From the Editor - August 23, 2022 Issue

August 22, 2022

9:30 PM

Western Canada's art magazine since 2002

Portia Priegert

From the Editor

After a long and exceptionally cool spring, summer’s heat has finally blanketed Vancouver Island. I’ve had a lovely break from my desk and am heading back to work this week feeling rejuvenated.

To permit my time away, this issue of Galleries West revisits some highlights of 2021 via stories chosen as finalists in the Alberta Magazine Awards. The winners, to be announced Sept. 22 in Calgary at the annual conference of the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association, will reflect the province’s best magazine writing, photography and design.

As one of only a few Alberta-based uniquely digital magazines, Galleries West is particularly competitive in the relatively new digital project category, where we hold four of six nominations. They include one nomination for the overall website, as well as three nods for videos produced by Vancouver contributor Mark Mushet. Do check out his videos about the fascinating work of Vancouver-based artists Nancy Boyd, Emily Hermant and Charlene Vickers.

Other nominations are in the emerging writer category for a story on mentorship in the arts by Megan Klak; in the short feature category for Sarah Swan’s review of Walter Scott’s popular book, Wendy, Master of Art; and in the long feature category for Curtis Gillespie’s look at the evolution of art auctions in Western Canada.

I also draw your attention to a couple of interesting items published elsewhere. CBC Arts has a story on how changes to Instagram are hindering artists who used the social-media platform to build their careers. (Pair it with our 2021 essay by Sarah Swan, The Zeitgeist of Instagram, which explores the pleasures of looking at art in small digital squares.) And The Art Newspaper reports on a growing international debate about whether museums can stay neutral at a time of growing global crisis over human rights, environmental devastation, the COVID-19 pandemic and various forms of political and social unrest. Heated discussions are expected as museum leaders gather at the International Council of Museums’ annual conference in Prague this week. That story also shares information about dramatic visitor trends at the world’s 100 most visited museums during the pandemic – a 77-per-cent drop in attendance in 2020 and a 69-per-cent decrease in 2021, compared to 2019.

Here at home, we are working on stories about several interesting exhibitions, including Robin Arseneault at the Esker Foundation in Calgary and a landmark show, Conceptions of White, which looks at the construction of white racial identity, at the MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina.

We will also feature a story by Edmonton arts writer Agnieszka Matejko about ageism in the arts, particularly as it affects women. It’s a topic that has assumed new resonance amidst the recent public outcry over the forced departure of award-winning CTV National News chief anchor Lisa LaFlamme, fuelled by reports that a senior manager was upset she had let her hair go gray during the pandemic. Our investigation into ageism in the art world found few statistics but plenty of anecdotal evidence that suggests women need thick skins – and hair dye – to remain relevant as they age.

Until next time,