A View from the Atlantic Sobey Art Award - Art Gallery of Nova Scotia

24AGNS welcomesNations in a CircleNations in a Circle is an organizationformed, “to presentand promote the art, cultureand traditions of First NationsPeoples.” Their eight memberboard is made up of bothAboriginal and non-aboriginalartists, and you may be familiarwith their annual Fall showcasewhich presents some of NorthAmerica’s finest established andemerging artists in Halifax.Part of NIAC’s mission is “toensure growth, respect andappreciation for the creativeexpression of First Nations andAboriginal peoples of AtlanticCanada through our arts, cultureand traditions,” and as such theyhave long had a relationshipwith the Programming andEducation departments of theGallery. Recently, our associationhas grown even closer withtwo events.Last Fall, the AGNS was approachedby Cathy Martin andMarlene Joudry, who werelooking for office space thattheir organization could use asa headquarters in Halifax. Afterour meeting, Gallery staff did aclose examination of our officesituation (tight at the best oftimes!) and decided we had anoffice that could be used on ashared basis. This was acceptableto NIAC and this past May,during Aboriginal Awarenessweek, they officially moved intotheir office within the AGNS.NIAC members will be usingthis office space throughoutthe year to conduct meetingsand have a home base herein Halifax, in conjunction withanother office in Truro. It givesthem a great location for theirmeetings, and provides theAGNS with easy access to somewonderful and knowledgeableartists who offer unique perspectivesand insights into theAGNS First Nations collectionsand exhibitions. We hope thiswill be just the first of many collaborationsbetween these twoorganizations.The second event was the briefthree-week exhibition in May,Keepers of the Eastern Door, thatthe AGNS hosted for its NovaScotia debut prior to its presentationto an internationalaudience at the2010 Winter Olympicsin Vancouver. TheAtlantic Aboriginalwork in this exhibitionwas selected incooperation with theVancouver OlympicsCommittee (VANOC)and the Mi’kmaqAssociation for CulturalStudies (MACS), andshowcased the works often Atlantic Aboriginalartists.The artists includedNed Bear (Maliseet, St. Mary’sFirst Nation, NB); Shirley Bear(Maliseet, Tobique First Nation,NB); Dozay Christmas (Maliseet,Membertou, NS – originally fromTobique First Nation, NB); PeterClaire (Mi’kmaq, Elsitpotog FirstNation, NB); Charles Doucette(Mi’kmaq, Potlotek First Nation,NB); Jerry Evans (Mi’kmaq,St. John’s, NL); Gerry Gloade(Mi’kmaq, Millbrook First Nation,NS); Todd Labrador (Mi’kmaq,Acadia First Nation, NS); MaryLouise Martin (Mi’kmaq, Mill-Alan Syliboy, Tuft’s Cove Survivor, 1999, Acrylic, watercolour pencil, ink, and photo transfer on illustration board, 76.0 x 101.5cmPurchased with funds provided by the Canada Council for the Arts Acquisition Assistance Program and the AGNS Gallery Shop, 1999Edward (Ned) Bear, Meskocipayiwak, 2002, Yellowbirch, horse hair, bear fur, 43.0 x 23.5 x 11.0 cmPurchased with financial support of the CanadaCouncil for the Arts and funds provided by the ArtSales and Rental Society, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2005brook First Nation, NS); and AlanSyliboy (Mi’kmaq, Millbrook FirstNation, NS).From Ned Bear’s striking maskswith exaggerated features accentuatedby the grain of thewood, exuding power and mystery,to Dozay Christmas’ homageto three important leaders:Rita Joe, Oliver Polches, andPeter Wilmot, and the importanceof Wampum in keepingtheir history alive and strong,to the turtle drum by ToddLabrador, the works embracedthe spirit of their culture andcommunities and presented thediverse talents of these artistsworking through traditional andcontemporary media and techniques.Although the exhibitionperiod was brief due to theneed to have the works shippedto Vancouver, everyone felt itwas vital that the first exhibitionof these selected works be inAtlantic Canada. The Art Galleryof Nova Scotia was proud to bethe first venue for this show, andwe look forward to many futurecollaborations with the artistsand these associations.Shannon Parker,Curator of CollectionsndaatjeCollectionCollections are built for a myriadof reasons. But at the core isalways one thing: passion andcommitment. The Ondaatjecollection of Canadian art isboth a reflection of the tastesof one man and of the mandateof one institution. Made up ofworks donated from a personalcollection and of works whoseacquisition was supported inwhole or in part by Sir ChristopherOndaatje, the collectioncreates a valuable portrait ofthe donor and his relationshipto this institution.The caliber of the OndaatjeCollection is readily apparent.Even among the other exquisitepieces of the Collection, TomForrestall’s impeccable eggtempera on masonite shapedpainting,Island in the Ice, standsout as one of the highlights. Anative of Dartmouth, and one ofthe leading figures associatedwith the visual arts of the Atlanticregion, Forrestall’s subjectmatter reflects his unwaveringbelief in the values and qualitiesof life in the Atlantic Provinces.His work has been exhibited inprominent galleries