Western Canada's art magazine since 2002
21 May 2019 Vol 4 No 11 ISSN 2561-3316 © 2019
From the Editor
Portia Priegert
I got out my calculator before I started writing this editor’s note.
I felt certain Galleries West has published more stories about female artists than male artists so far this year.
I'm not sure why I started to think about gender equity. Perhaps it was my chat with Karen Klassen, whose show in Calgary features portraits of strong women.
Some titles of her paintings reminded me of the patronizing messages I heard as a young women, so it seemed likely her story would resonate with other women. Once posted, it quickly garnered some 100 likes, more than any other article in this issue.
Another story looks at a Banff show by Laara Cassells, who paints portraits of art historical figures in combination with contemporary people who resemble them.
And there's also a review of a group show about geological processes. All four artists in that show are women.
So out came the calculator. And guess what? I was wrong.
So far this year, Galleries West is sitting close to gender parity – 23 stories or reviews about male artists compared to 21 about women. Group shows were excluded from this analysis as it makes calculations complicated.
I found this count interesting because research indicates that women are typically perceived as dominating conversations when they speak 50 per cent of the time.
Of course, it's no secret that the art world has long been dominated by men. But this magazine's coverage of Western Canadian galleries reflects what I believe is a growing number of shows that feature women artists, an encouraging sign of progress.
This issue of Galleries West also includes coverage of the Venice Biennale by the enterprising Tyler Stewart, who was traveling in Europe and able to stop by Isuma's show at the Canada Pavilion. It's the first time Inuit culture has been presented at this important venue for contemporary art, so it was great to reach beyond our usual coverage of regional shows.
Other stories include looks at new work by Omer Arbel, a Vancouver architect, designer and sculptor, and eye-jiggling paintings from Los Angeles by Calgary-born Ryan Sluggett.
Coming up for the next issue are stories about Ruth Scheuing and Gabriela Garcia-Luna, as well as Martin Bennett and Hashim Hannoon.
Looks like we'll be upholding gender parity yet again.
Until next time,
CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE: Beverly Cramp, Caroline Loewen, Lissa Robinson, Steven Ross Smith, Tyler J. Stewart