best-practice guidelines that will empower Canadian institutions to understand and embrace their stewardship responsibilities in Holocaust-era provenance research, and to undertake their own research in the coming years.

Under the direction of CAMDO Past President and Board Member Dr. Josephine Mills, the research project will be led by Janet M. Brooke, provenance research specialist, and Nancy Karrels, research assistant, who will conduct site visits to examine relevant paintings and documentation, pursue their investigations in libraries and archives in Canada and abroad, and develop best practice guidelines for dissemination. Research results will be posted on a searchable database. Significant support is provided by the National Gallery of Canada through its sharing of office space and research resources.

“Canada’s art museums have long declared their will to pursue Holocaust-era provenance research,” says Mills, the director/curator of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery. “But in the absence of resources and expertise on the ground, most have been unable to move forward. With this funding, CAMDO can now support its members in joining this crucial international research effort.”

In addition, the CAMDO project provides leadership, resources and expertise to six participating art museums to enable them to build and publish new research on European paintings in their collections that may have been part of the mass theft or forced sale of Jewish assets during the Nazi era. In pursuing these goals, CAMDO joins international research efforts to aid potential claimants worldwide in their pursuit of restitution and justice.

The six participating museums for the initiative are the Art Gallery of Ontario, Art Gallery of Windsor, McMaster Museum of Art, Royal Ontario Museum, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery and Winnipeg Art Gallery.

The CAMDO project builds upon recommendations developed at the Canadian Symposium on Holocaust-era Cultural Property, organized by the Canadian Museums Association and the Canadian Jewish Congress in 2001, and on a CAMDO needs-assessment survey conducted in 2007. Both called upon the federal government for support of Holocaust-era provenance research.

CAMDO is a professional network of peers – directors of public Canadian art museums and galleries – that advances knowledge and expertise among its members, finds solutions to shared challenges and represents the sector on issues of national significance.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery houses one of the most significant art collections in Canada. Numbering over 13,000 objects, the holdings include works from Canada, America and Europe, span the 19th and 20th centuries, and continue to grow with 21st century additions. Its major strength is the diversity of the collection, which not only represents a wide range of geographic locations, but also the full spectrum of media, artistic movements, genres and approaches.

U of L launches Centre for Oral History and Tradition

trevor.kenney — Tue, 26 Nov 2013 17:29:59 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has launched a new institute aimed at ensuring southern Alberta’s oral history is preserved and accessible.

The Centre for Oral History and Tradition (COHT) will not only advance research disciplines pertaining to oral history in the academic world, but also collaborate with community organizations across southern Alberta to help preserve, study and understand the region’s oral history.

The de Grandmaison oral history project is an example of the work that the Centre for Oral History and Tradition will undertake.

“The Institute will strive to preserve and analyze oral history sources,” says Dr. Heidi MacDonald, director of the new centre. “Oral histories contain valuable information that is often not available in any other form. Preserving these narratives is critical to understanding many fields of study. Our research will have an enduring relevance well into the future because the oral histories we capture will be studied for many more generations.”

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge faculty and graduate students involved in the institute have expertise in such areas as employment, health, sport, gender, religion, culture and local history. Together with community partners, including the Galt Museum and Archives, the centre will provide workshops and other support in order to identify, establish and assist oral history projects undertaken in southern Alberta. The centre is also committed to ensuring these projects are made available to the public.

“We want to be a portal for the dissemination of oral history to other researchers as well as provide a place where this knowledge is available to the people of southern Alberta and beyond. In addition to sharing the research we at the centre are interested in, we want to build this capacity with community groups that have an interest in preserving their own oral histories,” says MacDonald.

Collecting and preserving oral histories is becoming increasingly important. MacDonald says information is continually becoming more transient, which will have implications for the future. For example, fewer people keep diaries, and in the workplace, e-mails are easily deleted.

“Sources that historians have traditionally used are becoming rare. Far less information is hitting paper today compared to even a decade ago,” says MacDonald. “In addition, oral histories can provide personal insights that expand on more standard histories.”

