From the Editor - September 26, 2023 Issue

September 25, 2023

9:30 PM

Western Canada’s art magazine since 2002

Portia Priegert

From the Editor

This issue of Galleries West takes a rambling stroll through varied terrain.

In the new Shorts series, we preview upcoming shows by Eleanor King in Halifax, Caroline Monnet in New York, Geoff McFetridge in Calgary, and the 16 ceramic artists participating in Between Things, an exhibition at the Art Gallery of Alberta in Edmonton.

As well, we have substantive reviews of three exhibitions. In Toronto, Zainub Verjee takes a critical look at Being and Belonging, a show at the Royal Ontario Museum by women artists from the Islamic world. In Calgary, Lissa Robinson considers Tia Halliday’s recent work and, in Vancouver, Yani Kong writes on the long career of West Coast artist Sonja Ahlers.

When choosing the lead image for that last piece, I was struck by a photo of a two-foot-high pile of Ahlers’ crumpled-up art, an installation that Yani describes as “a visual illustration of time, process and what no longer works.” That image hits a personal note for me. After 11 years at the helm, this will be my last issue as editor. My body has been telling me with increasing urgency that I can no longer spend so many hours anchored behind a computer. Despite my best efforts to manage the editorial workload singlehandedly, it’s time to step away.

I have assigned stories for the fall to tide over the journalist who generously agreed to step in on an interim basis to ensure a timely flow of articles until publisher Tom Tait fills the editor’s role. Watch for a line-up that includes Tarralik Duffy, Lotus L. Kang, Sarindar Dhaliwal, Ron Terada, Marisol, Liz Magor, Tim Gardner, Jean Paul Riopelle and David Spriggs. Please continue to send your news to editor@gallerieswest.ca as it will still be monitored closely.

It has been a great privilege – and pleasure – to tell stories about artists and their work, and I am grateful to all those who have shared their experiences and insights with me and the many fine writers who have graced these pages. I also want to thank Tom, who has given me great freedom yet always had my back. I remain convinced that arts journalism is vital to a healthy arts ecosystem, particularly at a time of deep polarizations, and I hope Galleries West continues to publish for many years to come.

I’m not sure what is next for me, but I plan to chill for a while and then embark on whatever new adventures come my way.

With much gratitude,