Western Canada's art magazine since 2002
19 October 2021 Vol 6 No 21 ISSN 2561-3316 © 2021
Portia Priegert
From the Editor
When Canadian Art announced its closure earlier this month, hearts and tearful emojis filled the magazine’s Instagram feed, along with written messages of shock and dismay.
I share the sadness. It’s always tragic when a respected publication closes. Magazines are labours of love, and that’s doubly true for arts magazines.
But shock? Not so much.
Canada’s magazine industry has been struggling for more than a decade. Technological change and the undercutting of advertising revenues by social media titans are two major reasons, along with easy access to free online content.
Even before the pandemic, you may have noticed magazine sections in bookstores were much smaller, as were the page counts of the publications on display. Some magazines have folded, while others have abandoned print altogether or are producing smaller, less frequent issues. Publishers have been trimming expenses, sometimes by cutting staff, while also working to boost revenues, whether through government support or various fundraising initiatives.
For Canadian Art, the pandemic delivered a decisive blow. The stay-at-home mandate led to a drastic drop in advertising revenue and forced cancellation of the magazine’s fundraising gala. At the same time, the magazine was working internally to decolonize and tackle historic wrongs related to structural racism. The challenges proved too great.
The art world is an ecosystem. When one part fails, it impacts others. The loss of Canadian Art means fewer discussions about art and less news about the art world, ironically at a time of unprecedented change and struggle for artists and arts organizations. In recent weeks, I’ve had several heart-rending conversations with artists and cultural workers. They have such love and idealism for art, and such a passion for building community. But the pandemic is taking a heavy toll on them financially, as well as mentally and physically. Hill Research Strategies, a Canadian cultural research firm, recently posted information about how tough things are now in the creative sector. While existing data cannot yet decisively quantify the pandemic’s full impact, grim indicators have been emerging against a backdrop of ongoing precarity. We will do our best to keep you informed as we hear more news.
Moving on now to the current issue of Galleries West, look for Saskatchewan writer Sandee Moore’s review of Indigenous art collective Postcommodity’s exhibition at the Remai Modern in Saskatoon. We're also pleased to introduce a new-to-us contributor, Shazia Hafiz Ramji, who writes about a Calgary exhibition of Afghan war rugs.
We also feature stories about two books. One looks at a Halifax arts program for youth with autism. The other is Ottawa curator Diana Nemiroff's exploration of the legacies of the first three women to lead the National Gallery of Canada. Our final offerings are a video about Vancouver artist Nancy Boyd, and a story about Calgary-based painter Jessamyn Box.
For all those reading this note, I wish you renewed strength and resiliency for these challenging times, which are teaching us so much about ourselves, our assumptions, our communities and our larger society. Take care of yourselves.
Until next time,
CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE: Paul Gessell, Sandee Moore, Mark Mushet, Shazia Hafiz Ramji
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.
