The long-hoped-for news about museums reopening finally came in, and the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum (EAGM) is now getting ready to welcome visitors once again.
Three summer students, hired by the EAGM with the help of a grant that director-curator Amber Andersen received from Canada Summer Jobs, are helping the EAGM’s staff to get everything ready for the big day. Justin Hertes, Jack McGeough and Hunter Perkins are finishing with renovations inside the building and curating the first exhibit that is slated for July 20.
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That’s when the doors will open to the public as well after all COVID-19 related safety measures are put in place.
“We’ve just been using the opportunity of not being open to the public to paint. (Summer students) are also working on rearranging the collection and doing other stuff that we can’t do when we are open to the public,” explained Karly Garnier, who is the EAGM’s education, outreach and programming co-ordinator.
The EAGM had to reschedule the shows they would have had due to COVID-19, and they decided to re-open with an exhibit based on their permanent collection.
The seasonal North West Mounted Police Museum won’t open this year.
“Unfortunately, art is fine, people know not to touch art, and all of our pieces will be put behind glass. But the artifacts in the museum, if they are touched, a lot of them can’t be cleaned,” explained Garnier. “And just the nature of our museum, it’s very congested in there. So in the interest of public safety and safety of our collection, it is going to be closed.”
She added that they hope to be able to open it again to the public next year. But for now, they will just have a few pieces from the museum displayed in the foyer.
The collection that will be presented to the public in July will also be featured online on their social media for people who can’t come or prefer to view it from the comfort of their homes.
The gallery is also preparing new entertainment for the community. Four artists, Belinda Harrow, Monique Martin, Zoe Schneider and Regan Lanning, stepped forward to help the EAGM put together a fun and art-centred activity for the Estevan community and summer tourists, named the Inside Out exhibition.
“We are partnering with Woodlawn on that,” said Garnier. “We are going to have four pieces of art from these artists and they will be popping up in Woodlawn … It’s going to be an art scavenger hunt. We are going to post hints when these pieces are down in Woodlawn. We encourage people to find them, take a selfie and send it to us and be entered to win a prize… And we are also going to highlight other cultural spots around town.”
All artists already had or will have their exhibition at the EAGM, and Inside Out will give the community a little taste of their art. More details about the exhibition/game will be published on the EAGM’s social networks. If the initiative goes well, they may expand it and place art indoors come fall to continue the art game throughout the year.
“It’s just something to get art out into the community since we can’t have much going on here,” said Garnier.
The two new regularly scheduled shows will open on August 28.
The EAGM is currently running the Isolation Summer Camp and family art classes that started on June 15 as virtual art programs, and Garnier said they won’t move any of that programming to an in-person format this summer.
The camp is for five to 12-year-olds, and it will go until the end of August. Parents can engage their kids in activities weekly. Garnier makes projects every week and parents can pick up premade art kits. Each kit costs $5 and includes all one needs to start creating.
“It has all of the instructions, all of the supplies. You can grab it, it’s contactless pickup. You can sign up for one kit a week, two, three kits, whatever you want. Every week there are up to three projects that kids can do,” said Garnier.
Earlier the EAGM received a grant through the Community Initiatives Fund for their in-person summer camp, but the fund allowed them to adapt and to use the money for the different format.
The Family Art program is geared toward toddlers. Parents are offered to pick up one kit a week which costs $2. Both programs will continue until the end of summer. People can register every week by sending Garnier an email. She said they will keep going with contactless pickup for now.
Another initiative they are planning for and that will start in July is Art for Seniors.
“We are going to be offering art cards with postage, so people can come and pick them up. We’ll post them weekly, it’s a kind of an inspiration project idea that if you want to do it, you can, but you don’t have to. You come, pick up the card, write a message. We’ll have the postage and the address on it and send it to a senior home in the community.”
The EAGM’s biggest fundraiser, the Rafferty Rumble, was cancelled due to COVID-19, and the board now is discussing what else can be done to engage and entertain the public and also raise some money to keep the gallery and art in the community going. But a lot of things are still up in the air on both fundraising and programming sides.
“We are sticking to what we have planned out right now, trying to pop up and do as much out into the community or get stuff out to people and then we’ll re-evaluate and see where we are going from there.”
In the meantime, the EAGM’s staff keeps working, so with any questions, people can call the gallery during their work hours.
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.
