Western Canada's art magazine since 2002
7 September 2021 Vol 6 No 18 ISSN 2561-3316 © 2021
Portia Priegert
From the Editor
This year’s back-to-school season comes with much anxiety amidst the pandemic’s cresting fourth wave, which, for many parents, diminishes the pleasure of watching children embark on a new year of learning and growth.
I suspect this ongoing precarity is also dampening our urge to sign up for in-person art classes at galleries and community centres this fall. Still, wonderful opportunities for all of us to learn online continue, often free of charge, one of the good things to emerge during this difficult time.
This issue of Galleries West offers its own opportunities to learn. For instance, Sarah Swan’s commentary about failures to encourage meaningful development of the visual arts in the Northwest Territories opens a window into the arts scene there.
With 527 shares at last count, it’s a good example of how this series can help artists, curators and critics boost public awareness about current cultural issues. Galleries West has an ongoing open call for commentaries, so if there's an issue that needs airing, please drop a line to editor@gallerieswest.ca.
This series is particularly important given the ongoing decline of cultural coverage by traditional media, and even the hiatus of Canadian Art, now entering its sixth month. The last public communication from the 37-year-old Toronto-based national magazine came June 15, when the board announced its collective resignation. While the latest issue of Border Crossings magazine just landed on my desk, and other niche publications are continuing to eke out a presence, arts writing is a struggling enterprise in Canada.
Moving on to the rest of this issue, another opportunity for learning comes courtesy of Winnipeg arts writer Alison Gillmor’s review of INUA, the inaugural exhibition of Qaumajuq, Winnipeg’s new Inuit art centre. The work in this show, which continues until April, is fascinating. If you haven't looked at Inuit art recently, this show is a must-see. If you're not in Winnipeg, the show has a good online presence.
This issue also looks at how artists are coping with wildfires in the B.C. Interior, particularly in the Thompson-Okanagan, where many artists – including notables like Brian Jungen, Ann Kipling, Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller – live in quiet, rural settings. Thank goodness the cooler weather is helping crews control some fires.
You can also check out reviews of Notes for Tomorrow, an international show at Contemporary Calgary, and Imagined Objects, at the Art Gallery of Regina. And finally for a little comic relief, Galleries West’s very capable intern, Megan Klak, visits the Alberta Craft Council in Edmonton to reflect on Kitsch: Craft So Bad That It’s Good. She concludes with an interesting question – is self-aware kitsch still kitsch? Please weigh in with your responses in the comments section. We'd love to get a conversation going!
Until next time,
CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE: Lauren Fournier, Alison Gillmor, Megan Klak, Agnieszka Matejko, Lissa Robinson, Sarah Swan, John Thomson
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.
