Gordon Monahan Wins 2013 Governor General Award!

The Canada Council for the Arts announced today the winners of the 2013 Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts at the Cinémathèque québécoise in Montreal.

The winners are:
• Marcel Barbeau, Painter and sculptor, Montreal
• Rebecca Belmore, Visual artist, Winnipeg
• William D. MacGillivray, Filmmaker and director, Rose Bay, N.S.
• Gordon Monahan, Sound artist, composer and media artist, Meaford, Ont.
• Greg Payce, Artist-potter (Saidye Bronfman Award), Calgary
• Chantal Pontbriand, Exhibitions and events curator, art critic (Outstanding contribution), Montreal/Paris
• Colette Whiten, Sculpture installation artist, Toronto/Haliburton, Ont.

Gordon Monahan has been working closely with the RMG in the past few years.

Of Gordon’s piano performances [John] Cage once commented “At the piano, Gordon Monahan produces sounds we haven’t heard before.” – Robert Tombs, Graphic designer (nominator)

Portrait of Gordon Monahan

Below, our Senior Curator writes about the exhibition Seeing Sound she curated for Gordon Monahan in 2011.

I was very pleased to hear that Gordon Monahan is one of this year’s recipients of the Governor General Award in Visual and Media Arts.

I have worked with Gordon closely over the past 3 years. We met in the late winter/spring of 2009 when I invited him to the Gallery to see if he’d be interested in having the RMG organize a solo exhibition of his recent sound installations. It was a long lunch, and by the end of it, we’d decided that we were going to try to pull together a 30 year retrospective of Gordon’s practice and see if we could get a couple of other institutions interested in collaborating.

That original meeting led to a successful grant application to the Department of Canadian Heritage, an eight venue cross-country, plus one venue in Berlin, tour, 18,000 visitors and counting (the final venue, the Tom Thomson Gallery in Owen Sound, opens its exhibition in April), performances, lectures, and a 160 page catalogue. It’s been quite a ride. Seeing Sound is the first touring retrospective exhibition of a sound artist in Canada and it’s appropriate that it would feature Gordon’s work. He’s performed and shown his sound work nationally and internationally, and since returning to Canada in 2006 (he’d lived in Berlin, the capital of sound art, since 1992) has started the Electric Eclectics sound and experimental music festival on the Meaford farm where he’s settled.

Gordon Monahan performs Theremin Radio Interface at RMG Fridays in May of 2011.

Gordon Monahan performs Theremin Radio Interface at RMG Fridays in May 2011.

I’ve just completed the final report for the grant that we received. One of the questions asked was what was one highlight of the project. Simple. The opening was combined with the RMG Friday event in May, 2011. 90 people watched Gordon elicit electric voltage and computer generated sounds by putting electrodes into bananas, pickles and, tomatoes in a work called Sauerkraut Synthesizer, as well as perform his Theremin Radio Interference in which he controlled live radio with an early electronic musical instrument called a Theramin. The audience was in turn puzzled and amused, entertained and educated. It was a great evening.

Gordon Monahan performs Sauerkraut Synthesizer at RMG Fridays in May 2011

What’s also great? Seeing such a prestigious award granted to such a deserving artist. Congratulations, Gordon!

Read more about all winners on the Governor General’s Website: Click here.

Read more about Gordon Monahan’s practice and his art practice: Click here.

Gordon Monahan: A Piano Listening to Itself–Chopin Chord can be currently seen at 58 Summerhill Gardens, Toronto. It is on view Monday to Saturday, 5-7pm until June 22, 2013. Click to learn more.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqDsp67CUM0]

Gordon Monahan
2013 Laureate, Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts

The Intern Files: Tara Mazurk

The Intern Files is an ongoing series of blog posts written by RMG Interns. Tara Mazurk is a third-year Arts Management Student at the University of Toronto.

