While I was in Victoria I met a very groovy installation artist, Wendy Welch. You can see her work online here. I was also inspired by Wendy because she started her own school, the Vancouver Island School of Art. It's an alternative art school with a really great vibe. Wendy is writing something about the curatorial Residency Exhibition I did at Open Space for Victoria's Monday Magazine. We did a little email interview for the piece and, since it is the closest I've come to writing about the experience I'm posting it below in the comments section.
The show, Residency Exhibition, runs at Open Space until March 6. The artists are Marlene Bouchard, Troi Donnelly, Sandra Doore, Rachel Evans, Pete Gazendam, Emily Goodden, Roy Green, Miles Hunter, Rebekah Johnson, Ingrid Klasen, Devon Knowles, Thomas Koivukangas, Judah Kong, Daniel Laskarin, James Lindsay, Miles Lowry, John Luna, Katie Lyle, Brian MacDonald, Mike McLean, Rob McTavish, Marketa, Peter Morin, Bradley Muir, Brenda Patays, Shelley Penfold, Judith Price, Shawn Shepherd, Cathleen Thom, Elizabeth Thomson, Joanne Thomsom, Rhonda Usipiuk and Dallas V. Duobaitis
read the interview...
Wendy: How did you decide on the work? I know size was a factor, but were there any other concrete elements that you were looking for?
Sally: There were a lot variables that went into the decisions. I wanted to show recent work, when possible. As the studio visits went on, I developed a sense of what was coming in, and so sometimes, when possible, I was thinking about relationships between the works. I tried to be really clear with everyone about the kind of show it was going to be: crammed and eclectic. I wanted the artists to be comfortable with the choice, and to be showing something that they felt like putting into that environment, so sometimes I left it up to them. It was an experiment, and I wanted everyone to be in on it.
There was one piece that was created new for the show, and didn't arrive til the opening. It turned out great.
There was one big piece that I'd seen in an artist's studio, and pulled in at the very end, when I realised we'd have space for it. The artist was great about letting us hang it right up by the ceiling, and I felt it really helped to give some shape, both in terms of form and content, to the flow of the exhibition. That was my one curatorial conceit!
W: Did you show most of the work of the artists that you saw through your appointments?
S: Everyone I met with was invited to participate except for staff and board members at Open Space (just to avoid conflict of interest). I think there was only one person who declined, and that was because they were in the middle of an intensive process and needed the work in their studio.
W: Were there any surprises for you in doing an exhibition such as this, where it was somewhat impossible to imagine the end result until all the work was together?
S: The whole exhibition was a surprise. I really didn't know what would happen. I was not sure how crowded the walls would be, and I didn't know whether the works would be in dialogue with each other, or be clashing with each other. But from past experience I was pretty confident we could hang it in such a way that everything had its own place to shine. I think in the end it came together really well, and the spirit of fun and experiment came through. That is as much down to the artists' generosity and enthusiasm as anything else. It was great that very young artists participated alongside quite established artists, and that more traditional artists were alongside more conceptual artists. People were mostly happy to join in and let me hang their work in weird ways (some up high, some down low, etc.). I was also really happy that some people used the opportunity to experiment with intervention: the bird's nest on the exit sign, the pennies hidden around the gallery, and the photo piece that is installed in its wrapping, as if it is in storage. These pieces test the boundaries of what an exhibition is supposed to be, and I think they contribute to the overall feeling of openness and exploration.
W: Anything you would do differently?
It would have been nice to be able to write some text on each of the artists to accompany the exhibit. But at the same time I think the exhibition speaks for itself. And I was simply too busy doing studio visits to make that happen.
Open Space did a great job of getting the word out broadly, so that there was a range of types of practice represented and it wasn't just the people who already know each other. Word of mouth spread really well, and I had a lot more studio visits than I anticipated. I'm not sure what it would take to spread an even wider net to increase the diversity, but I think that is the interesting challenge. Perhaps I could change the model of the project slightly, so that I was not only available for people to come to me but was doing more active research as well and seeking people out. However there was something elegant about the idea that the show emerged from the community, rather than just being crafted by an outsider, and I wouldn't want to let go of that.
W: I know this is something you aren’t interested in focussing on, but its bound to be brought up at some point. Was there anything in the work as a collective whole that you could relate specifically to the place?
S: I don't think there is anything in the work itself that I can identify as being particularly about Victoria. As you mention, I'm not really keen on that kind of group identity pigeon-holeing, and I don't think it serves art or artists very well. One of the best things about art is how quirky and strange it is, how everyone follows their own unique path. We get enough lowest common denominator culture from TV and movies! I'm coming to believe that those kinds of descriptors, "Vancouver art is photo-conceptual" for example, are just marketing terms that obscure more information than they reveal.
All that said, I found that almost everyone I met with was surprisingly open. The conversations I had with the artists were just amazing, and people were willing to share quite intimate aspects of their process. Overall it was a very welcoming experience for me, and that jived with the other social interactions I was having while I was in town. For the most part people seemed friendly and engaged, not defensive, not posing, and genuinely interested in talking about art.