continuallysince the mid-sixties and is representedin every major publiccollection in this region and beyond.Forrestall was introducedto egg tempera painting by theworld-renowned Alex Colville,who together with ChristopherPratt and Mary Pratt, form acoterie of “magic realist” Eastcoastpainters, making thispiece a valuable addition tothe Art Gallery of Nova Scotia’sPermanent Collection.In conjunction with the stunningForrestall work, the OndaatjeCollection features two brilliantpaintings by the influential AlexColville, Three Girls on a Wharfand, possibly one of his greatestworks, Ocean Limited. Colville’sstyle is easily recognizable,instantly grabbing the viewer’sattention. Employing his meticuloustechnique based onorder, harmony, and naturalism,Colville’s striking works depictan altered reality in which theknown and familiar collide withthe unknown and mysterious,while appearing to be in perfectunison. A Canadian war artistduring the Second World War,Colville’s experiences in Europeduring that horrific time arepresent in his artwork in theform of absence. His paintingsexhibit a disconnect betweenwhat is seen and what is sensed,a medium through which thisextraordinary artist explores thenotion of what it is to be humanand what it means to live in thischaotic world.The outstanding Ondaatje collectionalso includes works byinstrumental Canadian artistsfrom outside the Atlantic region.For example, Composition andFigure Légendaire, two paintingsby the radical Québequois abstractartist, Paul-Émile Borduas,form part of the collection.When Borduas showed 45 ofhis gouaches at the ErmitageThéâtre in Montréal during thespring of 1942, he gave rise tothe birth of Les Automatistes.This movement, inspired by abstractrealism, initially consistedof Borduas and a few followersfrom among his students at theÉcole du Meuble. The groupof young artists engaged in afree exchange of ideas, seekingto paint with pure psychicautomatism as did the streamof-consciousnesswritings ofAndré Breton. The influence ofBorduas and Les Automatisteswas widespread, working itsway into other forms of artisticexpression such as drama, poetry,and dance.Another of Quebec’s foremostpainters to emerge during thetwentieth century is Jean PaulLemieux. The AGNS is fortunateenough to have three of the artist’sspectacular works as part ofits permanent collection thanksto Sir Christopher Ondaatje.Lemieux’s paintings are oftensombre; possessing a distinctlynorthern quality in which starkhorizon lines, expansive snowcovered fields, and a sense ofquiet solitude permeates theworks. These characteristicsare perfectly embodied in Lemieux’spainting Le Découvreur,another of the Ondaatje Collectionhighlights.Folk sculpture in Nova Scotiagrew out of utilitarian needsand the individual situations ofthe early settlers. By 1850, asNova Scotian society began totake shape, prosperity broughtwith it a cultural resurgence anda Nova Scotian spirit. A fine exampleof folk art from this earlyperiod is James Hertle’s BlackFigure in a Dancing Position, c.1865. During the mid-19 th Century,Hertle worked as a ship’scarver at Williams’ Shipyard inDartmouth. He is known to haveproduced several ship’s figureheadsand other carvings whileworking there. This sculpture isone of only three known knownlife-size figures by Hertle, and itis the only one of these carvingsincluded in a Halifax exhibition.This figure’s black, yellow andred polychrome paint is original,and the position of the handsand feet indicate that the figureis beginning to perform a dance.One of the finest nineteenthcenturycarvings anywhere, itforms an intricate part of theOndaatje Collection, as it truly isan Atlantic treasure.Many other Canadian nationalartists are featured in TheOndaatje Collection includingWilliam Kurelek, Louise Scott,A. Y. Jackson and others. As SirChristopher says, “These werethe paintings that we collectedand loved the most while wewere growing up in Canadaduring the 1960s, 1970s and1980s. They are a mosaic of thecountry’s growth, the artists’impressions at that time, andour own emotional lives. This isthe first time all these works ofart have been displayed in thesame room – where they oughtto be as part of The Art Gallery ofNova Scotia and part of our ownpermanent National heritage.”Over the past fifteen years JohnGreer’s sculpture Origins, hascome to be a familiar landmarkin downtown Halifax. This workmakes reference to several pastcultures and myths, to architecturalhistory and to the humanhand. Underlying these is a referenceto the basic human needfor order. Permanently installedin the Ondaatje courtyard,adjacent the main entrance ofthe AGNS, this attractive andengaging piece has grown intoan emblem for the Art Galleryof Nova Scotia and stands as asymbol for the ongoing partnershipbetween Sir ChristopherOndaatje and the Gallery. Theworks mentioned above formonly a small sampling of thepieces that make up this wonderfulbody of work, the fruit ofa passion for Canadian art.ART GALLERY OF NOVA SCOTIA FALL JOURNAL 2009 ART GALLERY OF NOVA SCOTIA FALL JOURNAL 2009 25theA view of the Christopher Ondaatje Gallery at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia