Month: March 2020

Artist In Our Collection: Gordon Smith (1919-2020)

By Audrey Wang, AGGV Volunteer

The centenarian and beloved BC-based artist and philanthropist, Gordon Appelbe Smith, worked prolifically up until he turned 100. The AGGV is fortunate to have many of Smith’s artworks that document his West Coast aesthetic. This body of works also serves as a profound testament to the art movements of the 20th century in Western Canada.

Wild Ceramics from the AGGV’s Collection

By Marina DiMaio, AGGV Marketing Assistant 

In our ongoing celebration of the AGGV’s striking ceramics collection, we searched high and low for some of our wildest ceramics. Get ready to discover some of the incredibly inventive ways the artists in our collection have reimagined and reinvigorated this essential, and innately transformable, material, of earth and water – taking us “back to the land”, through “the ills of the city”, and far off into the future!

Miles Lowry Breathing Spaces at the Massey Gallery

The Massey Sales Gallery is proud to present Miles Lowry Breathing Spaces, a solo show and sale of the renown Victoria-based artist’s new work which he created on a recent trip to his beloved Ireland.

Sensory Kits in the AGGV

By Regan Shrumm, AGGV Curatorial Assistant

The AGGV’s new sensory kits are toolkits that provide some extra support to help individuals stay relaxed and prevent from being overstimulated. Sensory kits are becoming more and more common throughout museums around North America, and were first made specifically for the neurodivergent community (this community is formed from individuals with neurological differences, which including A.D.H.D, Autism Spectrum, Tourette Syndrome, and many others).

Beyond The Walls: Art as a Complex Social Effort

Although not always visible, the AGGV is often supporting ongoing projects that extend well beyond its walls. One such project is Wa’witłala: The Pervasiveness of Water/Cannot Go Against the Tide.

The Spring Flower Count in the AGGV Collection

At the Art Gallery, we have a flower count from our vast art collection. How many varieties can you name in the artworks in this article? Take our quiz and scroll down to the end for the answers!

Q & A with Libby Oliver, AGGV’s Listener in Residence

By Regan Shrumm, AGGV Curatorial Assistant

Since November 2019, Victoria-based artist Libby Oliver has been the Listener-in-Residence at Luther Court Society, a non-profit society that cares for 120 seniors through subsidized independent suites, home support, assisted living, and long-term care. Before Oliver’s residence ends with a public open house in May, Assistant Curator Regan Shrumm sat down with Oliver to share more about her art practice and the residence.

Arts For Climate Justice with Hannah Gelderman at Family Sunday

By Hannah Gelderman, AGGV Family Sunday Coordinator

I have joined the team at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria as the Family Sunday Coordinator. I am excited for this opportunity to creatively facilitate engagement with the exhibits and to invite Family Sunday guests to explore, create, reflect and collaborate.

Colours of the Rainbow at Family Sunday

The Family Sunday team saw out the last decade with a bang, thanks to special guests, Persi Flage, Pop Tart and Used Victoria of Staches and Lashes Collective, whose high energy and warm fuzzy feelings brought love in every colour of the rainbow into the Gallery!

Say What? Art Terms For Beginners, Part 12

The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria houses one of the greatest and most diverse Asian art collections in Canada, with works from China, Japan, Korea, Tibet, India, Vietnam and Thailand. In this quarter’s segment of “Art Terms For Beginners”, we will continue to focus on terminology specific to Asian art and culture.