Evoking Place: The Landscapes of Maud Lewis

By Dr. Laurie Dalton.

In exhibitions, press, and films about the artist, there has long been an emphasis on the fact that Maud Lewis never travelled far from the Yarmouth-Digby-Marshalltown corridor in western Nova Scotia. That she was a happy-go-lucky folk painter, not artistically trained, and one that merely painted “happy little pictures” for passers-by and tourists. This does not give much room for looking at her paintings as objects of art, and as being part of the wider economic, social, and visual culture of the time – which is the focus of the book.

In the Present Moment: Memories and Another Milestone!

By Marina DiMaio, Digital & Print Assets Coordinator.

Back in 2018, pretty much fresh out of grad school, I found myself at the beginning of my very first job at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Through my own multidisciplinary art making, I’ve always been interested in contemplative practices, and the idea of creative process as spiritual practice. So, with the support of an Early Career Development Grant from the BC Arts Council, I had the incredible opportunity to extend and deepen the artistic research that I began exploring as an MFA student at UVic by contributing as a curatorial assistant at the AGGV to a multiphase project, by curator Haema Sivanesan, considering Buddhism as an artistic methodology.

Reflecting on National Indigenous Peoples Day

By Mel Granley, Guest Curator at the AGGV.

June is recognized as National Indigenous History Month. National Indigenous Peoples Day is a holiday celebrated in Canada every year on the 21st of June. This holiday was officially established in 1996 and is intended to “recognize the history, heritage and diversity of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in Canada” according to Canada.ca. I ask myself, what does this day mean to me? I am a Métis and Ukrainian person living in Canada, and this day brings mixed feelings of pride and concern. 

Where My Heart Settles, Is Where My Home Is

By Heng Wu, Curator of Asian Art, AGGV.

A horse-drawn carriage passing the Legislative Assembly building, instantly captured in freehand-style brushwork, resonating with a festival night in China about 900 years ago recorded in a poem by the Chinese poet Xin Qiji (1140-1207). A young girl in traditional Chinese dress dancing under a maple tree, paired with a line transcribed in the seal-script calligraphy, which reads, “Where my heart settles, is where my home is.” The colorful float homes gilding Victoria’s Fisherman’s Wharf rendered in traditional Chinese ink wash with a tone of Western oil painting. 

In the Studio

By Oona McClure, Studio Coordinator

As many of you will know, we endeavoured to keep our Studio classes running in-person over the past 2 years by implementing some effective and creative safety protocols in accordance with PHO policies. We also enjoyed the flexibility of developing and creating ‘at home’ art experiences through the introduction of virtual workshops. We witnessed that despite all the various challenges arising from the pandemic, the process of making art created wonderful opportunities for renewed connection, playful exploration and a place to ‘be’. A warm thank you is extended to the Studio team who displayed ongoing inventiveness and adaptability and to all participants who joined us as we pivoted our program.

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