The announcement of the COHT was made at the Galt Museum & Archives. The event included a display demonstrating an oral history project undertaken by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Archives, an initiative that supports the gallery’s vast Nicholas de Grandmaison collection of artworks and artifacts.

As an itinerant painter, de Grandmaison often stayed with ranchers, farmers and Aboriginal families for several days at a time while he painted their portraits. His unique lifestyle, character and attitude having left a plethora of interesting experiences that augment the context of his paintings. These stories complement the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's de Grandmaison collection.

The U of L is home to 12 different centres and institutes that foster and promote research expertise and capabilities as well as provide a platform for trans-disciplinary research.

The U of L’s Vice-President (Research), Dr. Dan Weeks, says these centres and institutes facilitate the formation of unique and creative research and teaching partnerships inside and outside of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

“The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s initiative to create new centres and institutes allows for greater collaboration among researchers and makes research more publicly available. The Centre for Oral History and Tradition will make an incredibly positive contribution to southern Alberta communities through its work,” says Weeks.

Oral History Project appeals for contributions

trevor.kenney — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:37:50 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Archives is calling on Albertans to assist in a historical project in support of their vast Nicholas de Grandmaison collection of artworks and artifacts.

A cultural icon of southern Alberta, artist Nicholas de Grandmaison (1892-1978) captured the history of the region and its First Nations people in an entirely distinctive and personal manner.

As an itinerant painter, de Grandmaison often stayed with ranchers, farmers and Aboriginal families for several days at a time while he painted their portraits. His unique lifestyle, character and attitude having left a plethora of interesting experiences that augment the context of his paintings.

It is these stories that the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Archives are looking to tell through an Oral History Project that will complement the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's de Grandmaison collection of artworks and artifacts. They are currently seeking contributions from the Alberta community.

"By compiling an oral history, we really want to give the de Grandmaison collection another layer of meaning," says Karissa Patton (BA '13), a recent U of L graduate who is returning for graduate studies this fall and who is working with third-year Native American Studies student Maria Livingston on compiling the oral history pieces.

"The collection is remarkable, but in some instances we might only have the name of the person featured in the painting, and in others, we have no information at all. When you look at how the subjects are depicted, you can see that there is a story there that is just waiting to be told."

Working under the guidance of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Archivist Mike Perry and Lisa Doolittle of the Department of Theatre and Dramatic Arts, Patton and Livingston have contacted various members of the Kainai, Siksika and Piikani First Nations, searching for those people who may have had contact either with de Grandmaison or any of the subjects featured in his paintings.

"It doesn't have to be a story from someone who was actually painted, it can be anything from that era that adds to the story of
de Grandmaison's visits and work," says Patton. "Even the smallest of recollections help to create a larger narrative."

BMO Financial Group recently donated 67 original de Grandmaison pastel portraits to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's already comprehensive collection of artworks and artifacts. They have been featured in the
U of L Art Gallery exhibition Nicholas de Grandmaison: Recent Acquisitions, which concludes Thursday, June 27. On Tuesday, June 25, a Closing Reception and Hoop Dance Performance will be held at 7 p.m. in the U of L Art Gallery.

"It's been wonderful to be able to present these de Grandmaison works to the public," says Director/Curator of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery, Dr. Josephine Mills. "The BMO donation has significantly enhanced our collection and really inspired us to search for ways in which we can encourage new work from First Nations artists. I think this Oral History Project is an excellent way to give even more context to these works and bring our Alberta history to life."

For those looking to take part in the project, access the following website for more information: http://www.uleth.ca/artgallery/?page_id=5452, call 403-380-1868 or e-mail degrandmaisonstories@uleth.ca

Oral history contributions sought by gallery

trevor.kenney — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:32:50 +0000

The late artist Nicholas de Grandmaison is a cultural icon of southern Alberta. He is well known for his portraits of politicians, families and unknown subjects.

