By Audrey Wang, AGGV Volunteer Botanical drawings and paintings have been seen in Chinese art since Neolithic times. Not only are attractive flowers, birds, and insects used for decoration, but the subject-matter is also loaded with a multitude of symbolism. A proliferation of “bird and flower” painting in the Song dynasty (960-1279) cemented the popularity of […]
Month: March 2018
A New Year of Family Sundays
Audrey Wang, AGGV Volunteer The Art Gallery’s Family Sunday is a much-anticipated monthly event in the local community calendar. Taking inspiration from one of the current exhibitions on show in the Galleries, each Family Sunday focuses on a particular theme, and invites the whole family to engage in an array of art-making activities, interactive performances and […]
New Arrivals at the AGGV Studio
Exciting new arrivals for our Studio this Spring! Oona McClure, our longstanding Studio Coordinator, is taking some time off to welcome her newest creation, a baby. Oona is excited to combine motherhood and art in the near future; we look forward to seeing this unfold in and outside the Studio. As such we are delighted […]
Say What? Art Terms for Beginners, Part 4
1. Allover Composition An allover picture refers to a two-dimensional work that lacks a dominant focal point and where the canvas is covered entirely with a composition that is treated uniformly. The term “allover picture” was first used by art critic Clement Greenberg in his 1948 essay “The Crisis of the Easel Picture”, in reference to “decentralized” […]
Cultural Appropriation of First Nations Art
We live in a technological age where identity theft is easier than ever. The fear that someone could be stealing your personal information makes for diligent protective measures and the tightening of security on personal devices and social media accounts. Social sharing can be very beneficial and it’s often instrumental in building dynamic online communities […]
Formline: Geometric Art in Pacific Northwest Prints
By Audrey Wang, AGGV Volunteer Geometry can be felt in the balance of a canoe prow and measured in each loop of a cedar bark basket. More prominently, it can be seen in the distinctive ornamentation painted upon sculptures and weavings alike. – India Young, guest writer for the exhibition Beyond the Edges The AGGV’s […]
The Gallery As Authority, Part 3: Re-search
Following on “The Gallery As Authority: Place“, Part 3 of the Communities + Collections series, entitled “Re-search” explored the complexity of how knowledge is shared, collected, and used to empower and/or disenfranchise. The event in early February drew a crowd from all walks of life and was graced by our two Indigenous keynote speakers, Eli Hirtle […]
Exploring Nuu-chah-nulth Lands
By Audrey Wang, AGGV Volunteer The exhibition Point of Contact: On Place and the Westcoast Imaginary centers on a pertinent part of Vancouver Island’s modern history, the story of Captain James Cook’s arrival in 1778 and his role in opening up trade at a place the colonists named Nootka. On a more personal level, the exhibition was […]
Recent Asian Art Acquisitions
By Barry Till, AGGV Curator Emeritus
The AGGV Asian art department has received a large number of very important donations this past year. These include a fine collection of ancient ceramics from China, Thailand and Vietnam, from the Estate of the late Canadian Ambassador to Indonesia, William Thomas Delworth; eight impressive and large 18th century Japanese painted six-panel screens of landscapes and calligraphy (one of which was done by one of Japan’s most famous female calligraphers) from Paul Warner of Victoria; Japanese calligraphy scrolls, numerous Okinawan folk ceramics and a very rare Miao painting album (Cultural Property status) from Dr. and Mrs. Richard and Kazuo Pearson of UBC.
10 Things You Should Know About The Limners
1.The Victoria Limners Society – also known as the Limners or the Limner Group – was a collective group of painters, ceramicists, sculptors and other visual artists based in Victoria, B.C. 2. The artists in the group started getting together in the 1960s, discussing their artworks and forming friendships. The Limners Society was officially incorporated in 1971 […]
Making Connections in “Form As Meaning”
By Audrey Wang, AGGV Volunteer The first exhibition tour of Form As Meaning: First Nations Prints from the Pacific Northwest was led by AGGV’s Michelle Jacques, Chief Curator and Nicole Stanbridge, Curator of Engagement. While Michelle and Nicole facilitated the tour and the organization of the exhibition, the works on display were selected by a panel […]