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Art
'Radical diversity': Hampton makes history at MacKenzie Art Gallery – Regina Leader-Post
John Hampton is “feeling the weight of responsibility” as the first Indigenous director of a major non-Indigenous art institution in Canada.
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John Hampton remembers viewing a landscape painting exhibition during a childhood visit to the MacKenzie Art Gallery.
Nine-year-old Hampton was interested in art and technology and thought he might grow up to be an artist.
The landscape show steered him away from that idea, as his young brain registered a pattern in the dates of paintings from the 1700s, 1800s and early 1900s.
“‘Wow, so to be an artist, I’m going to have to be able to paint a landscape better than anyone in history … That doesn’t seem very achievable to me,’” he recalled, laughing.
Kids visiting the gallery today should have a different experience.
“That landscape (painting is) really going to resonate for some people but (not) others; we want to make sure that you can see there’s other ways of doing things for representing the world out there too.”
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Hampton, who grew up in Regina, joined the MAG as director of programs in October 2018.
When former executive director Anthony Kiendl left the MAG, Hampton was named interim executive director in July 2020. Last month, the “interim” was dropped.
Hampton is “very excited” about leading the MAG, but “also feeling the weight of responsibility too.”
He is the first Indigenous director of a major non-Indigenous art institution in Canada, one that has a long legacy in Regina and Saskatchewan.
“There’s a lot of intersecting responsibilities there,” Hampton said in a phone interview.
A main goal “is to try and hold space for the many voices, perspectives, cultures, artists that intersect with this institution,” said Hampton, and “trying to hold space for the Indigenous people of this territory.”
That’s important, “for I’m also a migrant here,” said Hampton, a member of the Chickasaw Nation.
“My homeland is down in the southeastern United States, but my reservation’s in Oklahoma, so I’m a guest on this territory as well. So I don’t have illusions of being representative of Indigenous people here in Treaty 4,” said Hampton.
Hampton and his father, Eber Hampton, are the only two Chickasaw people John knows in Saskatchewan.
The family moved here in 1991 for Eber’s job as president of the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College, predecessor to the First Nations University.
John’s mother Mary Hampton was a psychology professor at Luther College.
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From childhood, digital art was John Hampton’s passion — it still is. In 2019, with Hampton as director of programs, the MAG launched a Digital Lab with a focus on digital arts.
With two academic parents, Hampton would find 3D animation books at the U of R bookstore. He attended computer camp and learned to program HTML. As a pre-teen, he built websites and did IT support work.
It wasn’t until university that Hampton dove into “capital-A arts classes,” and that was only after dis-enrolling from the now-defunct New Media Campus.
His goal was to be a 3D animator (nano-technologist was his second choice), but the 3D animation and game design courses he was taking made him realize he’d rather focus on conceiving and creating his own stories.
So, Hampton enrolled in an inter-media class at the U of R, a multi-faceted studio art class; he “immediately fell in love” and switched his major.
“In that space, in this inter-media studio, I found a spot where you could just explore an idea and find the best way to try to investigate that in an open-ended way, and that there were no correct answers but it was just a space to search, to have dialogue, and to build on ideas and experience. So I never looked back after that,” said Hampton.
He did veer on that artistic path, though. Working as a curator, first at Neutral Ground Artist Run Centre in Regina, he realized he’d prefer not to create his own art, but facilitate other artists’ work.
He attended the University of Toronto for a master’s degree in curatorial studies. In Toronto, he was the curator-in-residence at the U of T Art Museum and artistic director at another artist-run centre, Trinity Square Video.
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His next job took him to Brandon, Man., where he was executive director of the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba.
Hampton “saw some really exciting things and potential meaningful work in Brandon that I wanted to come back to do.” But there was another reason for the “Prairie itch” that brought him closer to home.
“There’s a different relationship to community, and specifically to Indigenous communities, that I was experiencing in Toronto that gave me a desire to get back into the Prairies,” said Hampton.
Growing up in Regina, Hampton experienced “two fairly distinct cultural realities,” the “primarily white schools and neighbourhoods” at Argyle Elementary and Campbell Collegiate, and then the cultural spaces outside of school.
