Donna Raetsen-Kemp appointed the new CEO of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery

Following an extensive search, the Board of Trustees of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery (RMG) is pleased to announce Donna Raetsen-Kemp will be the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The search was conducted by the Board of the RMG, with assistance from Peter Spratt, Vice President of Collins Barrow.

“Over the past five years, the RMG has made great progress in sharing and engaging with our communities in the continuing exploration of modern and contemporary art,” said Dr. Christine Castle on behalf of the RMG Board. “As The RMG enters the next phase of its development, we are delighted to welcome Donna Raetsen-Kemp as CEO. We are confident Donna¹s cultural vision and leadership will guide the Gallery in new and exciting directions by inspiring our enormously creative staff and volunteers.”

Raetsen-Kemp was selected from a diverse and high profile pool of individuals who had a strong knowledge of Canadian art, demonstrated cultural leadership, as well as an ability to engage and connect with their communities. Additionally, candidates were considered on the basis of their ability to secure funding and connect with businesses, the Board and other stakeholders.

Previously, Raetsen-Kemp was the CEO of the Station Gallery, Whitby (2005-present) where her cultural vision saw overall attendance increase, six fold to 40,000 annual visitors, as well as the development of a robust education program offering 400 classes annually. Her implementation of fund development strategies saw revenue increase, while maintaining the delicate balance of artistic integrity and business stability. Additionally, Raetsen-Kemp is well connected within the cultural sector and involved with the International Council of Museums, the Canadian Association of Museum Officers and Directors, the Canadian Museums Association and the Ontario Association of Art Galleries.

“I enthusiastically welcome Donna as our new leader. I know her to be talented and thoughtful and I am confident in her abilities and excited for the future of the RMG,” said Olinda Casimiro, Interim CEO and Director of Finance of the RMG.

“The RMG is not only one of the leading public art galleries in Ontario, it’s a cultural hub and people place. That’s compelling to me.” said Donna Raetsen-Kemp, “I’m truly honoured to follow in the footsteps of progressive RMG leaders. The visionary Board and brilliance of the RMG team have set the stage beautifully for this next phase of transformation.”

Raetsen-Kemp’s people-first leadership philosophy will engage the community and mobilize the staff of the RMG to further expand and develop bold programming that continues to tell the story of modern and contemporary Canadian art.

Raetsen-Kemp will begin at the RMG on 17 August 2015.

RMG Fridays July: Canadian Celebration

Keep the Canadian spirit going on Friday July 3rd, from 7-10pm, with indie rockers Canvas and Chris Doucett & The Way Out. Join local artist Monique Ra Brent in Gallery A and chat with Teri Lipman about her collection in A Visionary Journey.

Learn more about the Broken Arts Festival on July 18 in Memorial Park!

For more information:
A Visionary Journey – https://rmg.on.ca/lipman-visionary-journey.php
Canvas – https://www.facebook.com/canvastunes
Chris Doucett & The Way Out – https://www.facebook.com/ChristopherDoucett
Monique Ra Brent – https://rmg.on.ca/gallery-a-on-view.php
Broken Arts Festival – https://www.facebook.com/brokenartsca

On the first Friday of the month, join the RMG in celebrating local talent. The gallery buzzes with live musical performances, interactive art experiences, open gallery spaces, social mingling and more. Suitable for music lovers, youth, families, date nights, and culture-vultures.

Free to attend | 7-10pm | Cash Bar | All ages welcome.

Follow the twitter feed at #RMGFridays!

The RMG is grateful to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for their support of this programming.

Interview with Motor City Stories Artist Dani Crosby

“Hot Topics” blog posts come from the desk of Sam Mogelonsky, our Communications & Social Media Coordinator. Sam caught up with Motor City Stories artist Dani Crosby to discuss her project in the upcoming exhibition.

In partnership with the Motor City Boxing Club, the RMG has invited regional artists to produce new works inspired by the sport of boxing. Selected artists were invited to visit the Motor City Boxing Club (Oshawa), observe athletes in training, work in situ at the club and produce new work based on their observations. The exhibition runs from July 14 – August 2 in gallery A.

RMG: Why were you interested in the Motor City Stories project?

Dani Crosby: I love drawing from life, I find Boxing to be beautiful and brutal, and I could not resist the challenge of capturing that duality on site at the Motor City Boxing Club.

RMG: What have you been doing at Motor City Boxing Club?