There’s satisfaction in assisting the RMG in endeavors which build the local community, support artistic practice across Canada, and provide a pedagogical forum for learning and engagement. As the Communications and Events Assistant, I’ve had the opportunity to coordinate artists for RMG Exposed 2012 and progress the development of the RMG’s volunteer program.

The auction at RMG Exposed 2012

With RMG Exposed, I was charged with the task of coordinating incoming submissions, creating a comprehensive database, and acting as a liaison between artists and RMG. Ultimately, the objective was to create a system which was easily accessible internally, and enhanced communication between parties. I was quick to realize the benefits of this project, both as educational experience and within a broader context.
Currently an undergraduate student in Arts Management, the RMG has been wonderful in giving me a breadth of experience in database management, fundraising and development, and in artistic programming. To coordinate selections for a charitable auction allowed me to realize not only the funding impact for the RMG, but also the indispensable relationship between artist and organization. Those who had submitted work for jury came from various locations across Canada and thus various social, cultural, and educational backgrounds; some selected artists had previously no exhibition experience. This values the placement of emerging artists within an institutional framework, and provides a new forum for discussion, display, and career development.

Guests check out works to be auctioned at RMG Exposed 2012

No stranger to the professional development acquired through volunteering, I had approached the RMG with an eagerness to learn and inherent support of their values and initiatives. Of course, it was in my natural interest to outreach to new volunteers and to align administration of the volunteer program with the RMG’s Strategic Plan. My responsibilities included researching the various venues to which we could reach interested participants. As an extension of internal operations, I helped create a volunteer database which is accessible and easily filtered for volunteer interests, availability, and current status. The RMG’s volunteer resources are invaluable; and we are currently enhancing the portfolio to provide methods for internal evaluation. At the core of everything, this provides a fitting experience and inviting atmosphere to those who are crucial in building and engaging our community.

Tara (left) and another volunteer clowning around at RMG Fridays August 2012

The Results are in! Making History: Youth Art & Writing Contest

This post comes from the desk of Sonya Jones, Curator of the Thomas Bouckley Collection.

The Making History: Youth Art & Writing Contest gave young writers and artists creative freedom to express what their community’s history means to them. Youth were asked to submit an art or writing project that was inspired by a photograph in the Thomas Bouckley Collection. I was thrilled with the diverse responses! Seven submissions were chosen to be included in a small exhibition in the RMG’s Windfield Lounge.

Courtney Dianard Departure 2012

Military fathers with their children, 1939

The five poems/short stories and 2 paintings appear next to the relevant photograph from the collection. The viewer sees the historical photograph in a new way—reinterpreting it based on the students’ creative expression. Congratulations to the winners Courtney Dainard, for the Best Overall Art prize, and Tara Zammit, for the Best Overall Writing prize. Courtney’s painting of a young girl’s sorrow at her father’s departure for war reminds us of the many children who experienced this feeling throughout our community’s history. And Tara’s poem, Open Your Ears, fills the piano room at Bishop Bethune College with joy and music.

Piano Practice, Bishop Bethune College c. 1925

Open Your Ears

Dance little tune,

Fly about the room,

Capture my soul like soup on a spoon.

Piano erupt,

Let my ears indulge,

Open them to something some never love.

But I do, yes I do!

Brother, let me preach,

For the passion in the soul is something one cannot teach.

Let the curtains billow and whisper

As the wind whips around,

Let them join in the creation of this marvelous sound.

Old books line the shelves,

Collecting memories and dust,

Unveiling secrets of history, music and lust.

It’s too much for us!

The dull mind cannot bear

All the beauty, the joy

All the strife, all the cares.

Let the pictures be an audience.

Placid faces stay calm,

Though the spirits inside dance as if they still shone.

In my white blouse and navy,

I sing sweetly along.

On a stool by the piano

Is where I belong.

The exhibition Making History on view until March 3, 2013. The historical images come alive with different interpretive narratives—giving new meaning to Oshawa’s past.

The Curator’s View: Blockbusters

This post comes from the desk of Linda Jansma, Senior Curator at the RMG.

One of my colleagues at the gallery, forwarded the following quote to me:

people who favour these shows [blockbusters] are like people who prefer to see cut flowers arranged in rooms rather than go out into the garden and see what is growing there.

Why then are people still so attracted to only seeing cut flowers?

I visited two blockbuster exhibitions this past summer: Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris at the Art Gallery of Ontario and Van Gogh: Up Close at the National Gallery of Canada, and, just a few weeks ago, Frida and Diego: Passion, Politics, and Painting at the AGO. I had heard negative things about the Picasso exhibition, and, having gone to the Musée National Picasso in Paris many years ago, I understood those comments. What was “left” in Picasso’s estate was a lot of experimental work and some work, let’s be honest, that he couldn’t sell.

But the gallery was packed, of course; the name, being the primary draw. One of the best things about working in an art gallery is that, when I arrive early, I’m almost alone in the building—I can hear Ralph’s vacuum running somewhere… I get to experience the works of art alone, taking as much or as little time as I want. So, the crowds in blockbusters can make me grumpy.

Pablo Picasso, Portrait of Dora Maar, 1937

I prepare myself for the swarm of people and look for the positive takeaway. In the case of Picasso, there were some superb mixed-media wall sculptures: cubism in 3D that I hadn’t really been expecting. There were also some really beautiful personal drawings.

Vincent van Gogh, Giant Peacock Moth, 1889

Van Gogh, if possible, was even more crowded. There are advantages to being 5’11”, and seeing work over the top of people’s heads is one of them. I think I would have missed half of the exhibition if I were shorter. But the work was simply beautiful. Not the Doctor Gachet and vase fulls of sunflowers, or self-portraits with bandaged ears that people think of when they think of Van Gogh—but stunning landscapes and close cropped studies of nature. I love looking at how exhibitions like these are installed: butter yellow walls in one room and a light blue/grey wall in another; immaculate labeling—what more could one ask for? (Other than fewer people, of course!)

Frida Kahlo, Self Portrait with Monkeys, 1947

The Frida and Diego exhibition was a Saturday excursion—with a week and a half left before the close of the exhibition, I didn’t have much choice. In this case, our 19 year old son joined us and watching him experience the work of these two Mexican artists and talking to him about his thoughts, brought an added dimension to this blockbuster. Kahlo’s work is beautifully detailed and trying to spend any amount of time in front of one work is challenging, to say the least, however, even a minute in front of these masterpieces is certainly worth it.

Leaving Van Gogh, we wandered into the exhibition Arnaud Maggs: Identification. A handful of people looking at the work of one of the country’s important senior artists (who passed away before Christmas): the recent recipient of the prestigious Scotiabank Photography Award and Governor General Award winner. Better numbers than the AGO, where we were the only ones in the beautifully curated, albeit smaller, exhibition of internationally renowned artist Michael Snow’s sculpture entitled: Objects of Vision. We were also almost completely on our own in the AGO’s Evan Penny: Re Figured exhibition that we spent time in after Frida and Diego (this third important senior Canadian artist was also new to our son, so spending quality time with the work was a bonus).

Artist Evan Penny and Arial #2, 2006. (c) Evan Penny 2012

Will those who prefer cut flowers ever wander into the garden to look at the flowers in depth and take in the work of Maggs, Snow, and Penny? Isn’t that what presenting exhibitions like Van Gogh, Picasso, and Frida and Diego is supposed to foster—gallery goers who want to go beyond the blockbuster? The AGO and NGC did an admirable job of linking up three senior Canadian artists against four famous international ones. Now to get the crowds smelling the flowers from the garden, as well as the vase.