During a previous exhibition of his work at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery, there was a great deal of interest in discussing stories of the artist and of his Aboriginal subjects. The gallery is subsequently undertaking a project that invites individuals visiting the exhibit to share their unique experiences with the artist or the subjects of his paintings. The project will be publicized during the exhibition of paintings donated by BMO Financial Group at the U of L Art Gallery May 2 to June 27.

As an itinerant painter, de Grandmaison often stayed with ranchers, farmers and Aboriginal families for several days at a time while he painted them. His unique lifestyle, character and attitude have left a plethora of interesting experiences that augment the context of his paintings.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Archives are partnering to gather the stories and provide research access to them. This oral history project is intended to give greater context to de Grandmaison as a person and an artist and to give greater background to the body of his work in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ collection. As well, it will add to the rich research resource already housed on campus with the artworks, personal papers and photographs, and sound recordings produced with the artist and some of his Aboriginal sitters for portraits.

Once the stories are gathered, access will be provided through the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Archives website and in person study in the Archives as well as future touring exhibitions of de Grandmaison's work.

de Grandmaison exhibit opens

trevor.kenney — Thu, 02 May 2013 17:24:40 +0000

By capturing the faces of the First Nations people he encountered, Canadian painter Nicholas de Grandmaison (1892-1978) left a deeply personal record of history.

His documentation was grounded in the belief that the soul of a person was found in the face, and many of the individuals he painted during his prolific career were from the southern Alberta area, in particular the Blackfoot Confederacy and the Kainai and Piikani communities.

New works of art on display from the de Grandmaison collection, recently acquired by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery as a gift from BMO Financial Group, feature 28 pastel portraits drawn from the 67-piece gift, which was received in 2012.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge holds the most comprehensive collection of de Grandmaison works in Canada, including more than 170 of his paintings, personal photo albums, letters and sound recordings of conversations he had with the individuals in his portraits.

"The works demonstrate de Grandmaison's deep respect for the people whom he painted and his exceptional skill at capturing the individual character of his sitters," says Art Gallery Director/Curator, Dr. Josephine Mills.

"What we are doing a bit differently with this exhibition is looking to the community to find relatives of the people de Grandmaison painted," Mills says.

"With our partners at the U of L Archives, we are working on a unique oral history concept that we hope adds to the value of the collection, and will help provide context for future audiences attending exhibitions of his works. We are encouraging members of the local and regional First Nations communities, and the broader Lethbridge community, to visit the gallery and possibly find a family connection."

Mills says information on the oral history project will be provided and people can contact the research team if they wish to participate.

To accommodate what Mills hopes is an increased interested in the exhibit, the gallery has extended hours for the run of the exhibition and is now open every Saturday, along with being open until 8:30 p.m. on Thursdays in addition to the regular 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekday hours.

"We are also hosting a planned informal series of presentations, 'Conversations about Nicholas de Grandmaison' which will occur on select Thursday evenings throughout the exhibition," Mills says.

From the 1930s until his death in 1978, Mills says that de Grandmaison was struck with an urgency to capture images of First Nations people because they were in a time of crucial transition with significant transformation in their lives.

"Having been a Russian aristocrat forced out of his homeland, a prisoner of war and eventually an immigrant to Canada, de Grandmaison felt intimately connected to the First Nations people. He felt he could relate to the major changes and upheaval they experienced."

"If we didn't have these paintings, we would be missing a part of our western heritage," Mills said. "While we tend to understand history as big events like battles, this piece of Canada's history focuses on the individuals and their stories. By showing these new works, and asking people for their stories, we hope to make future exhibitions that much more relevant."

Lasting Images - Lisa Brawn

trevor.kenney — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 20:07:53 +0000

Lisa Brawn studied at the Alberta College of Art and Design where she first began experimenting with figurative woodcuts.

Brawn draws on imagery from 20th century popular culture, including silent film stars, cowboys, 1970s television personalities, heroes and villains, international icons and symbols of Canadiana, rendering her subjects in hundreds of carved lines that are then painted.

Brawn's work has been exhibited extensively across Canada and the United States, and was featured prominently in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery exhibition and publication 'Snap, Crackle, Pop' in 2010.