DC: A lot of quick gesture drawings. I am treating my visits to Motor City Boxing Club like great big life drawing sessions. I try to scurry around the space and capture as many interesting poses and expressions as possible within the time frame of each visit. I have also been taking some video clips so that I can work from my studio in a similar manner. I’m going to be sad when this project comes to an end. As a big fan of drawing from life I would love to keep drawing at Motor City Boxing Club indefinitely.

RMG: What has been the most interesting part of the project so far?

DC: The close proximity to the action and the people. Motor City Boxing Club members range from children to seniors and all members seem so supportive and respectful of one another. Everyone has been very friendly and often inquisitive. I have had the pleasure of listening to stories from several individuals describing their reasons for training, their interest and involvement in the Visual arts. I have been made very comfortable on the premises and I am thrilled to have made Motor City Boxing members comfortable enough to approach and converse.

RMG: What are the next steps for your project before the exhibition?

DC: I will continue to crank out as many drawings as possible. My contribution to this exhibition consists of many small pieces, each piece illustrating a different state of training, to be arranged in Gallery A in a pattern representative of The Square Circle. All of my work for this exhibition will focus on a blend of frantic mark making and deliberate ink work, reflecting the cycle of energy ongoing within the Motor City Boxing training space.

A side from that I am working with local vinyl artist Gant Cole who will be printing a number of vinyl wall decal ‘photo corners’ I have designed in order to securely and inconspicuously mount each small piece directly onto the gallery wall. Oh and talking. I will continue sharing my own excitement in regards to this exhibition and the other artists my work will be neighbor to, through word of mouth and social media.

Dani Crosby is an Illustrator, Fine Artist, and Art Instructor. With a body of work ranging from observational studies to imagined interpretive conceptual projects Dani works to capture personality and develop thoughtful narratives in her diverse fine art work. As an Illustrator Dani brings a highly organized, consistent, and punctual working style to her clients. Her goal is to visually captivate and emotionally involve her audience. Dani’s main areas of focus as a visual artist have been: fine art, editorial, art for albums, merchandise, images for web and devices, posters, logos and icons.

Dani is always looking forward to exploring new subject matter, experiencing with new media, challenging concepts, meeting new clients, nurturing on-going professional relationships, taking on new commissions, and creative adventures in general. Graduate of the Sheridan College BA Illustration Program, Dani believes visual art is powerful enough to change anything from a person’s perception of a brand to a person’s perception of the world at large.

All images courtesy of Dani Crosby and the Motor City Boxing Club.

Boxing: The Sweet Science

Entering the ring at the RMG just in time for the Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games is an exhibit that is sure to be a knockout.

Boxing is a metaphor for life, filled with battles lost and won. In Boxing: The Sweet Science, curator Linda Jansma captures this expression through pieces that convey the movement, power and elegancy of the sport.

Oshawa named as the host of the boxing events for the Pan Am Games served as the catalyst for the exhibit based around the sport commonly referred to as The Sweet Science (a term coined by the British journalist and sportswriter Pierce Egan in the early 1800s). The city has a rich history in the sport as home to three-time Canadian featherweight champion Grant O’Reilly who operated two boxing clubs here in Oshawa. The dramatic nature of this heavy-hitting sport has ignited a passion among artists throughout history, dating back to the Mesopotamian era that includes literature, art and drama.

A knowledge as vast as the Rocky series is not need in order to appreciate the works in Boxing: The Sweet Science. The exhibit features 12 artists whose works, spanning over 100 years, align with the centralized theme of the art and spirit of boxing.

In British photographer Eadweard Muybridge’s work Boxing, open hand printed in November 1887, the physical intensity and athleticism of boxing is captured in 16 separate frames. While this piece is more of a literal interpretation of the sport, John J. A. Murphy’s Shadowboxing, 1924 adorns an abstract vision of boxing.

In addition to history works, Boxing: The Sweet Science features contemporary pieces that capture the essence of the sport.

In Stop Beating Yourself Up, Montreal-based performance artist Coral Short addresses the stigma that boxing is a man’s game. For the video, created in 2013, Short is donned in a boxer’s uniform while beating herself unconscious using “semi-believable” moves she learned while training with boxers. The graphic nature of this video is hard to watch but contains a message with a powerful punch.

Coral Short, Stop Beating Yourself Up, 2013, Video still

“I think [the work] is about learning to love ourselves more as women and queers. To bring awareness to the negative and damaging thought patterns that exist within us. Women often tend to make a sport of self-deprecation internally,” says Short. “I wanted to briefly jolt and re-hardwire our neutral pathways so they become less automatic habits. I want us all to move into a place of peace, self-acceptance and love.”

