The Art Gallery of Ontario has appointed an associate curator of Indigenous art who will focus on Inuit exhibitions and acquisitions. Taqralik Partridge, originally from Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, has been named to the new position, which expands the gallery's department of Indigenous art. The department was created in 2017 to increase the gallery's ability to highlight Indigenous artists. Partridge, a co-curator of the gallery's 2018 exhibition about Kenojuak Ashevak and Tim Pitsiulak, comes from the SAW Gallery in Ottawa, where she was director of Nordic Lab and co-led the Inuit Futures in Arts Leadership project. The gallery will present solo exhibitions by Inuit artists Bill Nasogaluak, Ningiukulu Teevee and David Ruben Piqtoukun in 2023. For more information, go here.
The Polygon Gallery has announced the finalists for this year’s $10,000 Philip B. Lind Emerging Artist Prize. The finalists, who will be featured in an exhibition at the Polygon from Dec. 10 to Jan. 29, are Simranpreet Anand, Wei Chen, Sidney Gordon, Natasha Katedralis, Jake Kimble, Aaron Leon and Katayoon Yousefbigloo. Each artist on the short list receives $2,500. The artists have practices that span diverse photographic mediums, from print and video installation to scanning and collage. The prize was created in 2016 and this year saw some 50 nominations by staff and faculty from arts institutions and post-secondary programs across British Columbia. The winner will be announced Jan. 26. For more info, go here.
An animated video by artist Frankie McDonald that explores the relationship between colonialism and environmental issues will be screened on the outdoor Urban Screen at Emily Carr University in Vancouver until Feb. 28. Titled Láwa7, the video tells the story of a young girl and a magical salmon using computer animation to bring traditional Northwest Coast form-line work into a 3-D environment. It is presented as part of the City of Vancouver’s public art program, and is curated and by the university's Libby Leshgold Gallery. McDonald, who graduated from the university in 2020, has roots in the St’át’imc Nation on her father’s side and the Stó:lō Nation on her mother’s side.
Winnipeg's Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art says its next biennial offsite exhibition series, STAGES, will be held from August to September. The program, which started in 2017, includes seven projects in different locations around Winnipeg by seven artists. They are Ekene Emeke-Maduka and Paul Zacharias, both from Manitoba; Marisa Gallemit, from Ontario; Meagan Musseau, from Newfoundland and Labrador; Kosi Nnebe, from Quebec; Lou Sheppard, from New Brunswick; and Hangama Amiri, from Kabul, Nova Scotia, Ontario and New York. Each artist will select and research a site to serve as a point of departure for their project. For information, go here.
Pamela and David Richardson are donating $5 million to the Vancouver Art Gallery to support the capital campaign for the new building and programs related to catalogues and art education, particularly those focused on mental health. In recognition of this gift, the resource centre in the new building will be named The Pamela and David Richardson Family Library and Learning Centre. Pamela has served on the gallery's board since 2014. For information, go here.
Edmonton will be welcoming new works of public art over the next several years. The Edmonton Art Council notes work by Sanaz Mazinani, a professor at the University of Toronto, will be installed in Warehouse Park, a new downtown green space. Work by Indigenous artist Michelle Sound will be featured at a city transit stop. New works will also be installed in connection with the Valley Line West LRT expansion. Coming are pieces by Mi'kmaq artist Jordan Bennett; the international art practice known as Sans façon; Toronto-based Afghan Canadian artist Shaheer Zazai; Indigenous artist Ruth Cuthand; Edmonton artist Morgan Melenka; and Edmonton-based Salvadoran artist Michelle Campos Castillo. Also in the works is a new public art commission by Edmonton-based Indigenous artist Becca Taylor for TELUSWorld of Science. For more info, go here.
Daniel Doz, president and CEO of the Alberta University of the Arts in Calgary, is being honoured by the French government. He recently received the insignia of Knight of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques, given to academics educated in France who have made significant contributions to their field. Doz was recognized for his dedication to the arts. Originally from Montreal, he holds a doctorate in theatrical and cinematographic studies from the Université de Paris-VIII. His scholarly work has focused on cinema, photography and architecture.
