By Cheryl L’Hirondelle
kinanāskomitinawaw – thank you to the lək̓ʷəŋən People, whose land the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria is on and whose language and stories engage with this place more eloquently and accurately than these words and this short story can ever hope to. Regardless, thank you to the dedicated and caring AGGV staff and curator Jaimie Isaac for inviting me to share.
By Hilary Potosnak
Our Fall studio classes are in full swing at the Gallery and we have our sights set on exciting classes and programming for the winter session beginning this January. Some changes have come to the AGGV Studio, most notably in the departure of our treasured instructor and Studio Coordinator, Oona McClure.
By Tyrone Elliott
I’ve been Cedar weaving since I was 4. In my mind, there was a distinct disconnect between what I did and what artists did. I’ve come to learn that while not necessarily everything is art, most things, if not everything, can be made into art.
Over the last few months, local film and dance artist, Kemi Craig (also Victoria’s newly selected Artist in Residence, 2022/24) has been hosting the Blackspace Sci-Fi Club at the AGGV. This exciting in-person series has been unfolding in conjunction with Kemi’s AGGV project Blueprints for the Afrofuture, which has (so far) featured a variety of virtual offerings and one in-person evening of sound and music with Hidden Variable.
By Oona McClure, Studio Coordinator
We recognize that making art is rather magical. It provides exceptional opportunities to build skills, create connections, boost confidence, explore ideas, and express feelings. It also offers a space to learn about ourselves and others as well as fostering meaning and inspiration.
By Dani Neira
I took the Feminist Art Field School from my kitchen table. I’d watch the weekly conversation as I cooked myself spaghetti, have my morning coffee during our synchronous Thursday sessions, and talk lesbian haunted houses over drinks with friends. My kitchen table, a place I associate with nourishment, care, and conversation, became the intimate space through which I learned.
By Alex Chen
“I don’t sing.” That’s what a majority of students admitted to me during a school workshop. However, perhaps to their surprise, by the end of our hour-long workshop, the students were not only using their voices and bodies to make art, they were taking chances expressing their artistic observations, collaborating with their peers, and having fun doing so! In this year’s iteration of the AGGV’s School Workshops, spanning October to December, Jennifer Van de Pol (AGGV Educator for School and Family Programs), a class of UVic Indigenous Education Students headed by Dr. Carmen Rodriguez de France, and myself visited young learners in schools across the Greater Victoria Area to delve into the works by local visual artist Dylan Thomas (Qwul’thilum) as well as my own artistic practice as a classical musician and opera artist in Victoria.
Over the course of eight weeks, our music exploratory class of 8th grade students at Arbutus Global Middle School have been working in partnership with the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria on a DJ workshop under the guidance of Tera, also known as DJ Nova Jade.
By Regan Shrumm, Assistant Curator, AGGV and Amy Smith, Community Engagement Coordinator, Legacy Art Gallery
For three Sundays in October, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and the Legacy Art Galleries held Collective Grief, Collective Futures. This series of discussions gave space for emerging artists to grief the losses that have been experienced during the pandemic and discuss methods of adapting to share a creative future.
by Regan Shrumm, Assistant Curator of Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
In December 2018, Libby Oliver approached me with an idea inspired from a new movement of intergenerational living happening between arts organizations and care homes. She pitched a program where artists would help bridge the ever-expanding gap between young adults and seniors.
With school being quite different from the norm during the pandemic, the AGGV is excited to lend a helping hand with our Teacher Resource Guides.