The RMG’s Juried Gig Poster Show Coming May 2013

By Kyle Kornic, RMG Public Relations Intern, Winter 2013

It is easy to miss a poster on a lamppost. With all the hustle and bustle of city life, it’s hard to stop and take in the beauty of something as simple as a piece of paper advertising a local concert. However, if the time is taken to stop and admire a simple poster, the average person can discover a work of art.

Welcome to the world of music-concert posters, or as it is more commonly known: “Gig Posters”. It all began in the 1950s and 60s when posters were the cheapest and most effective way to advertise upcoming concerts. To catch the public’s eye, the posters were designed by artists to be visually captivating and unique. When they began to disappear from the streets concert promoters quickly realized that there was a market for the posters and began to sell them at the concerts. In time this phenomenon grew and different styles of gig posters began to emerge in the music scene.

Fast-forward to present day, through the hardships that the music industry has faced, to the almost-complete digitizing of music through online stores such as iTunes, to the resurgence of vinyl records, one thing is certain; fans want something they can hold. A quick internet search reveals hundreds of artists with thousands of gig posters available to view or purchase, clearly the culture is still strong, if not stronger than ever. Bedrooms, apartments, and houses across the world have their walls adorned with priceless pieces of art created out of pure love for not only art, but also music.

The formats may change, the music might evolve, but passion never dies. Because of this, artists will continue to create visual masterpieces to adorn lampposts, bulletin boards, and the walls everywhere. To see some great examples of these posters visit www.gigposters.com or visit The Robert McLaughlin Gallery on Friday 3 May, 2013 for the 2^nd annual Juried Gig Poster Show.

Interested in submitting a poster? Click here to learn more.

Stay up to date on the event by connecting to the Facebook Event Page.

Gig poster by Michal Majewski, the artist who inspired the creation of this event series.

The Curator’s View: Care and Conservation of Art

This post is from the desk of Linda Jansma, Senior Curator.

The Robert McLaughlin Gallery is a member of the Canadian Museum Association and adheres to their ethical guidelines. Those guidelines include the following paragraph about collections:

Museum collections consist of natural or cultural (i.e. manmade) objects and intellectual property directly owned by the museum, as a public trust, and registered as part of its permanent collection, to be used for the exclusive purposes of preservation, research and presentation to the public.

This week, I read a plain language version of this guideline that came through the American Association of Museums. It reads:

Know what stuff you have
Know what stuff you need
Know where it is
Take good care of it
Make sure someone gets some good out of it. Especially people you care about. And your neighbors.

Well, the RMG has a lot of stuff it has to take care of and part of that care is conservation. Recently, two works from the collection were returned from a conservator that we regularly use: Across the Fields, Newtonbrook by Frederick Brigden and Nature Morte by Jeanne Rheaume. Both treatment reports include a lot of conservation jargon, for example: “weave distortion,” “drip mark,” “consolidated scratch.” Suffice it to say, the paintings were really dirty and certainly did not look like they did when they left the artist’s studios in 1935 (Brigden) and 1961 (Rheaume).

Before conservation

After Conservation

Above: Nature Morte by Jeanne Rheaume, 1961

Before

After

Above: Across the Fields, Newtonbrook by Frederick Henry Brigden c. 1935

The above photos give you an idea of the miracles of ammonium cirtrate (pH 7.8), EDTA/Troton, XL/Benzyl alcohol and citric acid/Brij. (Ah, if only there was a plain language version of conservation reports!)

Look for the Brigden painting currently hanging in our Permanent Collection gallery, and look forward to seeing the Rheaume to come out of the vault in 2013.

Free Family Programming for 2013

Happy New Year!

It isn’t an overstatement to say that in 2013 the RMG has big plans to expand our programming to include lots of new free opportunities for families to engage with art. We love our community and we know that families work hard all week and want to hang out on the weekend and have quality family time. We’re hoping that in 2013 you’ll choose the RMG once a month as a place to learn, connect, and communicate with your family through the creative arts.

