Western Canada's art magazine since 2002
28 July 2020 Vol 5 No 15 ISSN 2561-3316 © 2020
From the Editor
Portia Priegert
It has been a relief to have COVID-19 on the wane in Western Canada and to drift away from stories about the pandemic. But, of course, the recent uptick in cases, particularly in Alberta and British Columbia, is a warning about the fragility of even a well-flattened curve.
It doesn’t take much – big parties or drum circles on the beach – and up goes the rate of infection. Sadly, a renewed crisis remains just several rounds of exponential growth away.
Attention is focusing again on the need to wear masks, particularly indoors in public settings. So the latest works from Saskatoon-based artist Ruth Cuthand seemed a particularly timely inclusion in this issue. Cuthand's COVID-19 series, which includes several beaded masks, is a natural outgrowth of her earlier images of pathogens such as smallpox, which killed many Indigenous people during European settlement.
This issue also includes a story about a small Winnipeg space, Window, which has been displaying photographs by emerging Winnipeg-based Black artists Iyunade Judah and Glodi Bahati for the last two weeks. We thought this artist-run space deserved a shout-out for its efforts to encourage culturally diverse work amidst a summer of anti-racism protests.
Meanwhile, we asked Vancouver writer Beverly Cramp to write about a show that honours Bill Reid, a foundational figure in the resurgence of West Coast Indigenous art. To Speak with a Golden Voice coincides with the centenary of Reid’s birth and features his work, along with pieces by artists he inspired and mentored.
We round out the issue with reports on exhibitions at three commercial galleries. In Vancouver, Helen Wadsley reviews a sumptuous painting show by Mina Totino at the Mónica Reyes Gallery. We thought it was cool to feature images of her work shot by her partner, Stan Douglas, who will represent Canada at the next Venice Biennale.
Two Calgary shows also caught our eye. One features sly text-based works by John Will, celebrated by reviewer Lissa Robinson for “his inventiveness, irreverence and dogged disregard for the boundaries between art and life.” The other show, at VivianeArt, relates to a 10-day walk by Alana Bartol along Calgary’s city limits.
In each issue of Galleries West, we routinely round up the latest Western Canadian art news. Included this time are stories about pandemic-related layoffs at the Glenbow in Calgary and new anti-racism measures at Winnipeg’s Platform.
I encourage writers to check out news of an arts writing contest organized by the Southern Alberta Art Gallery in Lethbridge. Galleries West will publish the winning review or essay by an emerging Alberta writer in the fall. The contest also has a national BIPOC category, with the winner to be published online with Canadian Art. The contest encourages emerging writers with things to say and will help build a more diverse community of arts writers. And there’s prize money, plus a one-month residency up for grabs.
I hope you enjoy this issue. As always, please feel free to post any comments. We enjoy hearing what’s on your mind.
Until next time,
CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE: Beverly Cramp, Lissa Robinson, Helena Wadsley