The RMG’s collection is rooted in its original focus on Painters Eleven, following the first major gift of thirty-seven works of art from the collection of Alexandra Luke in 1967. That initial gift would grow to a permanent collection that now houses over 4600 works. Over eighty percent of those works are donations: indeed, most public institutions rely on the largess of collectors to enhance their holdings.

In this exhibition we are focusing on key donors like Alexandra Luke and Isabel McLaughlin who have been instrumental in shaping the collection. While Luke’s donation included work by each of the members of Painters Eleven (P11), which would ultimately lead to the RMG’s focus on mid-century modernism, McLaughlin collected the work of friends and colleagues. The majority of the RMG’s important Group of Seven works came through the generosity of Miss McLaughlin. Luke and McLaughlin would gift significant work that covered many of the major movements within Canadian art in the 20^th century.

The Gallery’s collection also includes work by international “heavy hitters”. Works by artists such as Hans Hofmann (whom many of the P11 artists would study with in his Provincetown, Massachusetts studio), David Hockney, Robert Frank, Gerhard Richter, and Andy Warhol not only compliment works in the Canadian collection but expand our knowledge base beyond our borders. The generosity of donors once again making important works available for exhibitions and research.

Those who have donated to the RMG collection understand that their gift keeps giving throughout generations. The works so generously given to the gallery are used for exhibitions not only at the RMG but across Canada and internationally; these gifts are reproduced in publications and research, building on scholarship that has gone on for decades, and their gifts help in creating what is now Canadian art history.

With this exhibition, we salute, with gratitude, our donors’ generosity over the past fifty years.

“Contemporary” art is an ever-moving target. What was contemporary in 1960 is now considered historic. For the purposes of this exhibition, we have defined contemporary as works of art from the past thirty years. Of its collection of over 4600 works, that makes just over 670 works from 1987-2017.

A consistent theme that has emerged in the RMG’s contemporary collection is concepts of identity. Questions present opportunities for exploration and discovery about identity:

• Does a single name create identity within a group of those with the same name?
• Do we change our own narratives by incorporating past narratives of others?
• Can the memory of names once spoken over radio waves be resurrected and reimagined?

And questions of how we identify also arise as we examine many of these works:

• When our own history/identity has been adapted for commercial purposes, can it be reclaimed through artistic mediation?
• Do we identify with the land on which we live, and whose land is it?

Contemporary artistic practices often touch on topics relevant to today’s society. Issues important to our personal lives and beliefs, as well as responses to subjects that have universal impact such as environmental, technological, and cultural concerns are addressed through various mediums.

This small selection of contemporary work from the RMG collection is indicative of approaches to art over the past thirty years by artists across the country. When these works slide into the “historic” category of art history, we will continue to discuss their impact on society both past and present.

Artist talk: October 22, 1pm
Artist statement and biography:

I am a visual artist based in Peterborough, Ontario. I received my BFA from NSCAD University in Halifax with a major in jewellery and metalsmithing. Recently I’ve been working in sculpture and installation, with a focus on re-imagining objects in the domestic sphere. I have exhibited in solo and group exhibitions throughout Canada and in the United States. I have recently exhibited at Xpace Cultural Centre, Artspace Artist-Run Centre and Y+ Contemporary.

In my work I create abstracted representations of everyday objects to remove literal associations and to question our familiarity with the things that surround us. I am also interested in the associations of value of the handmade versus the mass-produced. As an emerging sculptor, I explore various techniques of craftsmanship and employ different techniques in each body of work. By presenting the familiar in unfamiliar ways and juxtaposing mass-produced objects with handcrafted pieces and embellishments, I explore the associations that people have with various craft techniques and materials. Media I have used include needlepoint, woodwork, upholstery, ceramics and stained glass.
Some of my artistic influences include artists Louise Bourgeois, Kiki Smith, Eva Hesse and David Altmejd.

Residency:

“I plan to explore a new medium in my work during the period of the residency. In July I will be taking a course in sculptural papermaking at Paperhouse Studio in Toronto. I want to take the skills and techniques I learn in the course and apply them to my sculpture practice. I plan to create a large-scale modular installation and want to take the time to learn how to use paper as a sculptural medium. I plan to explore mold forming, and fabrication techniques using different kinds of papers. I also want to examine different suspension techniques. I am drawn to paper as it is a versatile material that can be manipulated in many different ways to create various effects. It can be hard and angular or soft and organic. I can also play with weight and lightness. Having the time to experiment with a new material is very exciting and I look forward to the opportunity.

