Beatrice Lennie.pdf - 75 Years of Collecting - Vancouver Art Gallery

Beatrice Lennie
The Atom, c.1938
75 Years of Collecting
Vancouver Art Gallery
production of Volpone by Ben Jonson with masks and music was the highlight
of the first year. Suddenly, BCCA seemed in competition with the Vancouver
School of Art, which in contrast appeared conservative. Rather than one visual
art scene, two factions vied for attention and loyalties.
The two year tenure of BCCA marked the first major division in the local arts
scene since the creation of the BCAL in 1920. Not only were loyalties split but
individuals who were close found themselves working for different schools.
Weatherbie, Farley and Lennie taught at the College and Reid instructed
painting classes at the Vancouver School of Art (VSA). The women still kept in
touch but there was an atmosphere of different camps which pervaded the art
scene for two years. The situation moderated in 1935 when the BCCA ran out of
funds and closed. Macdonald and family moved to the West Coast of Vancouver
Island and Varley moved to Ottawa, returning only for brief visits. Even though
regu-
Beatrice Lennie, The Atom,, late 1930's
lar annual exhibitions continued, the social events were less frequent and lacked
dynamism. The closing of teh BCAA represented the last time that instructors
and the pioneer art students worked together to create a cohesive visual art
centre. The singal focus which characterized art during the 1920's and 30's
never re-established itself.
Women Artists of British Columbia
Publication
1993
[transcription of excerpt]
WOMEN ARTISTS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
Art in British Columbia is a permanent exhibition of works from the Vancouver
Art Gallery's collection. Together with works of Emily Carr, the third floor has
been designated as an area in which to celebrate the history and
accomplishments of B.C.'s artists and art institutions. The works displayed here
often change to reflect new acquisitions, relationships to other exhibitions in the
gallery, or to feature special topics.
During the early months of 1993 Art in British Columbia includes a tribute to
women artists of British Columbia in conjunction with the Women in VIEW
festival which takes place every January in Vancouver. Works in the historical
section, by eleven women artists, cover a sixty year period, from the beginning
of this century. Some of them have recently been bought or given to the Gallery
and are being shown for the first time.
During the 1920s, the 'art scene' in Vancouver was beginning to develop, with
1925 marking two very significant events in local art history. The first was the
long awaited creation of The Vancouver School of Decorative and Applied Arts
(VSDAA). The second was the announcement that funds had been made
available for the creation of a civic art gallery which opened in 1931 as the
Vancouver Art Gallery.
Lilias Farley, Beatrice Lennie, Irene Hoffar Reid, Vera Weatherbie and Margaret
Williams all graduated from the first class of the VSDAA in 1929. Classes at the
art school were based on traditional teaching in Europe. They all played an
active part in the small, close-knit artistic community at that time.
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