Drawn From Wood
to
Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba 710 Rosser Ave, Suite 2, Brandon, Manitoba R7A 0K9
Gary Blundell, 2020
Drawn From Wood, features artworks by Mary Anne Barkhouse, Gary Blundell, Brad Copping, and Victoria Ward curated by Heather Smith.
The four artists in this exhibition live in the boreal forest of Ontario, from whence they derived much of their inspiration. Smith, who is the former curator of the Moose Jaw Art Gallery and Museum in Alberta, invited them to her new home in a sugarbush in the Carolinian forest of Ontario in order to witness the process of turning maple sap into maple syrup. Less nationalism than homage, this exhibition aims to give AGSM visitors a sweet perspective on the slow boil, evaporation, and condensation process.The work ranges in media from hot worked glass to birch bark, and weaves the artistic experience of maple syrup making with the materials traditionally found in manufacturing to tease the chemistry of the process as less lab-made and more creative.
Guest curator Heather Smith points to the rich history of the cutting down of trees in Canada as the start of the industrial revolution in both Canada and Britain. Syrup production was ramped up and nationalized during wartime. Barkhouse, whose recent AGSM exhibition opimihaw came to a close on April 9th, has a sculptural installation in textile and ceramic inspired by a hummingbird coming to her window. While Blundell draws inspiration from his work as a geologist focusing on the edges of things, Copping’s installations are primarily glass-based. Finally, Ward creates a dramatic set of paintings to emphasize the concealed nature of the maple syrup making process.
AGSM Executive Director Deirdre Chisholm, who has been watching the development of this exhibition since its conception, expects that visitors will find a lot to relate to. “The artists have responded to more than a food product - it’s about passion, renewal, and change, which I think everyone will relate to,” she says.“Visitors will enjoy time spent in the company of these artworks - spring on the Prairies is about the return of the expansive light. Warming and healing.”
The opening reception will be held in-person on Thursday, May 5th at 7 PM.
The following day, Friday, May 6th at 1 PM, the public will have the chance to meet the artists in a virtual Lunch and Look, where AGSM Curator Lucie Lederhendler will lead a tour and moderate an open conversation.