Get ready to enjoy homegrown talent, as FIN Fridays hits the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia on the last Friday of every month.
Beginning January 31, 2020, FIN Atlantic International Film Festival and the gallery have partnered to focus on works by Atlantic Canadian filmmakers.
The event series – Atlantic Cinematheque – has Colin Stinson, director of marketing and visitor experience with the gallery, excited for the infusion of programming.
“We are happy to generate a more consistent partnership with FIN. This allows us to diversify our offerings, and we can look at a new medium, which is film, and bring in a new audience,” he said. “We can also enhance things for our current audience.”
“FIN knows the art of film like the back of their hands, so we are happy to be doing this with them.”
Stinson is always trying to feature local artists, and is happy they can feature local film now as well.
“We love this Atlantic Canadian content. To be able to showcase people from here or things that connect to here is important,” he said. “Our recent mission is to connect people and art together differently, and film is about the story. This element is important and helps us give museum goers and attendees something new.”
He said being able to do something of this magnitude with FIN shows how great it can be for two community and culture organizations to come together.
“Taking something like this that hasn’t been here before and doing it together shows the respect we have for each other as partners, and focuses on the work and our audience. I think it’ll be a great success,” he said. “For this gallery, community engagement, perception of what a gallery can be and more are important to how we serve our community.”
“We want to take the idea of an art gallery, flip it on its head, and serve a diverse community the way the gallery should. We are working on this in many ways, and this is one small way we can do that.”
This isn’t the first time the gallery and FIN have partnered, as the most recent September festival saw art-related screenings including films from Kenneth J. Harvey and Althea Thauberger, the latter of whom is part of an exhibition celebrating her work at the gallery now.
“The gallery and festival etched a relationship when Maudie was released, and each year we looked at ways to partner,” said Wayne Carter, executive director at FIN. “The Atlantic Cinematheque brand is something we see as a bigger picture thing, and doing this at the gallery is a great launch.
“More and more the theatrical window doesn’t last long for some Atlantic Canadian films, and if they hit streaming services, people may not even know. So when we talked to the gallery in earnest, they have the lovely new screen and projector for their room. We thought we should show films there.“
With the gallery recently opening Friday nights, and FIN’s 40th year on the cusp, Carter saw a way of opening this cinematheque theme.
“We can program this in quarters and react to things in the gallery. We can find synergies and connections with exhibits, and speak to that,” he said. “We want primarily Atlantic Canadian-based content, because it doesn’t get the exposure it should. There’s 50 years of content and films people may have missed.”
“We are looking at films like The Hanging Garden, which is huge in the Canadian canon, but they were released on DVD years ago but may not have BluRay releases or be spotlighted now. We want people to enjoy and relive these things, or see them for the first time.”
The curators of art and film will come together for FIN Fridays with the first film in the series, Perfume War, directed by Michael Melski. It charts friends Barb Stegemann and Afghanistan soldier Captain Trevor Greene. After the Taliban ends his tour violently, Greene and Stegemann try to continue his piece mission through perfume.
It screened at FIN (formerly the Atlantic Film Festival,) and garnered the Best Feature Documentary prize in 2016.
The winter schedule for FIN Fridays is now available on the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and FIN’s websites. Entry to the film is included in the cost of admission to the Gallery.
The FIN Fridays series will feature flicks by Atlantic Canadian filmmakers and films about Atlantic Canada, with shows screening in the Gallery’s Windsor Foundation. The screenings are first come, first serve.
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.
