AGGV Collection

Throw, Slip, Spin

The physicality of forming clay into ceramic vessels and sculpture is wonderfully evoked in the title of the exhibition Throw, Slip, Spin: Studio Ceramics from the AGGV Collection.

Say What? Art Terms for Beginners Part 8

Pottery is both a science and an art. Part chemistry, part creative imagination and part experimentation. The title of the AGGV’s new exhibition “Throw, Slip, Spin: Studio Ceramics from the AGGV Collection” might befuddle those unfamiliar with the technicalities of pottery. In this issue, we hope to elucidate upon some of these baffling terms.

Artist In Our Collection: David Milne

David Milne is known for his precision in technique and composition, choosing simple, uncomplicated objects for his still-life works and carefully planning his landscapes to ensure a pure aestheticism.

Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them in the AGGV

The realm of mythical beasts spans every culture and exists in all our folklore. We not only find them in our intangible heritage, but also in contemporary literature, art, film, science and culture. In the AGGV’s extensive collection of European, North American, First Nations and Asian art, a menagerie of fantastic beasts reveal countless stories.

Uncovering Contemporary Art’s Interior Buddhist

By Anita Lahey

In the 1950s, Mark Tobey, a Seattle artist with strong ties to Victoria, championed the work of Japanese-American artists, including Paul Horiuchi, also represented in AGGV’s collection. He later influenced major artists such as Jackson Pollock. As such, he’s a link between Buddhism and 20th Century abstract art.

Packing Up The Collection

In anticipation of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria’s building renewal project, our Collections team are faced with the mammoth task of preparing over 20,000 art pieces to be packed up. Allowing our visitors a peek behind the scenes, the LAB Gallery has been transformed into a staging area for the packing up…

BRAINSTORM: Our Community Has Spoken

As part of the rejuvenation plans for the Gallery to transition into The NEXT Gallery, BRAINSTORM is an interactive space for our community to express its hopes, dreams and desires for the AGGV moving forward.

A Global Tea Party

By Audrey Wang, AGGV Marketing Volunteer

Did you know that tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world after water? Tea is believed to have been drunk in China since the Shang dynasty (1700-1027 BC) and may have begun as a medicinal tonic.

10 Things You Should Know About Chinese Blue and White Porcelain

1. The famed blue and white wares of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) has its origins in the preceding Mongol-ruled Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) when Chinese potters were free from imperial obligation to experiment in new designs and methods of porcelain production.