I am interested in the residency as a space of inspiration and encouragement in my practice. I look forward to being in a space where I am surrounded by great art and where I can interact with the public, other artists and gallery staff on a regular basis.”

Opening Reception: RMG Fridays, September 8, 7-9pm
Artist Talk: Sunday, August 27 at 1-3pm

Unearthed is the culmination of a professional development program for ceramicists called Creative Directions, designed and delivered by Fusion: The Ontario Clay and Glass Association. Guided by Michelle Mendlowitz, artists were encouraged to push the boundaries of their creative processes; developing their building and surface treatment methods, technical and critical thinking skills, and ultimately fostering confidence in their work. Featuring the work of 15 Ontario ceramic artists, Unearthed explores a variety of themes by utilitarian and sculptural means.

FUSION is a not-for-profit organization, dedicated solely to makers and collectors of handmade clay and glass. Its diverse membership of artists, students, teachers, guilds, collectors, libraries, hobbyists, businesses are from not only Ontario but around the world. Its mission is “to encourage and promote excellence and quality in clay and glass, provide opportunities for fellowship and a sense of community involvement, provide continuing education resources for members and people interested in clay and glass and to reach out, and demonstrate tolerance, caring, and acceptance for the diverse aspects of expression in clay and glass.”

Artist Biographies:

Rhonda Uppington grew up on a farm north of Lakefield where she enjoyed art classes in high school but opted to study science at the University of Guelph. Upon graduating, she worked as a biochemist in pharmaceutical research for 4 years before becoming a stay-at-home mom. Taking courses at the Haliburton School of the Arts during week-long vacations with her family, Rhonda learned the basics of relief and collagraph printmaking, mosaics, ceramic tile making and wheel-throwing. Combining printmaking techniques with ceramics allows her to enjoy both mediums simultaneously. The natural world influences her work, and leaves, flowers, birds and butterflies are recurring subjects. Rhonda became a studio member of the Pine Pine Tree Potters’ Guild in the fall of 2014 and is enjoying the camaraderie and inspiration that the shared studio experience provides.

Cathy Allen has been an avid part-time potter since 1991 when she enrolled in her first evening pottery class. Her work is mostly made on the wheel and is mainly of a functional nature. She has participated in many different method workshops over the years, but early focus was slip and carving techniques on her wares. Recently the work has changed and now includes some diverse patterns and colours, showing that her freedom of artistic expression is coming to the forefront! Her work is made up of both porcelain and stoneware clay bodies and includes the patterns which have now become a rewarding inspiration to her.

Mary Sullivan has always loved to draw and create from a young age.  She took up sculpture in the 90’s while living in the UK, and really enjoyed the 3D nature of it.  She started working with clay when she moved back to Canada so she could have more permanent pieces.  She now creates functional work, along with garden sculptures, but retains the sense of humour that she’s always enjoyed when making pieces, combining her painting and drawing techniques with underglaze and clay.

Priya Harding: I’ve loved making pots since my first introduction to clay in the late 1970s, through a part-time course one winter, and sharing with the local potters of that time – Christine Burns, George Stewart, Scott Walker, and Pat Woods. While my children were young, I worked in my home studio, selling pieces on commission, by special order and in craft sales, and giving pottery workshops and lessons. After a fine career teaching in Peterborough schools, I returned to my first love, pottery. The potters of the Kawartha Potters Guild have encouraged and inspired me. Once again, I work out of my home studio. Producing mid-fire porcelain and stoneware functional ware, I use a range of coloured glazes, and for many pieces, clear-glazed brushwork colour on white.

Mariella Pagliuca was born in Uruguay and since 2008 lives in Canada. After experimenting with different mediums, she chose to focus on ceramics. She is now a graduate from the Ceramics Program at Sheridan College. She is inspired by her life experiences, as well as her surroundings. Creation and re-creation, building and re-building, construction and de-construction. She sees parallels between her processes in the studio and her philosophy of life. Each piece she creates is deeply infused with her own energy, emotions and feelings. She is deeply influenced by her relatively recent and dramatic change in landscape. Ceramics as alchemy brings together air, fire, water and mud, all elements inconstant transformation. Clay mutates, ceramics occurs with energy and human intervention. Ceramics changes from rigid to flexible and back to rigid, in a process that seeks synthesis of the elements. Her works in clay allows her to change and to make changes. These changes depend on her intuition, her own inner creativity. She uses colours usually taken from nature, these coulours reflect the shades and hues of her emotions and feelings.