Similar to Short, Toronto photographer Pete Doherty uses boxing as a way to depict the war inside the artist. A part of the boxing scene for several decades now, the sport and its community helped lift Doherty out of years of depression. He began to photograph what he was experiencing as both the artist and the subject, giving viewers a look on the inside of boxing. The black-and-white photographs in Boxing: The Sweet Science depict a ringside and in the ring view including images of trainers and boxers alike, capturing the key moments of the sport.

Pete Doherty, The Docks Nightclub, Toronto, Ontario, Gelatin Silver Print, 2005. Photo credit: Pete Doherty.

Whether it is as an exercising method in World War I as depicted in an anonymous photograph or cubist depictions of pugilists, boxing depicts the exterior and interior battle we fight as humans.

Anonymous, Boxing competition at Shorncliffe, Brigadier-General MacDonald, D.S.O. and Lieutenant-Colonel Mayes, inspecting classes, April 1918. Photograph.

Boxing: The Sweet Science is on from May 30 to September 13 with an opening at RMG Fridays, June 5 at 7-10 pm and a Talk and Tour on Sunday, June 28 at 1-3 pm.

By Raechel Bonomo

Vol ‘n’ Tell is an ongoing series of blog posts written by RMG Volunteers. Raechel Bonomo is an art enthusiast and writer from Oshawa, Ont.

Image at top: George Bellows, American (1882-1925), The White Hope (detail), 1921, Lithograph on paper, 48.5 x 60.8 cm, Collection of the Art Gallery of Hamilton; gift of Mr. and Mrs. J.A. McCuaig, 1965, Photo credit: Michael Lalich.

Collections Corner: Ray Mead

This blog post comes from the desk of Senior Curator, Megan White, Assistant Curator.

The number of works by members of Painters Eleven in the RMG’s permanent collection just got a fair bit larger. The curatorial team at the RMG have been working on processing 496 drawings by Painters 11 member Ray Mead, into the permanent collection. In 1999, this wonderful collection of drawings and sketches by Mead were donated to the RMG. The collection of drawings include 292 loose drawings and 4 sketchbooks including 204 drawings, mostly in pen/pencil, ink or mixed media. This treasure trove of artwork has been patiently waiting in the RMG Archives for a chance to formally enter the permanent collection. This year, with funding from a Collections Management grant through the Department of Canadian Heritage, the drawings have been catalogued, photographed, matted and re-housed in our vault’s brand new rolling storage system.

When I think of Ray Mead, I immediately think of the work he produced as a member of Painters 11: striking abstract paintings in solid, bold colours. Although many of the drawings (mostly untitled) are abstract in style, the collection also includes a number of portraits of both men and women, female nudes, animals, and several sketches that look like they could be blueprints for future paintings. It has been a lovely experience being able to go through each of Mead’s drawings. Flipping through his drawings and pages of his sketchbooks can reveal part of his thought process, giving us a rare window into the mind of the artist. It is possible to track the development of a motif or design through five or six sketches, to see the different stages that Mead went through as he worked out his ideas.

Ray Mead (Canadian, b. England, 1921-1998); Untitled; 1986; charcoal on paper; Gift of the Estate of Ray Mead, 1999

Now that the artworks have been digitized and are available to search on our database, the drawings can be accessed in a much easier way by both RMG staff and the public. The drawings/sketches can be viewed digitally using our online database by searching “Ray Mead” in the Artist Name search bar.

Ray Mead (Canadian, b. England, 1921-1998); Untitled (study); n.d.; charcoal on paper; Gift of the Estate of Ray Mead, 1999

Ray Mead (Canadian, b. England, 1921-1998); Untitled (figure with hat); n.d.; felt pen on paper; Gift of the Estate of Ray Mead, 1999

My Communications Placement at the RMG

Heather Bulman is a communications student at Durham College and this winter she completed her placement with the RMG.

My grandmother loved the arts and exposed me to many forms at an early age. From visiting the Whetung Arts and Crafts Gallery in Curve Lake to the Tom Thompson paintings hanging on the walls of her condo or the great performers of 1930s musical productions. I always believed to have a deep appreciation and understanding of the arts.

