Gallery News

Curatorial Essay: Embodied Engagements

The artwork of Jamelie Hassan and Soheila Esfahani in Translations As curators and museum professionals, we often speak about the gallery as a place of dialogue, and the desire for visitors to engage with the artworks through embodied participation – being present – and by bringing their personal knowledge and experiences as tools for interpretation. The point at which the viewer meets the artwork and engages with it is an integral point of cultural translation Read more

By Jenelle Pasiechnik, ago
Jenelle Pasiechnik, curator of contemporary art sitting in the gallery with a dog and a child

To Curate is to Care

The word curate is now an often employed term. People looking to add cultural cache to a sock drawer or cupcake selection have taken up the term with gusto. But the work of a museum or art gallery curator still isn’t widely understood. We work by a code of ethics and receive professional training in order to take on the responsibilities associated with the profession. Inherent in the position are the long-held traditions of caring Read more

By Jenelle Pasiechnik, ago

Sketchbook Journaling in Challenging Times: Everyday Matters

Last week we looked at the role sketchbook journals can play as the COVID-19 restrictions force us to look at the world around us from a different perspective. The simplest things in our daily routines and our homes can become new sources of thought and reflection about larger ideas.  Maybe it’s drawing the contents of your laundry basket as a step toward exploring the journey of a garment from raw materials to finished product, and Read more

By admin@crartgallery.ca, ago

The Meditative Aspects of Art – Part 2

John Cage was an American composer born in 1912. His masterful and highly influential piano composition 4’33 was famously performed by David Tudor in Woodstock, NY in 1952. It is a rumination on the core concepts of silence and chance operations. Over the period of his career John Cage was influenced by Zen, as well as texts like the Yi Jing. Silence was described by Cage as: “not the absence of sound but was the Read more

By admin@crartgallery.ca, ago

The Meditative Aspects of Art – Part 1

Amidst the crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic, people continue to serve their needs and find solace in various forms of activity from their homes, often in solitude, as we socially distance. Many have turned to art and cultural experiences to seek peace, inspiration, and ways of working through their emotions and larger philosophical questions. The next theme I will explore in the CRAG blog is the meditative aspects of art. I will investigate historical and Read more

By admin@crartgallery.ca, ago

Shadow Puppetry: Bringing the Art of Silhouette Theatre Into Your Home (on a rainy day)

Shadow puppetry is a unique art form with a history going back at least 2000 years. The earliest practices emerged in China and India, featuring such themes as legends and myths, and stories from religious traditions. The art also flourished in other regions including Southeast Asia and the Middle East, and eventually to Europe where the cutting out of silhouettes in the 1800s became a popular activity. The concept of shadow puppetry took a new Read more

By admin@crartgallery.ca, ago

Sketchbook Journaling in Challenging Times

One of the things that art does well – and has done for hundreds of years – is to investigate challenging human experiences. This opens up the potential for reflecting on and understanding our own and others’ mental states and feelings of distress and anxiety. Jill BennettNational Institute for Experimental ArtsUniversity of New South Wales In times of crisis, there is a special role for arts and culture in helping people make sense of uncertainty Read more

By admin@crartgallery.ca, ago

The Value of Culture and the Arts in Times of Crisis

Over the last few weeks we at the CRAG have watched how many artists and institutions have responded to the onset of these uncertain days of pandemic. The provision of activities and access to online galleries and artistic endeavours has provided a platform for artists to speak from and virtual places for people isolating at home to engage and connect. Similar to such initiatives at other galleries, the CRAG team will also galvanize to create Read more

By admin@crartgallery.ca, ago