Amy Bell: I began working with clay after years of textile work, rug hooking and quilting. Elements of these traditional crafts can be found in my work. I make mainly utilitarian pieces, aimed at bringing handmade objects into daily use, honouring traditional “women’s work.”I have taken workshops from well known Ontario potters including Carolynne Pynn Trudeau, Anne Chambers, Cynthia O’Brien and others I am a member of Gladstone Clayworks, an Ottawa based ceramics cooperative.

Karina Bates: After being exposed to the craft of pottery in high school,it would be several decades before returning to something that has become a passion. I started taking lessons over ten years ago and have not looked back.I especially enjoy researching medieval pottery forms and decoration from around the world and bringing those shapes and images to life for modern functional use.Working on the wheel, my inspirations come from pre-seventeenth century pottery, architecture, metalwork and textiles. I love the look of old pottery and like a warm, antique feel in my work.

Emily Dore: I am an Ottawa-based ceramicist and instructor with a strong foundation in wheel-thrown functional ware. My making process is marked by a healthy respect for both technical skill and happy accident; I’m interested in that creative space where control butts up against chaos, where letting go becomes just as important as holding on. I make small-batch runs of functional ware, pieces made to flow with and elevate the rituals of daily life. My work with sculptural forms is a recent addition to my artistic practice and is concerned with organic forms like pods, gourds, and fungi, shapes and textures that often elicit strong reactions and straddle lines of attraction and repulsion, ripeness and decay.

Annie McDonald: I was born in Tacoma, Washington, studied at Trent University and have been making ceramics at my studio near Brighton, Ontario, since 2006. I call my practice “clay school” because the learning never ends. The Creative Directions Program has accelerated my growth in the ceramic arts. My sculpture typically begins with a minimal plan before embarking on a conversation with materials; I find that the materials talk back! My process with clay reflects the precarious and mutable nature of life – dealing with a growing historical awareness and accelerating rapidly towards change – layering up meaning at each stage of the making process. I enjoy a haptic approach to form making in terracotta, then paint, scrape and print with slips, inks and under glazes. Calligraphic and textural elements are placed to respond to preceding layers. I hope to share my excitement of the making with people who will live with my work; they can look into the surface to excavate meaning.

Cathy Francis is a Muskoka-based potter whose current work explores the creative process in sculptural form. Using throwing, altering and hand building techniques; and applying transfers, slips, and underglaze to the surface, she builds the parts that as a whole illustrate the ways in which influence, inspiration and place effect the evolution of a finished piece. Upon earning her Associate of OCA (1980) she entered the publishing and bookselling world. So many elements in building the award-winning Flying Dragon Bookshop both inspired and influenced her. These instilled a passion for how artists absorb and transform muses into their own work to create something new and unique.

Twenty-five years later, she has immersed herself back into gaining technical ceramic skills by taking opportunities to study at the Metchosin International School of the Arts, and the Haliburton School of Art & Design and participating in a mentorship with Carol-Ann Michaelson.

Karla Rivera is a ceramic artist born and raised in Mexico City, where she obtained her Bachelors in Food Chemistry. After some travelling she moved to Hamilton Ontario. At this point she started to listen to her artistic voice and got involved in the world of ceramics. In 2013 she enrolled in Sheridan College in Oakville Ontario in the Craft and Design – Ceramic program and in 2015 she got her Ceramics Diploma. Currently she is the Artist resident in the Art Gallery of Burlington.

Karla’s work consists of functional and sculptural ceramics.  She is interested in forms that make connections between elements of nature such the shape of an island and emotional states.

June Goodwin was born in 1951 in Meppershall, England – a rural village listed in the Domesday book from 1063. June started her artistic career studying fashion in the UK and Fabric at S.O.C.A.D.  When her fibre work become vessels she switch to Ceramics. She has taken numerous ceramic workshops in both Canada and the UK. She now works exclusively in clay, producing functional items for everyday use. June’s current work is focused on surface design that uses addition and subtraction to create one of a kind surfaces. A member of and instructor for the Kawartha Potters Guild, she shows her work in the KPG Gallery, the annual Christmas show, and the biannual “ARTISANity” show held by the Artisans Centre. The Kawartha Lakes area of Ontario, Canada is where June now calls home. She lives in a small cottage on the shores of Pigeon Lake, and works out of her home studio.