W: Would you do a similar project in another location?
I would love to do it again. I think there is something very useful about having a curator/critic come in from outside, someone who doesn't know the scene already and is looking with fresh eyes. As I mentioned, I did not anticipate the enormous response we had to the project, and it made me think that this is a real need. Outside of the school environment, artists don't often get good solid studio critiques, the chance to spend an hour or two just talking openly about their work. Another factor that helped the project, I think, is that it did not take place in Vancouver. The cities that don't see themselves as the big art centres may be more open and more interesting. So that would be something I'd think about if I were to do it again somewhere else.
W: Based on your experience here, would you have any reservations about doing this kind of impromptu exhibition in the future?
S:I think the conditions have to be right for something like this to work well. There needs to be enough time spent with the artists, and a transparency to the project so that everyone is actively participating in the experiment rather than being manipulated. I wouldn't want to do it in an atmosphere that was rushed, or perfunctory. Also, all the staff at Open Space were incredibly welcoming and accomodating and put in extra time making this work. I could imagine a different institutions balking if I insisted that we install 33 works in two days!
As a curator, of course, it is great to meet so many interesting artists, and it is quite possible that I will work again with some of the people I met in the future. But for me that's a side issue, quite separate from the emergent aspect of the project at hand. In Victoria, most people were content to let that aspect stay in background and focus on the discussions and the project in the here and now. I think the experiment would be a really unpleasant, boring failure if for some reason that kind of one-on-one connection wasn't happening and it was all just about me collecting cvs. I think it is a testament to the kind of work Open Space does in the community that this didn't happen. And I also think that your work with VISA has influenced the community as well, helping develop an open, art-first atmosphere. There are other institutions in Victoria working with this kind of attitude as well, such at The Ministry of Casual Living and Studio 16 ½.
I really saw myself as a resource, and I wanted to engage as much as possible in conversation that was fruitful for the artists. I think those discussions were more important, in the long term, than the exhibition. But it's pretty exhausting! Teachers get wiped out giving so much energy to students, and often struggle to find energy for their own practice. This is a bit similar. While I'd love to do it again, I wouldn't be able to do it all the time.
I really like salon style hangings, but they must be hell to install.
I had lots and lots of help from Ross Angus, Alan Collins and Jeff Morton. Some of the artists with complex pieces installed their own work. Also, I mapped it out ahead of time on the computer, so we had something to go on. Also, we didn't paint the wall maroon.
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While I was in Victoria I met a very groovy installation artist, Wendy Welch. You can see her work online here. I was also inspired by Wendy because she started her own school, the Vancouver Island School of Art. It's an alternative art school with a really great vibe. Wendy is writing something about the curatorial Residency Exhibition I did at Open Space for Victoria's Monday Magazine. We did a little email interview for the piece and, since it is the closest I've come to writing about the experience I'm posting it below in the comments section.
The show, Residency Exhibition, runs at Open Space until March 6. The artists are Marlene Bouchard, Troi Donnelly, Sandra Doore, Rachel Evans, Pete Gazendam, Emily Goodden, Roy Green, Miles Hunter, Rebekah Johnson, Ingrid Klasen, Devon Knowles, Thomas Koivukangas, Judah Kong, Daniel Laskarin, James Lindsay, Miles Lowry, John Luna, Katie Lyle, Brian MacDonald, Mike McLean, Rob McTavish, Marketa, Peter Morin, Bradley Muir, Brenda Patays, Shelley Penfold, Judith Price, Shawn Shepherd, Cathleen Thom, Elizabeth Thomson, Joanne Thomsom, Rhonda Usipiuk and Dallas V. Duobaitis
read the interview...
- sally mckay 2-21-2008 7:40 pm
Wendy: How did you decide on the work? I know size was a factor, but were there any other concrete elements that you were looking for?
Sally: There were a lot variables that went into the decisions. I wanted to show recent work, when possible. As the studio visits went on, I developed a sense of what was coming in, and so sometimes, when possible, I was thinking about relationships between the works. I tried to be really clear with everyone about the kind of show it was going to be: crammed and eclectic. I wanted the artists to be comfortable with the choice, and to be showing something that they felt like putting into that environment, so sometimes I left it up to them. It was an experiment, and I wanted everyone to be in on it.
There was one piece that was created new for the show, and didn't arrive til the opening. It turned out great.
There was one big piece that I'd seen in an artist's studio, and pulled in at the very end, when I realised we'd have space for it. The artist was great about letting us hang it right up by the ceiling, and I felt it really helped to give some shape, both in terms of form and content, to the flow of the exhibition. That was my one curatorial conceit!
W: Did you show most of the work of the artists that you saw through your appointments?
S: Everyone I met with was invited to participate except for staff and board members at Open Space (just to avoid conflict of interest). I think there was only one person who declined, and that was because they were in the middle of an intensive process and needed the work in their studio.
W: Were there any surprises for you in doing an exhibition such as this, where it was somewhat impossible to imagine the end result until all the work was together?
