Western Canada's art magazine since 2002
26 March 2019 Vol 4 No 7 ISSN 2561-3316 © 2019
From the Editor
Portia Priegert
It has been a year since Galleries West renovated and relaunched its new online format. We now post news and other stories daily, refreshing the site so there’s always something new to check out. The magazine's annual traffic has grown accordingly, more than doubling to some 163,450 unique visits as of March 23 compared to 76,000 during the same time period in 2016.
This latest version is more work – and puts our writers under the gun to deliver promptly – but we hope you are enjoying reading our articles and reviews on a more regular basis.
In this issue, we have an interesting mix of stories. John Thomson, looks at Designing Death, an exhibition at the Libby Leshgold Gallery at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver, while Tyler J. Stewart reviews Daughters of Uranium, a show by Mary Kavanagh at the Southern Alberta Art Gallery in Lethbridge.
Two Indigenous artists are also in the spotlight. Franchesca Hebert Spence, in her first story for Galleries West, writes about Katherine Boyer’s work at Gallery 1C03 in Winnipeg, while Alyssa Noel, another new-to-us writer by way of the prestigious journalism program at New York City’s Columbia University, reports on Joseph Tisiga’s show at the Audain Art Museum in Whistler, B.C.
This issue also features two commercial shows. Philippe Raphanel’s drawings, based on his memories of Hornby Island, off B.C.’s West Coast, are on view at Vancouver’s Equinox Gallery. And Nicki Ault’s landscape paintings are showing at the Assiniboia Gallery in Regina.
Looking ahead, we will have stories about Mowry Baden at the Vancouver Art Gallery, Neil Campbell at the Esker Foundation in Calgary, and Catherine Blackburn at the Moose Jaw Museum and Art Gallery.
Meanwhile, I'm heading out on the road from my home base in Victoria. I'm looking forward to seeing the latest shows in Edmonton at the beginning of April. Then I'll check out the Calgary gallery scene and attend the annual conference of the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association, where Galleries West is nominated for three magazine awards, including one that recognizes the excellence of this site.
Do send us a note if you have thoughts or suggestions about our coverage. We’re so busy now dropping stories onto the site that it’s hard to step back and gain perspective. We always appreciate feedback on ways to better serve our readers.
Until next time,
CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE: Alyssa Noel, Tyler J. Stewart, Franchesca Hebert Spence, John Thomson