Western Canada's art magazine since 2002
28 December 2021 Vol 6 No 26 ISSN 2561-3316 © 2021
Portia Priegert
From the Editor
’Tis the season of lists. Not only for Santa and all the holiday chores, but also that journalistic staple – the best 10 shows of the year.
Given the various pandemic closures and anxieties in 2021, I don’t think anyone has seen enough exhibitions in Western Canada to do that list justice. So we're giving it a pass. Instead, I’ve decided to list five things things I’m grateful for in 2021.
First, I’m grateful for art and artists, who have kept doing their thing during a difficult year. I love talking to artists and looking at their work, and I’ve missed that in this second year of the pandemic. But it makes me happy to know they are out there working away in their studios creating more surprises.
Second, I’m grateful to the wider arts community – the administrators, curators, teachers, gallerists and all the other unsung art heroes, including the docents, janitors and security guards, whose labour helps make the art world the lively and engaging place it is. It’s been a tough year for them too.
Third, I’m grateful for Galleries West’s community of readers, who generously like and share our stories to help increase the magazine’s reach. I appreciate all the comments and notes, and for those who have donated to help us publish this magazine, thank you.
Fourth, I’m grateful for Galleries West’s freelance writers. They keep their eyes on what’s happening in their communities, point out interesting shows and relay local news and gossip. I love reading their take on what’s happening in their corner of the arts world and appreciate their patience with my editing.
Fifth, I’m grateful for the rest of the Galleries West team. We work remotely from Edmonton, Calgary and Victoria, so we don’t talk a lot, but I know everyone has the best interests of the magazine, and more broadly, art and artists, at heart. That includes our listings wrangler Katy McKelvey, social media guru Zoltan Varadi and Megan Klak, our keen and capable intern. And, of course, publisher Tom Tait, who tirelessly oversees the business side of the magazine with a steady hand and positive attitude.
In this issue, we wind up 2021 with a special five-part series that offers thoughtful articles about recent developments in the Canadian art world.
Zainub Verjee, a Toronto-based artist and arts administrator, tackles the current state of Canada’s arts policy in Artists are Central to Pandemic Recovery, reflecting on the big-picture reasons why artists are struggling financially and how governments could make a difference.
Ottawa arts journalist Melanie Scott discusses efforts galleries are making toward truth and reconciliation in Decolonizing the Art Museum. In Almost Gathering, Lauren Fournier, who was raised in Saskatchewan and now teaches at the University of Toronto, explores how artists and curators are responding to viewers’ conflicted emotions about getting together during the pandemic. Yani Kong, a doctoral student in Vancouver, considers the ways that technology can help keep art accessible during the pandemic in The Digital Turn. And I asked executive directors who recently started work at three major Western Canadian galleries to dish about their challenges and successes in Starting a Dream Job in the Pandemic.
Looking ahead to our first issue of the New Year, expect a roundup of the country’s recent art auctions, as well as reviews of several shows on view in January, including fascinating embroidery by Sámi artist Britta Marakatt-Labba at the Art Gallery of Southern Alberta in Lethbridge.
It’s been a challenging and exhausting year, capped off by another COVID-19 scare over the swift-moving Omicron variant. But let’s lift our glasses to a brighter New Year. Cheers!
CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE: Lauren Fournier, Yani Kong, Melanie Scott, Zainub Verjee
We acknowledge the support of the Government of Alberta Media Fund, the Government of Canada Special Measures for Journalism Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts.