She continues her prolific art practice in Calgary, Alta.

Lisa Brawn, Johnny LaRue, 2009. From the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Collection. Purchased in 2010 with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts Acquisition Assistance Program.

Lisa Brawn, Peter Mansbridge, 2009. From the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Collection. Purchased in 2010 with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts Acquisition Assistance Program.

Lisa Brawn, David Suzuki, 2009. From the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Collection. Purchased in 2010 with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts Acquisition Assistance Program.

These images and more are all available for viewing at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Art Gallery. Visit them online at ulag.ca

BMO Financial makes significant donation of de Grandmaison works to gallery

trevor.kenney — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 18:38:03 +0000

BMO Financial Group has donated 67 original pastel portraits by Nicholas de Grandmaison (1892-1978) from its art collection to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery.

The collection, which is valued at more than $1.66 million, spans a period of over 30 years and traces the development of de Grandmaison's talent and facility as one of the most important painters and portraitists of western First Nations people in Canada.

"The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge already owns one of the most comprehensive collections of artworks and artifacts by this important Canadian portraitist," says Robert Hayes, senior vice president, Prairies Division, BMO Bank of Montreal. "We are excited to enhance this collection with a gift that will allow it to continue to serve as a resource for students, faculty and independent scholars."

Nicholas de Grandmaison, Across the Mountain. From the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Collection. Gift of BMO Financial Group, 2013.

De Grandmaison created portraits of southern Albertans and Canada's First Nations populations for over 45 years. After immigrating to Canada from Russia (by way of England) in 1923, de Grandmaison spent much of his life touring around the prairies, painting the people he met. De Grandmaison was well-known and beloved in this area, and before his death in 1978 he was made an Honourary Chief of the Peigan Nation.

The 67 pastel portraits are part of a portfolio of 100 works by Nicholas de Grandmaison that were purchased by BMO in 1978 from the artist's family after his death.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President Mike Mahon says the portraits gifted by BMO Financial Group are of special significance due to the fact that de Grandmaison created most of his work in southern Alberta capturing the individual histories and personalities of those he painted.

"I find it fascinating that the communities Nicholas de Grandmaison was passionate about are the same communities the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ remains passionate about today," says Mahon. "The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge takes seriously what it means to be entrusted with these cultural treasures, and we look forward to sharing these works with our students, our community, our country and beyond in future initiatives."

Director/Curator of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery, Dr. Josephine Mills, says the gallery is already contemplating the many opportunities that will arise from this gift.

"I am excited to present an exhibition of the portraits in May and to work on further possibilities for exhibitions and research with the works from BMO and our existing collection of de Grandmaison artwork and archives," says Mills. "Future projects include conducting an oral history project about the artist and the First Nations subjects in the portraits as well as commissioning First Nations artists to produce new work in response to the BMO donation. This generous gift will significantly enhance our collection, exhibitions, and public programs and thus be an excellent resource for our community."

Included in the gift is $50,000 to care for and create access to the works. Mills says an oral history project that focuses on the artist and sitters will be created and that the gallery will commission Aboriginal artists to create a response to the works. The money will also be used to showcase the works nationally and possibly internationally.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery houses one of the most significant art collections in Canada. Numbering over 14,000 objects, the holdings include works from Canada, America and Europe, span the 19th and 20th centuries and continue to grow with 21st century additions. The gallery's major strength is the diversity of the collection, which not only represents a wide range of geographic locations, but also the full spectrum of media, artistic movements and genres.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery has scheduled an exhibition of selected works from the BMO gift from May 2 to June 27, 2013.

Giving creates access

trevor.kenney — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:57:43 +0000

When Fred Greene (BA '98) is asked to name a favourite work of art, he rhymes off not one, but a handful. With an impressive resumé that includes a four year fellowship at the International Center for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) in Rome and 10 years in the Conservation Department at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, it's not surprising that Greene feels right at home in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery.

He describes the U of L Art Collection with passion.

"Our collection is spectacular," he says simply.

