UNews - Roloff Beny

Lasting Images - Roloff Beny

trevor.kenney — Tue, 17 May 2011 21:42:42 +0000

Through the museum studies internship program, I am both entrusted with the responsibility and granted the opportunity to co-curate an exhibition for the Helen Christou Gallery.

During the research and planning phase for the 1950s exhibition, I came across Arctic Vertical by Roloff Beny, and was disappointed that I couldn't include this drawing because it was produced in the 1960s. What I love about this piece is that it reminds me of works both by Vincent Van Gogh, in its parallel echoing strokes, but also of Piet Mondrian's works, which are stripped down to simplified geometric forms.

Roloff Beny, Arctic Vertical, 1964 From the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Collection; Bequest of the artist, 1989.

Discovering works like this one is one of my favourite aspects of participating in the Museum Studies Internship program. I am continually amazed at the beautiful works that find their home in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Collection.

Roloff Beny was born in Medicine Hat in 1924 and then spent a large portion of his life living abroad working as a photographer. His formal training took place at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Toronto, the Banff Centre for the Arts and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Iowa. Beny is best known for his photographic work later in his career, but earlier he explored a wide range of media. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge acquired many of Beny's prints, drawings and paintings, as well as works by other significant artists from his personal collection, when Beny bequeathed his entire art collection to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ upon his death in 1984.

David Smith, Museum Studies Intern

Museum studies interns bring back the 40s

trevor.kenney — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:49:02 +0000

The 1940s are here again, thanks to a new exhibition set to debut in the Helen Christou Gallery.

"Through my museum studies courses, I have come to realize that the artwork on the walls of a gallery doesn't get magically selected and placed there by elves," says Jarrett Duncan, who along with fellow museum studies intern Kasia Sosnowski, have just curated the exhibition going into the Helen Christou Gallery on Apr. 16, thereby obtaining first-hand experience about what goes into selecting and hanging an exhibition.

"Curating this exhibition was the best opportunity to put the knowledge I've gained in class into practice before graduating and finding myself in the real world," he says.

According to Dr. Josephine Mills, "the internships give students an in-depth sense of the range of work and career possibilities in the museum field, while also helping them develop a résumé of hands-on experience beyond the classroom."

The 1940s exhibition builds connections between the cultural collections in Lethbridge and gives the student interns the experience of curating an exhibition. Both senior students working on their bachelor of fine arts in art history/museum studies degrees, Duncan and Sosnowski drew from artworks in the U of L Collection, as well as objects and archival material from the Sir Alexander Galt Museum and Archives to explore themes from the 1940s.

"Although the Second World War was a key part of the period, we felt that this subject would be familiar to audiences, and other than referring to Bart Pragnell's military service, we focused on the major developments in artistic practice and on the local connections," explains Sosnowski.

They focus partly on imagery of agriculture, complimented with ordinary objects from everyday life throughout that decade, as well as on the transformation in artistic styles and imagery that occurred during those years.

The curators include work by major international artists including Jean Arp (Switzerland), Andre Derain (France), and Henry Moore (Britain), as well as Alberta artists Bart Pragnell, Roloff Beny and Clifford Robinson.

The exhibition complements Historic Lethbridge Week, May 1-9.

Museum studies interns bring back the 40s

trevor.kenney — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 21:58:44 +0000

The 1940s are here again, thanks to a new exhibition set to debut in the Helen Christou Gallery.

"Curating this exhibition was the best opportunity to put the knowledge I've gained in class into practice before graduating and finding myself in the real world," he says.

The exhibition complements Historic Lethbridge Week, May 1-9.

Beny award creates opportunity

trevor.kenney — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:29:30 +0000

The late photographer, painter and designer Dr. Roloff Beny (LLD '72) recognized that the choices he made in the present could have impact upon the future. By establishing the Roloff Beny Foundation Photographic Award in Fine Arts, Beny created a lasting legacy that is still benefiting U of L students today – more than two decades after his passing.