“Of course there were Indigenous people in my schools, but that was not the dominant presence. And my mother being white and my father being Chickasaw, it’s something that I didn’t maybe think about too much as a kid. But it just seemed like those were the two worlds that were here; it existed at school and it existed at the powwow or the pipe ceremony and that’s just the way things are.”
A key memory of those two worlds colliding occurred when Hampton was about 15 years old, at the MacKenzie.
It was the opening reception of The Powwow: An Art History, co-curated by Metis artist Bob Boyer and Lee-Ann Martin — the first Indigenous head curator of a mainstream Canadian gallery.
When Hampton attended that event with his family, “that was the very first time that I really recognized the blending of those worlds, of seeing what I could recognize from Indigenous-specific spaces in a non-Indigenous environment … (and) that blending in the audiences there …”
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“For me, culture is the space where we imagine who we can be as a society,” said Hampton.
Through artists and curators sharing their work, and audiences experiencing that work, “we start to come to some shared understanding and agreement about who we are as a society and as people.”
“And that’s been a very active conversation in the world right now and in art communities, and it’s something that … right now is coming with a lot of discomfort for some people,” added Hampton.
“And it’s embracing that discomfort while also seeing the beauty of existence and of our world and our relations with one another and this world we live in.”
The gallery is a place “to make space for these conversations and for the people that are helping us process.”
For people who feel like they don’t “get” art, Hampton is adamant that the gallery is here for everybody.
“(A person) doesn’t need a specific background in art or a vocabulary in painting. It’s just that the way in which each of us sees this work is the right interpretation for us, for that individual. So everybody coming into the gallery is an expert in their own experience,” said Hampton.
“An art gallery is a little closer to a spiritual space … in that artworks work almost like allegory. That it’s a story being told, it’s an experience that’s being shared that then you need to find your own truth and reaction to it.”
Hampton added, “You’re not going to like everything that you see, and that’s true about the whole world. On Netflix, you’re maybe not going to watch every program and love it, but you’ll hopefully go through and find those pieces that speak to you …”
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Art
Calvin Lucyshyn: Vancouver Island Art Dealer Faces Fraud Charges After Police Seize Millions in Artwork
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.
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Ukrainian sells art in Essex while stuck in a warzone BBC.com
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The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House has reopened its doors to the public after a fire swept through the historic building in central London. While the gallery has resumed operations, the rest of the iconic site remains closed “until further notice.”
On Saturday, approximately 125 firefighters were called to the scene to battle the blaze, which sent smoke billowing across the city. Fortunately, the fire occurred in a part of the building not housing valuable artworks, and no injuries were reported. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire.
Despite the disruption, art lovers queued outside the gallery before it reopened at 10:00 BST on Sunday. One visitor expressed his relief, saying, “I was sad to see the fire, but I’m relieved the art is safe.”
The Clark family, visiting London from Washington state, USA, had a unique perspective on the incident. While sightseeing on the London Eye, they watched as firefighters tackled the flames. Paul Clark, accompanied by his wife Jiorgia and their four children, shared their concern for the safety of the artwork inside Somerset House. “It was sad to see,” Mr. Clark told the BBC. As a fan of Vincent Van Gogh, he was particularly relieved to learn that the painter’s famous Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear had not been affected by the fire.
Blaze in the West Wing
The fire broke out around midday on Saturday in the west wing of Somerset House, a section of the building primarily used for offices and storage. Jonathan Reekie, director of Somerset House Trust, assured the public that “no valuable artefacts or artworks” were located in that part of the building. By Sunday, fire engines were still stationed outside as investigations into the fire’s origin continued.
About Somerset House
Located on the Strand in central London, Somerset House is a prominent arts venue with a rich history dating back to the Georgian era. Built on the site of a former Tudor palace, the complex is known for its iconic courtyard and is home to the Courtauld Gallery. The gallery houses a prestigious collection from the Samuel Courtauld Trust, showcasing masterpieces from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. Among the notable works are pieces by impressionist legends such as Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, and Vincent Van Gogh.
Somerset House regularly hosts cultural exhibitions and public events, including its popular winter ice skating sessions in the courtyard. However, for now, the venue remains partially closed as authorities ensure the safety of the site following the fire.
Art lovers and the Somerset House community can take solace in knowing that the invaluable collection remains unharmed, and the Courtauld Gallery continues to welcome visitors, offering a reprieve amid the disruption.
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