This October marks the 80th anniversary of the first meeting of the Vancouver Island chapter of the Canadian Federation of Artists, a historical date long considered the Gallery’s birth date. It was this small but dedicated group that evolved into the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Part 1 of a 2-part series written by AGGV Administrator, Curatorial and Learning & Engagement, Anu Henderson.
The AGGV is excited to host a major exhibition for the summer of 2024: Generations: The Sobey Family and Canadian Art. Steven McNeil, AGGV Chief Curator & Director of Collections and Exhibitions, tells us why seeing this exhibition is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Steven McNeil, AGGV Chief Curator & Director of Collections and Exhibitions, shares much anticipated news about the Gallery’s permanent collections and the diverse selection of works to be exhibited in two newly dedicated Gallery spaces. The ongoing exhibition, A View From Here: Reimagining the AGGV Collections, will boast a rotating selection of some of the Gallery’s finest pieces.
By Audrey Wang, AGGV Volunteer
December 13th, 2021, marks the 150th anniversary of Emily Carr’s birth. Beyond this commemoration, the AGGV’s exhibition Emily Carr: Seeing + Being Seen features artworks that carry significance that is as relevant today as they were nearly a century ago when they were first made.
By Mel Granley, Guest Curator
Emily Carr has become almost synonymous with the Pacific Northwest; her work being displayed year-round in different exhibition contexts to ensure the satisfaction of visitors to the AGGV. This drive to see her work is directed by the idea of checking off a list of great and thoroughly known artists within the artistic canon. The issue? The “art canon” is heavily Euro-Western centered and very keenly demonstrates a bias for settler-European art, while largely failing to acknowledge the artistic merits of historic and contemporary BIPOC artists.
Nicole Stanbridge, Curator of Engagement, AGGV, interviews India Rael Young, Curator of Art and Images at the Royal BC Museum about the exhibition Emily Carr: Fresh Seeing – French Modernism and the West Coast.
By Audrey Wang, AGGV Volunteer
In the exhibition Celebrating the AGGV Collection, three contemporary artworks stand out for their interconnectedness with other parts of the AGGV’s collection.
By Audrey Wang, AGGV Volunteer
Celebrating the AGGV Collection brings together the highlights in the AGGV’s permanent collection of artworks, bringing into perspective the breadth and depth of the Gallery’s holdings.
Abstraction in art is a visual language that uses line, colour, form and composition that are non-representational or independent to a certain degree of any reference to the world.