In 2012 we launched the incredibly successful OPG Second Sundays program. It’s a free art workshop series on the second Sunday of each month, sponsored by Ontario Power Generation. We had a great response and held many jam-packed art workshops. Due to popular demand, we’re expanding that program this year so that registration is no longer required, and all are welcome! All families should drop-in between 1 and 3pm on the Second Sunday of each month to work with gallery staff on guided art projects with themes celebrating the Lunar New Year as well as our many exhibitions.

Check out the OPG Second Sundays Schedule here.

We’re also introducing a new space in the gallery that is dedicated to families who want to visit the exhibitions with kids, and provide a chance for them to play, learn, and be inspired by art. Linger in the new Imagination Station! This space is currently being transformed into a family-friendly area with seating, books, toys, craft supplies, and cool interactive tools that will inspire, educate, and engage kids of all ages and abilities. The Imagination Station is launching in February, with an opening party on Family Day, Monday, 18 February. We are opening on Family Day for the first time in 2013 and are offering a free program to families. Come check out what we’re up to from 1-3pm. Enjoy light refreshments and a chance to try out the new Imagination Station (we’re calling it iStation for short!) The following weekend, we begin the regular iStation schedule, with the space being managed by trained educational volunteers who will help manage and guide craft projects, every Saturday and Sunday.

You might think that was all we planned to offer in early 2013…but you’d be wrong! We’re also hosting a Festival of Colours celebration for families on Sunday 24 March. Phew!

If you’ve ever considered enrolling kids in our PA Day Camps, March Break Camps or Summer Camps, these free family sessions will help familiarize you and your kids with staff and the facility, so that the transition to full day camps is easy and exciting.

The RMG’s staff and volunteers are looking forward to meeting new families and connecting in new ways our community. If you have any questions about our free family programming, do not hesitate to connect with us. Email us at [email protected] or drop us a line on facebook at www.facebook.com/theRMG.

The RMG & Akimbo Chat About Public Art

Via Akimbo.com

AKIMBO is co-hosting a TweetChat with The Robert McLaughlin Gallery about PUBLIC ART

RMG Photo by Michael Cullen

Wednesday, November 28, 1pm EST

A TweetChat is an online discussion broadcast via Twitter.

On Wednesday, November 28 at 1pm EST, Akimbo’s Social Media Director James Fowler and The Robert McLaughlin Gallery’s Manager of Communications & Social Media Jacquie Severs will be in online discussion with people from coast to coast and … YOU. Get online and have your say about public art in Canada. What is your favourite piece of public art in your city? What it its role? Who should pay for it? Do we have enough? What challenges are there in allocating space for public art? What considerations are made in selection? Should there be a public art curator for a city? All this and more will be up for discussion.

Here are the details:

What:	#AkimboChat is a monthly twitter-based discussion around various arts related interests.
When:	Wednesday, November 28th, 1:00-2:00pm EST and then the last Wednesday of every month.
Where:	On Twitter – Follow @Akimboart for more information.
Who:	Anyone can participate! Artists, arts workers, galleries, museums, curators, cultural institutions and anyone who appreciates the arts are all welcome to participate and have their say.
Why:	It’s a great way to connect and share ideas with other arts professionals and art lovers, internationally and in real-time.
How:	Starting at 1pm we will be asking a series of questions around the month’s topic for participants to answer, debate and discuss. We will ask a question every 10 minutes to give time for everyone to respond. Be sure to include the hashtag #AkimboChat so we can capture all the responses.