Even more importantly, Greene is proud of the work going on behind the scenes. "Our reputation isn't based on what we have in the collection anymore. We're being recognized for what we're doing with it," explains Greene, whose training is in conservation. "Instead of commenting on the value or size, people now know we also have a well-housed, well-maintained, well-documented and well-utilized collection."

Fred Greene sees Supporting Our Students as a chance to create opportunities for students.

Moreover, access to artworks is incredible. Since Greene started work at the gallery in 1999, he's been involved in the development of an online database that allows much of the collection to be viewed electronically. This makes artworks more accessible, helping Greene to share what he loves with others.

"I'm the art guy," laughs Greene, referencing his unofficial title amongst the students he works with. "I am involved in our museum studies program, but I also work with students from disciplines outside of fine arts. We have very dynamic young people on this campus and I'm proud to say that I get to work with lots of them."

For Greene, supporting students extends beyond showing them works from the collection and helping them with conservation projects, he also shows his commitment as a regular contributor to Supporting Our Students (SOS).

"We talk a lot about access and equal opportunities but without proper funding, it's not possible," says Greene, who returned to university in his 40s and completed a bachelor of arts at the U of L. He took advantage of applied studies and was able to work overseas on archaeological sites between semesters to help pay for his education, but Greene recognizes many students are not as fortunate.

"I hope my gift helps someone who wouldn't be here otherwise," says Greene, who is proud to be part of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community.

"The U of L plays a significant role not only in my life, but in the life of my family," adds Greene, who notes his wife is a faculty member and his son is a current student. He's witnessed the impact the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has from all angles and wants to ensure more students benefit from what the U of L has to offer.

"I'm proud of this university and what we're building."

For more information on SOS, or to make a contribution, visit www.uleth.ca/giving/SupportingOurStudents or call 403-329-2582.

This story first appeared in the March 2012 issue of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Installation creating a stir in 1st Choice Savings Centre

trevor.kenney — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:19:07 +0000

What is red, black, white and causing a stir? It's the new art installation in the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Health and Wellness.

Entitled Seek Knowledge Even Onto China by London, Ont. artist Jamelie Hassan, the work is a recent acquisition by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery. It was purchased with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts Acquisition Assistance program, Sam Hassan and an anonymous donor.

"Seek Knowledge Even Onto China is a deceptively simple work that consists of carrying out the artist's precise instructions for installation," explains
Dr. Josephine Mills, Director/Curator U of L Art Gallery.

"Those include painting the wall a specific shade of red and attaching the black and white vinyl lettering, which are scaled to fit the location and repeats the title of the work in Arabic and Chinese characters."

The Hassan work Seek Knowledge Even Onto China as it is being installed.

Seek Knowledge Even Onto China can be displayed either inside a gallery, as it was last year at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge as part of a touring exhibition surveying Hassan's career, or in a public location as it is now. The work is a limited edition and thus, despite the technical ease to reproduce it, there is a limit on the number of works that can exist.

Internationally renowned, with an extensive exhibition history, Hassan's practice has been distinguished by her use of a wide range of media – ceramics, watercolours, bookworks, photographs, video and installations – from which she selects an approach appropriate to the task at hand.

"Her work is well suited for public art because of her use of text that connects with memory and identity and her interest in exploring cross-cultural exchange and communication," says Mills. "While travel has a significant influence on Hassan's creative output, equally important to her practice is her view on the world from her home in London. Her pioneering practice has steadfastly asserted that artists have a responsibility to address the critical issues of our time while her geographical location in southwestern Ontario grounds her practice."

Despite the influence of her home, Hassan's work is equally influenced by other places: her research and travels in Asia, the Americas, the Middle East and particularly in Lebanon, the homeland of her parents.

This installation is part of a new direction when it comes to public art on the
U of L campus.

"I'm interested in expanding the range of what we have for public art on campus," says Mills. "It can be installations like this work, or other options beyond sculpture or framed works."

This story first appeared in the February 2012 edition of The Legend. To view the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

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