Jocelyn Jenkins is an Ottawa potter who works out of her own studio in Old Ottawa South.  She is a fixture at the Old Firehall Pottery Studio where she has shared her love of clay with children of all ages for many years. The projects flow fast and free from these classes: whether it’s twinkling bats for Halloween or bell children with “real” hearts for Valentines Day, Jocelyn creates whimsical projects that challenge her classes to pour themselves into their work.

Jocelyn is also a functional potter whose work can be seen several times a year in shows and sales in the area.  Through her work she attempts to forge a connection with her audience.  Although her work is primarily functional, she attempts to create a narrative that will draw people into her world – a world where a turtle or a snail might join you for coffee, and thereby provoke a smile.

Wendy Hutchinson: As a part-time potter, Wendy is fully committed to her path and practise as a ceramic artisan.  Her work in clay began in continuing education classes at Georgian College in Barrie, ON in the mid 1990’s with instruction from Roger Kerslake and Derek Martin.  While her time could only be sporadically dedicated, her energy and interest in clay did not wane, as over the years she has participated in a number of workshops, including with Judy Lowry, Thom Lambert, and Luca Tripaldi.  In 2014, began working in high-fire porcelain which led to a five-week self-directed residency that year at La Meridiana International School of Ceramics (Italy) with funding support from the Ontario Arts Council. Currently, she is the remaining founding member of a cooperative pottery studio at the Double Door Studios and Gallery in Anten Mills, ON.  There, she also works in Raku, though her primary focus is in creating wheel-thrown functional pieces.  As she continues to develop this work, as well as an interest in photography, recent accomplishments include: producing two one-day solo “pop-up” shops at Art in House gallery space in Barrie (2015, 2016), contributing to the Simcoe Watershed Art Project group exhibition at the Double Door (2016), participating in local artisan markets (2015, 2016), selling at The Camphill Store in Barrie (2016 on), co-producing the annual Double Door Potters’ show and sale

Reception: RMG Fridays, December 1, 7-9pm
Artist Talk: Saturday, December 2, 1-3pm

Looking at the journey of the line, in regards to the similarities between thread/textile techniques and drawing, this show will explore the technical aspect of textile construction as well as the relationship that happens between minimalism and the handmade; emphasizing the techniques and textures that come through allowing and embracing ‘mistakes’.

The pieces in this show will take inspiration from minimalism, op art, and the digital age, but using traditional textile construction techniques such as weaving and sewing. This show will consist of fabric sculptures and drawings that have been created in tandem with each other in an exploratory sense and they will look at how a subtle shift in material or technique can have drastic changes to the end result of the piece.

Bio: Colleen McCarten is an emerging Toronto-based artist whose work is based primarily in textile techniques such as weaving, sewing and other fibre-based practices, as well as drawing, painting, and collage. She uses these techniques to examine the legacy of 20th Century art movements such as Op Art, Minimalism and hard-edged abstraction. McCarten holds a Bachelors of Material Art and Design from the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCADU), and is the recipient of the Material Art and Design Medal for her graduating year.

McCarten recently had a solo exhibition at Angell Gallery’s Project Space, and has been included in group shows at Harbourfront Centre and the Textile Museum of Canada. She has received awards for her textile-based practice, including the “Best in Fibre” award at the 2014 iteration of the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, and has received an Exhibition Assistance grant from the Ontario Arts Council. She has also produced artworks for commercial and retail clients.

Reception: August 11, 7-10pm
Artist Talk: August 13, 1-3pm

My parents recall that as a child I seldom spoke, never played with other kids, and frequently ran away from school. My only interest, hiding in a quiet corner, was to draw and paint. It was the only way that I expressed myself.

My family migrated to Hong Kong from mainland China when I was about 10 years old. Forced to adapt to a new and very different environment, I acquired new survival skills for a much more competitive world. I transformed myself into a diligent student, and in turn, a hardworking businessperson.

