Western Canada's art magazine since 2002
17 November 2020 Vol 5 No 23 ISSN 2561-3316 © 2020
From the Editor
Portia Priegert
The second wave: It almost sounds like a Johnny-come-lately to an avant-garde art party.
But, of course, the term refers to the sobering rise in COVID-19 cases around the world, including many communities in Canada.
This fast-emerging wave is prompting a new round of temporary closures at art galleries, some of which were just bouncing back from the hardships of the first wave.
This time, the shutdowns are coming not in one fell swoop, but in a more piecemeal fashion. Some venues are closed due to general public health orders, as in Winnipeg. And in Calgary, two galleries were shuttered temporarily for cleaning after a staff member at each tested positive. Fortunately, there was no contact with visitors at either the Glenbow Museum or Contemporary Calgary.
Still, it's a worrying trend given the unforgiving logic of exponential growth and we'll do our best to continue updating our news feed with developments that affect Western Canadian galleries. As a general rule for gallery visits though, it's best to call ahead to check on protocols, which often include booking an appointment to ensure social distancing is maintained.
Some spaces are also hedging their bets with shows that include online components that can continue even if the physical space must close. That's the case with an exhibition reviewed in this issue by Winnipeg curator and scholar Noor Bhangu. Plug In ICA in Winnipeg, which housed the physical show Sovereign Intimacies is shut, but virtual programming continues into December.
In this issue, we also have a review of the first exhibition at the Ociciwan Contemporary Art Centre, a new Indigenous-run space in Edmonton. Its opening was delayed five months by the pandemic.
Other offerings include a review of the Saskatoon half of Borderline. (We reviewed the Edmonton half of the biennial here.) As well, you can check out Talking to a Portrait: Tales of Art Curator, a new book by Montreal's Rosalind Pepall, and take a quick peek at work by a young Syrian refugee who goes by his artist name, Bîstyek.
Our last piece in this issue is the second instalment of Art & Healing, a three-part series that considers the role art can can play in mental health. This latest article, inspired in part by the stress and anxiety many of us are experiencing during the pandemic, looks at art therapy. The first article in the series, which ran in our last issue, looked at the role of art galleries in hospitals. It has been liked and shared more than 400 times. The final part of the series, which looks at mental health and social practice, will run in our next issue.
For that issue, we're also working on a review of the Yoko Ono exhibition at Contemporary Calgary, as well as a story about Saskatchewan photographer Thelma Pepper, known for her black-and-white images of the province's elderly farm women.
Our writers also tell the stories of miniature dioramas by Edmonton-born Curtis Talwst Santiago, who is showing at the Art Gallery of Alberta, and Nanaimo-based Jesse Gray, who has been casting beach trash in bronze.
Until next time,
CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE: Noor Bhangu, Fish Griwkowsky, Michael Peterson
We acknowledge the support of the Government of Alberta Media Fund, the Government of Canada Special Measures for Journalism Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts.
