Check out www.alberniarts.com for our current art exhibit featuring Miroslava Gojdova.
This beautiful exhibit showcases soothing oil abstracts, exciting acrylic pours and macro photography.
Staff at the Rollin Art Centre has been working hard on bringing you virtual art exhibits. Yes, all our art exhibits will soon be featured online, so if you are unable to make any upcoming artist’s openings, you can now view them from the comforts of your own home or on the go.
GARDENS SET TO OPEN
The Rollin Art Centre is set to open its beautiful gardens and grounds beginning Tuesday, June 16.
From Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the grounds will be open to the public for you to wander and enjoy our beautifully manicured gardens. What better way to enjoy nature and remove yourself from self-isolation?
The gallery and gift shop (including washrooms) will remain closed to the public until further notice. We are, however, available for personal appointments. Curbside pick up will also be available. Just call 250-724-3412.
GIFT SHOP NOW ONLINE
The Rollin Art Centre will soon bring all of its one-of-a kind gift shop art pieces to you online.
We will have a wide range of items, all created by local artists, including pottery, woodworks, jewellery, stained glass, sun catchers, prints, paintings, art cards, First Nations artwork, glass etchings, birdhouses and so much more.
Please join us online soon at www.alberniarts.com. When you purchase from our gift shop, you are helping to support local artists as well as the Rollin Art Centre. We need your continued support.
HEY KIDS
We want to see what you’ve been doing!
More and more ideas are springing up to help keep children doing creative and fun projects during the COVID-19 pandemic. We would love to see them and be able to share them on our Facebook page.
Send us a video or photo of yourself and a project that you are currently working on or that you have completed. You can get more ideas if you tune into the Rollin Art Centre’s Facebook Page. Get your mom or dad to help take a video or photo of you creating art work and send it to Melissa at admincac@shawcable.com.
Don’t forget to give us written permission, otherwise we wont be able to post it. We are so excited to stay connected and see what you have all been working on during these crazy times.
ANNUAL BOOK SALE
The news is out – we have a new venue for this year’s annual giant book sale!
We need your help, especially this year, to raise much-needed funds! Mark your calendars for Friday, Nov. 6 (6-8 p.m.) and Saturday, Nov. 7 (9 a.m. – 3 p.m.), when the Community Arts Council will be holding our biggest fundraiser of the year with our annual giant book sale at the Alberni Athletic Hall.
This year promises to be the best year yet, with thousands of wonderful books and all the space we will have to spread out for more selections.
Due to the generous amount of book donations, we will no longer be accepting book donations for this year’s book sale. Please keep them until 2021. Thank you again for your continued support.
CHAR’S PRESENTS ZOOM
Wednesday, June 10, 7 p.m. – Alberni Valley Words on Fire! Char’s presents online spoken word open mic featuring Frances Sullivan (regional feature reader) and FBCW sponsored feature reader Bill Arnott with his newest book, Gone Viking.
All tickets are available online through www.sidedooraccess.com, call 250-730-1636 to charge by phone, or eTransfer “event date and email address” to info@charslanding.com. Guests will receive the ZOOM event link by email.
Melissa Martin is the Arts Administrator for the Community Arts Council, at the Rollin Art Centre and writes for the Alberni Valley News. Call 250-724-3412. Email: communityarts@shaw.ca.
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.
Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.
Massive Seizure of Artworks
In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.
Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.
Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed
In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.
Court Proceedings Ongoing
The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.
Impact on the Local Art Community
The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.
For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.
As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.
While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.
Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.
As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.