To recognize individuals like Beny who have made or will make planned gifts, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ established the Fiat Lux Legacy Society, and on May 20, 2009, society members were invited to an appreciation tea. As part of the program, Corinne Thiessen Hepher, the 2008 recipient of the Roloff Beny award, shared her personal experience about the impact of donor-funded awards.

Thiessen Hepher, who grew up in a family of seven, always felt her parents supported her interest in the arts, but at the same time, post-secondary education was an unaffordable luxury – leaving the full cost of a university education on Thiessen Hepher's shoulders.

As Thiessen Hepher recalls, she was reluctant to apply for the Roloff Beny award, feeling that she either wouldn't qualify or that her work was insufficient. However, one her professors persuaded her to put her name forward.

"That encouragement was the beginning of a significant impact on my education," Thiessen Hepher says.

Receiving the prestigious, $5,000 award enabled Thiessen Hepher to purchase much-needed photography equipment, including a digital camera, lens and tripod, and it afforded her the opportunity to travel to Vancouver and Montreal to stage two performance pieces: Woman with Monkey on Back, Vancouver and Rue St Remi, Montreal. The money also supplemented her tuition expenses the following semester.

While the award undeniably helped remove financial barriers, it was equally significant in confirming Thiessen Hepher's work as an artist, and in giving her the confidence to continue. After an eight-year educational journey, Thiessen Hepher proudly donned a cap and gown and convocated this spring.

"I have nothing but sincere gratitude for donors such as Roloff Beny who generously leave legacy gifts so students can pursue art in education, bettering their artistic practice as a result," Thiessen Hepher says. "Contributions and efforts that assist students financially are absolutely life changing and in many instances, imperative to completing a degree."

For more information about how you can leave your legacy for future students, call Kathy MacFarlane at 403-317-2838 or visit http://www.uleth.ca/giving/planned_giving.html

Staves, Jaidee win Roloff Beny awards

trevor.kenney — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:48:33 +0000

Sam Staves and Amornthep Jaidee, both of whom are in a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Art) degree program, are the 2008/2009 Roloff Beny Foundation Photographic Award recipients.

The Roloff Beny Foundation Photographic Award in Fine Arts is a prestigious, juried, $5,000 award that supports student travel related to research/creative work in photo-arts. Any new or continuing students enrolled full-time in any BFA degree program with a focused interest in photo-arts is eligible to apply for this competitive award.

Staves is in her fourth year of study in the BFA art studio program and plans to travel to New Orleans, Belize City and Kingston, Jamaica to study
Creole culture.

Jaidee is in his third year of study in the BFA art studio program and has proposed to return to his native Thailand (Chaiprakarn, Chiang Mai) to pursue a documentary project that focuses on the simple activity of a small rural village.

The 2007/2008 Roloff Beny award went to Corinne Thiessen Hepher, who is studying for a BFA in New Media. Hepher used the award to travel to Vancouver and Montreal to produce photo/performance works. In Vancouver, she produced Woman with Monkey On Back: Vancouver and in Montreal she produced Rue St. Remi.

Originally from Medicine Hat, Roloff Beny earned degrees from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Toronto and the State ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Iowa before developing an international reputation for his photographic work. He is considered a distinguished artist in Canadian history and travelled widely throughout Europe and Asia for subjects that subsequently appeared in his own work.

In recognition of his contributions to the fine arts, Roloff Beny was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree in 1972 by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. Upon his death in 1984, the
U of L received a significant bequest of Mr. Beny's visual art collection.

In 2004, the Roloff Beny Foundation endowed the U of L Faculty of Fine Arts Art Dept. with the Roloff Beny Foundation Photographic Award in Fine Arts, an award that recognizes and supports excellence in the fine arts.

UNews - Roloff Beny

Lasting Images - Roloff Beny

Related Topics

Museum studies interns bring back the 40s

Related Topics

Museum studies interns bring back the 40s

Related Topics

Beny award creates opportunity

Related Topics

Staves, Jaidee win Roloff Beny awards

Related Topics