Myfanwy MacLeod

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Myfanwy MacLeod, “The Undesirables,” 2019

installation view at Libby Leshgold Gallery, Vancouver, showing “Primrose” 2018, polyester resin, high-build primer and EPS foam (courtesy of the artist; photo by Kevin Romaniuk)

Primarily known for her inventive solo exhibitions, Vancouver artist Myfanwy MacLeod has also produced a substantial body of public art over the last decade. This work is the focus of The Undesirables, on view at the Libby Leshgold Gallery at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design until Dec. 8. 

“She’s letting people into the process of making public art,” says Kay Higgins, who is planning a small book on the exhibition in her role as the head of gallery publications. “When you put a work out in a public space, it’s a potential play site for children, it’s this, it’s that. Here, we have a chance to consider its critical context.” 

The exhibition looks at MacLeod’s successes as well as her misfires, submissions that were rejected. Hence the title, The Undesirables, because proposed work didn’t quite fit the space or was deemed problematic in some other way. 

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Myfanwy MacLeod, “The Lady,” 2017

3D printed nylon with gold paint (courtesy of the artist; photo by John Thomson)

The 30-odd maquettes on display – everything from sketches to models in various media – show MacLeod’s wit, humour and affinity for popular culture. The successes? Visitors are greeted by two scale-models, The Birds and The Lady, which later became oversized Vancouver favourites. 

Meanwhile, Primrose, the casting model for a huge donkey destined for Toronto, stands 12 feet tall in a faraway corner with its front legs wrapped in casts. The work continues MacLeod’s penchant for placing animals in places they don’t belong. “It’s a parody of the equestrian monument,” says Higgins. And, I would add, just a bit cheeky. 

Neighbours, on a nearby wall, is a collection of 12 watercolours that became transit shelter ads for an ornithological conference. Playtime is a series of small sandstone models that evolved into people-friendly play structures outside the B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver.

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Myfanwy MacLeod, “The Robin and the Fox,” 2019

paper (courtesy of the Sarah Siegel and Hapa Collaborative; photo by John Thomson)

The misfires? Give a Little Bit, the model for a wildly enlarged floral bouquet that would sit in the middle of a Montreal traffic circle, representing the kind of shrine that shows up after accidents. It didn’t make the cut. Nor did The Robin and the Fox, conceived as a restful urban park. 

MacLeod’s paper cut-outs give a sense of scale and location, but public art commissions are typically competitions that come with a host of political and commercial concerns that are often outside the artist’s control. 

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Myfanwy MacLeod (collaboration with Janna Levitt, LGA-AP, Toronto), “Beekeeping for All,” 2013

cotton beekeeping suit with custom logo (courtesy of the artist; photo by John Thomson)

With Beekeeping for All, MacLeod ventured into social activism. She designed the suit and the PH logo (which stands for Peoples’ Hives) to accompany a 2013 communal bee-keeping initiative, with the idea that locally produced honey would help parts of the world where food was scarce. Unfortunately, the scheme did not take off and, apart from an initial presentation, MacLeod’s work was never displayed publicly.

The submission process for public art projects can be complex, and selections can create controversy that artists have to help manage.

“There’s work behind the work,” says Higgins. “There’s so much thinking and negotiation behind every one of these pieces.” She commends MacLeod for exposing herself and her creative process in the show. “There’s definitely some bravery behind it.” ■

The Undesirables is on view at the Libby Leshgold Gallery of Vancouver’s Emily Carr University of Art and Design from Oct. 25 to Dec. 8, 2019.

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