In the midst of a bright career in my mid-thirties, my life course had changed again. By 2005, I had decided to quit the commercial life, and emigrate from China to Canada. After a life of running around the clock, challenges and calamities, the most powerful word pop up in my mind from time to time is transformation. Compelled to paint again, I transformed back into a life as a full-time artist.

My aim in this exhibition is to feature two phases of oil paintings that represent transformation. No matter how tough a situation is, how unbearable any unprecedented upheaval, how desperate life can be, we can always turn it around, look at it from another perspective. How You See the World Matters.

Artist Biography:
Charles Choi was born in Shanghai, China and immigrated to Canada in 1995. He learned painting at the age of 4, with a focus on western master paintings and their creation. In recent years, his focus has been on ‘Concrete Expression’ – the combination of fundamental painting skills, personal touch and a contemporary approach. He is a multi-award winning artist, both in Canada and China, including the “Best in Show” at the Society of Canadian Artists’ Members Annual Art Show in 2012. His work is in private and public collections across Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore, Japan and China.
In Choi’s words, his intention is “to truly express the subject as it is together with my own inner feeling. My colors are sweeter and less violent, with richer & freer brushstrokes, representing the moment I paint”.

Artist Talk: May 7, 1-3pm
Reception: June 2, 7-9pm

Artists-in-residence, Georgia Fullerton and Robert Small of the Durham Black Artists Collective, are painters motivated by a desire to provide a significant social and political commentary on the African-Canadian experience. During their residency, the DBAC will be undertaking an entirely new body of work. Their explorations will traverse an intimacy of emotion through the lens of gender that expands on the narrative of the African-Canadian. Their individual, social and political viewpoints will focus their artistic mission, and their search to answer the question, how art can affect change?

Fullerton and Small have entered this residency with blank canvasses. They plan to emerge with work that explores the depths of the African-Canadian identity and reflect the adventure of life in a Black body.

This is The Beginning… where art, experience, emotion, and ethnicity collide to create an artistic exploration of existence.

Reception: July 7, 7-10pm
Artist Talk: July 8, 1-3pm.

Blue Monday is a project materially and conceptually influenced by pseudo-scientific theories of the most dismal and melancholic day of the year.

Blue Monday falls on every third Monday in January, and since 2005 it has arbitrarily marked the Western World’s most miserable 24 hours. Blue Monday isn’t rooted in astronomical or even astrological science. It was derived from an arbitrary formula created by an American psychologist for SkyTravel, a travel agency-cum-infomercial channel. SkyTravel’s equation was designed to determine when North Americans were most likely to travel abroad or indulge in retail therapy to combat their winter woes. The psychologist behind Blue Monday has since stated that the equation is meaningless and created for obvious capitalistic pursuits.

Yet, as to be expected, Blue Monday has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Further, it is criticized for trivializing genuine conversations regarding mental health and well-being. Fast-food therapy. Five ways shopping is actually good for you.

Blue Monday will approach this narrative with a sense of naive-sincerity, encouraging criticism to take the form of poetic humour: a gentle-jab at the subject enabling an opening, an edge, an entrance to discuss color, fiction, departures, sanctuary and mental health.

Jenna Faye Powell is an emerging artist and arts administrator. Powell has attained a MFA degree from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University, as well as a BFA degree from the University of Western Ontario. Powell has participated in various solo and group shows including Brave New Worlds at Museum London, the Windsor- Essex Triennial at the Art Gallery of Windsor and the 2012 RBC Painting Competition at the Power Plant Gallery. Powell practices and resides London, Ontario, working as the Gallery Director of the Forest City Gallery.

Reception: May 27, 1-3pm 

Inspired by a 6-year old participant in The RMG’s Homeschool Art Classes, Kids Helping Kids is an art sale and fundraiser for Sick Kids Hospital.

In the words of mother, Kathy Zaremba, “My son’s friend was in Sick Kids for much of last year fighting for his life with Leukemia and needed a bone marrow transplant. During discussions about it with both our kids, my son Camden (5 years old at the time) said, “we should make some money to help other kids like that too”. We began brainstorming ideas. At first he suggested a lemonade stand, and then thought, “what if we make some art and sell it and give Sick Kids the money?””

Having reached out to their community, Kathy and Camden have included the work of 70 children and 120 pieces of art and have set their sights at raising $1000. We hope to help them exceed that goal.

Please join our auction and reception. To make a donation online, please visit:

http://my.sickkidsdonations.com/KidsHelpingKidsFundraiser