Here’s an example of how the conversation might go:

@Akimboart Q1 What are your favourite art galleries?#AkimboChat

@CoolArtist A1 I love @SuperGallery because they feature emerging artists #AkimboChat

@PhotoBug33 A1 @PhotoGallery @PhotoSpace and @SnapShotGallery #AkimboChat

@Akimboart Q2 Where do you find out about art events in your area? #AkimboChat

@AndyWarhol A2 oh-wow that’s a good question… I’m not sure. #AkimboChat

@ArtLover A2 Why through Akimbo of course! #AkimboChat

An easy way to follow along with the conversation is to login to the discussion via www.tweetchat.com You will be asked to login to your twitter account and then what hashtag (#) you would like to follow (in this case it will be #AkimboChat). Tweetchat.com will then offer a feed like a chat room for you to follow along and will auto-insert the #akimobchat hashtag for you. If the conversation is moving too quickly, you can scroll back and it will pause the feed for you to catch up.

Our topic for November 28: Public Art

Please help spread the word by using the sharing buttons above and by tweeting about it using the hashtag #Akimbochat If you have any questions about how to participate, please email us at [email protected]

We look forward to tweetchatting with you on Wednesday, November 28th at 1pm EST!

Hot Topics: The 2012 OAAG Awards

Hot Topics come from the desk of Jacquie Severs, Manager of Communications & Social Media

Last Friday, the Ontario Association of Art Galleries (OAAG) hosted the 35th annual Ontario visual arts awards. Thirty-two visual art galleries from 19 cities across Ontario were nominated this year, and the RMG was included.

The OAAG Awards recognize artistic merit and excellence in nine major categories: Exhibition, Curatorial and Art Writing, Public Program, Education, Art Publication, Design, Partnership, Colleague and Volunteer. The Awards are an annual, juried program.

I’m pleased to be able to announce today that the RMG won in two categories!

(Here’s our CEO Gabrielle Peacock accepting an award! Photo by Roberta Baker)

Samuel Roy-Bois: Polarizer was at the RMG in November 2009-January 2010 and continued to travel to galleries across Canada through 2011. You may remember the long claustrophobic passage punctuated with a bright boat installation.

Exhibition Design and Installation Award

Samuel Roy-Bois: Polarizer
Ryan Doherty, Curator
Samuel Roy-Bois, Artist and Exhibition Designer
Samuel Roy-Bois, Marcie Bronson, Danny Custodio, Matt Harley, Gallery Team
Rodman Hall Art Centre/ Brock University, Southern Alberta Art Gallery and The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, 2011

In late 2009 and early 2010, Underline Studio studied our existing identity, and then underwent a design process to renew it, resulting in a new logo identity program. Pictured below are some samples of how that identity has been used in printed items such as newsletters, letterhead and business cards. We have continued to infuse everything we do with our new brand identity and are very pleased Underline Studio was honoured for their work in conceiving a welcoming, friendly, expressive logo for our use across many platforms.

Design Award

Identity Renewal
Underline Studio
Identity Renewal for The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa

Learn more!

Check out OAAG:

Online

On Facebook

On Twitter

Check out Underline Studio:

Online

On Twitter

Read about Samuel Roy-Bois:

Online – Personal Site

Canadian Art Magazine

Share Your Love for Art

Our Education Department is seeking new volunteers. Get involved! Here are some details on upcoming meetings.

Become a Volunteer Art Educator

The Education Department is looking for enthusiastic volunteers to join our dedicated team. Our volunteers share an interest in learning and introducing children to Canadian art, culture and history.

Weekly discussions are based on the Permanent Collection, new featured exhibitions, and various art styles/movements. Teaching and touring techniques are also addressed.

New Sessions Begin: Monday, September 17, 2012 1pm to 2:30pm

Become a Volunteer Studio Art Instructor

The Education Department is expanding our volunteer Educators group! We are seeking volunteers to join our all new group of Studio Educators who will assist the Education Studio Specialist. Volunteers must have an interest in the art making process; a basic knowledge of art studio practices is an asset.

Anyone who is interested is invited to an orientation meeting on Monday, September 17, 2012 at 10am.

Commitment is flexible and applicants are welcomed throughout the year.

For more information, please contact the Norah O’Donnell, Volunteer Coordinator at 905 576 3000 ext. 106 or by email at [email protected]