Then I began my placement at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery. As the Communications Intern, I am surrounded by individuals who live and breathe a passion for the arts. Through my time at the gallery, I have had the opportunity to attend artist and curator talks, which have given me a whole new level of appreciation for the behind-the-scenes efforts of these creative works. Whether listening to Margaret Rodgers’ interpretation of bystanders in the historic photos from the Thomas Bouckley Collection or imagining Senior Curator, Linda Jansma digging through vaults overseas for hidden Jock MacDonald gems. These stories help the viewer see beyond the medium, into the heart of the creator.

The history of our people, land and culture are captured in these works. They are preserved to inspire, teach or challenge the viewer’s understanding, both at the time of publishing and for generations to come.

I am so grateful for my time at the gallery. Not only has my position allowed me to use the skills I’ve acquired through the Durham College Public Relations program, I’ve gained experiences and relationships I’ll value for a lifetime.

– Heather

RMG Fridays May: National Youth Arts Week

Andrew Johnston and Rory Taillon & the Old Souls will serenade us at the launch of National Youth Arts Week. Join Oshawa’s Youth Council in the studio. Also celebrate the opening of Lora Moore-Kakaletris: Water, supported by CIBC Wood Gundy.

For more information:
Lora Moore-Kakaletris: Water – https://rmg.on.ca/moore-water-series.php
Andrew Johnston – http://www.thirdsidemusic.com/artists/andrew-johnston
Rory Taillon & the Old Souls – http://www.rorytaillon.com/

Free to attend | 7-10pm | Cash Bar | All ages welcome.

Follow the twitter feed at #RMGFridays!

The RMG is grateful to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for their support of this programming.

RMG Fridays April: Emerging Superstars

We encourage you to Bring-a-Friend to our RMG Fridays April event on April 10 from 7-10m (*Note Special Date) to share in the fun! The night features performances by highly-acclaimed pop singer/songwriter Scott Helman, the 2014 nominee for the CBC Music Rising Star award and smart-pop, love-rockers So Young from London. This event runs alongside the opening of Speak Up! Youth Art Exhibition.

For more information:
Speak Up: https://www.facebook.com/speakuposhawa
Scott Helman: http://www.scotthelmanmusic.com/home/
So Young: http://soyoung.bandcamp.com/

Free to attend | 7-10pm | Cash Bar | All ages welcome.

Follow the twitter feed at #RMGFridays!

The RMG is grateful to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for their support of this programming.

Call for Submissions: Motor City Stories

Submission Deadline: 6 April 2015

ABOUT THE PROJECT

In conjunction with the Toronto 2015 Pan /Parapan American Games, The Robert McLaughlin Gallery in partnership with the Motor City Boxing Club, invite regional artists to produce new works inspired by the sport of boxing. Selected artists will be invited to visit the Motor City Boxing Club (Oshawa), observe athletes in training, work in situ at the club and produce new work based on their observations.

Artists are encouraged to work in a wide variety of visual media including drawing, painting, photography, media and integrated art forms. The resulting work will be displayed in a group exhibition in Gallery A @the RMG in conjunction with other PAN AM exhibition programming

ARTIST FEE

Selected artists are provided a fee of $250.00

TIMELINE

Notification: by 10 April
Drop off work (ready to display): Monday 13 July, 1pm
Exhibition duration: 14 July – 2 August
Opening Reception: Sunday 19 July 1-3pm
Pick up artwork: Tuesday 4 August, 9am
ELIGIBILITY

Open to all professional artists and collectives residing in the Durham Region

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Letter of intent (maximum 1 page)
3-5 digital images or other relevant work
A current artist CV and biography in PDF format

SUBMIT at https://rmg.on.ca/gallery-a-motor-city-stories.php

Images courtesy of Motor City Boxing.

Call for Submissions: Gallery A

With the support of the Aked Endowment and funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage, the RMG is embarked on an exciting new initiative aimed at fostering a thriving local arts community. During the summer of 2014, we renovated our space to create a professional exhibition space reserved for exhibiting the work of local artists, community collaborations, and themed group exhibits.

Opportunities are available for community partnerships and special initiatives as well as an annual artist residency that prioritizes artists who wish to experiment with new ideas, collaborate, and work in new directions. Exhibiting artists will have opportunities to give public talks on their work, participate in professional development workshops, and give and receive critical feedback from peers. Programming of this space is separate from our curatorial planning and proposal selections will be made through a jury of local artists and arts professionals.

Application Deadline:
Sunday 15 March, 2015
Projects will take place from September 2015 to February 2016.

More info and to apply: https://rmg.on.ca/gallery-a-about.php

Image: Pete Smith speaking about his exhibition Postscript, 2015.