S: The whole exhibition was a surprise. I really didn't know what would happen. I was not sure how crowded the walls would be, and I didn't know whether the works would be in dialogue with each other, or be clashing with each other. But from past experience I was pretty confident we could hang it in such a way that everything had its own place to shine. I think in the end it came together really well, and the spirit of fun and experiment came through. That is as much down to the artists' generosity and enthusiasm as anything else. It was great that very young artists participated alongside quite established artists, and that more traditional artists were alongside more conceptual artists. People were mostly happy to join in and let me hang their work in weird ways (some up high, some down low, etc.). I was also really happy that some people used the opportunity to experiment with intervention: the bird's nest on the exit sign, the pennies hidden around the gallery, and the photo piece that is installed in its wrapping, as if it is in storage. These pieces test the boundaries of what an exhibition is supposed to be, and I think they contribute to the overall feeling of openness and exploration.
W: Anything you would do differently?
It would have been nice to be able to write some text on each of the artists to accompany the exhibit. But at the same time I think the exhibition speaks for itself. And I was simply too busy doing studio visits to make that happen.
Open Space did a great job of getting the word out broadly, so that there was a range of types of practice represented and it wasn't just the people who already know each other. Word of mouth spread really well, and I had a lot more studio visits than I anticipated. I'm not sure what it would take to spread an even wider net to increase the diversity, but I think that is the interesting challenge. Perhaps I could change the model of the project slightly, so that I was not only available for people to come to me but was doing more active research as well and seeking people out. However there was something elegant about the idea that the show emerged from the community, rather than just being crafted by an outsider, and I wouldn't want to let go of that.
W: I know this is something you aren’t interested in focussing on, but its bound to be brought up at some point. Was there anything in the work as a collective whole that you could relate specifically to the place?
S: I don't think there is anything in the work itself that I can identify as being particularly about Victoria. As you mention, I'm not really keen on that kind of group identity pigeon-holeing, and I don't think it serves art or artists very well. One of the best things about art is how quirky and strange it is, how everyone follows their own unique path. We get enough lowest common denominator culture from TV and movies! I'm coming to believe that those kinds of descriptors, "Vancouver art is photo-conceptual" for example, are just marketing terms that obscure more information than they reveal.
All that said, I found that almost everyone I met with was surprisingly open. The conversations I had with the artists were just amazing, and people were willing to share quite intimate aspects of their process. Overall it was a very welcoming experience for me, and that jived with the other social interactions I was having while I was in town. For the most part people seemed friendly and engaged, not defensive, not posing, and genuinely interested in talking about art.
W: Would you do a similar project in another location?
I would love to do it again. I think there is something very useful about having a curator/critic come in from outside, someone who doesn't know the scene already and is looking with fresh eyes. As I mentioned, I did not anticipate the enormous response we had to the project, and it made me think that this is a real need. Outside of the school environment, artists don't often get good solid studio critiques, the chance to spend an hour or two just talking openly about their work. Another factor that helped the project, I think, is that it did not take place in Vancouver. The cities that don't see themselves as the big art centres may be more open and more interesting. So that would be something I'd think about if I were to do it again somewhere else.
W: Based on your experience here, would you have any reservations about doing this kind of impromptu exhibition in the future?
S:I think the conditions have to be right for something like this to work well. There needs to be enough time spent with the artists, and a transparency to the project so that everyone is actively participating in the experiment rather than being manipulated. I wouldn't want to do it in an atmosphere that was rushed, or perfunctory. Also, all the staff at Open Space were incredibly welcoming and accomodating and put in extra time making this work. I could imagine a different institutions balking if I insisted that we install 33 works in two days!
As a curator, of course, it is great to meet so many interesting artists, and it is quite possible that I will work again with some of the people I met in the future. But for me that's a side issue, quite separate from the emergent aspect of the project at hand. In Victoria, most people were content to let that aspect stay in background and focus on the discussions and the project in the here and now. I think the experiment would be a really unpleasant, boring failure if for some reason that kind of one-on-one connection wasn't happening and it was all just about me collecting cvs. I think it is a testament to the kind of work Open Space does in the community that this didn't happen. And I also think that your work with VISA has influenced the community as well, helping develop an open, art-first atmosphere. There are other institutions in Victoria working with this kind of attitude as well, such at The Ministry of Casual Living and Studio 16 ½.
I really saw myself as a resource, and I wanted to engage as much as possible in conversation that was fruitful for the artists. I think those discussions were more important, in the long term, than the exhibition. But it's pretty exhausting! Teachers get wiped out giving so much energy to students, and often struggle to find energy for their own practice. This is a bit similar. While I'd love to do it again, I wouldn't be able to do it all the time.
- sally mckay 2-21-2008 7:40 pm
I really like salon style hangings, but they must be hell to install.
- L.M. 2-21-2008 7:52 pm
I had lots and lots of help from Ross Angus, Alan Collins and Jeff Morton. Some of the artists with complex pieces installed their own work. Also, I mapped it out ahead of time on the computer, so we had something to go on. Also, we didn't paint the wall maroon.
- sally mckay 2-21-2008 8:06 pm