Noodle Feed was a popular installation with the kids at the launch of Winter Statilons 2020 at Woodbine Beach on Family Day. Art Pop-Ups presented by East End Arts will be taking place for the next five Sundays while Winter Stations continues. Photos by Donna Braybrook.
East End Arts will be holding Art Pop-Ups on the Sundays that the Winter Stations 2020 exhibition is taking place.
The Art Pop-Ups are free events and will be from Feb. 23 to March 22, at 1961 Queen St. E. from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The workshops for this year’s Art Pop-Ups are following with the theme of the Winter Stations Beyond the Five Senses.
On Feb. 23 there will be the first workshop based off the sense “see,” a photography workshop lead by Diana Nazareth, a Toronto-based photographer and educator. Participants will have a chance to learn how to operate a camera and get tips on taking great photos. The workshop will include a guided walk of the Winter Stations installations on Woodbine Beach, and the photos taken will be printed and used to help create a community collage that will be displayed.
If you do not own a camera but are still interested in participating, visit www.eastendarts.ca/winter-stations-art-pop-ups/ to register for the event and a camera will be provided. Make sure to book early, as there is a limited amount of cameras available.
For the second Art Pop-up, on March 1, the theme is “taste” and the event will be a drag, food and aesthetics workshop/feast lead by Mikiki.
Tips on extravagantly plating junk food will be part of the pop-up. This workshop will look at principles of aesthetics, food security and learning how to increase the level of any junk food.
The third workshop on March 8, will on the sense of “smell” and will be presented by the North Shore Apothecary. They will be showing participants how to create a “Beach Bath” which will contain botanicals collected from the shores of Lake Ontario. The workshop will focus on slowing down, focusing and contemplation.
For the fourth workshop on March 15, the theme is “hear” and it will be hosted by the Artery Collective. The program will be linked to the collective’s current co-creation community who are dedicated to the arts and it will feature an afternoon of music and performance.
For the fifth and final workshop on March 22, the sense “touch” will be the theme. Felt artist Wendy Anderson will present the workshop. Participants are to meet at the boardwalk in front of the Donald D. Summerville pool (1867 Lake Shore Blvd. E.) to collect materials along the beach, and they will be then be guided in creating their own textural sculpture.
This year’s winning Winter Station designs come from Madrid, Spain (Mirage), Edinburgh, Scotland (Kaleidoscope of the Senses) and Vienna, Austria (Noodle Feed). The fourth installation, The Beach’s Percussion Ensemble is from Toronto’s Centennial College.
The Beach’s Percussion Ensemble consists of three structures of varying sizes formed of a series of stacked wooden prisms in a circular shape beside a giant steel drum. Metal bells will hang as well, releasing sounds like a wind chime. Visitors will be able to use sticks attached to the structure to make their own sounds and join the ensemble.
Mirage was designed to read the movements of the sun and people. Depending on where visitors to the exhibit are positioned, they see either a red transparent sun setting or a light and bright rising sun. As they walk closer, they will see the thin structure that makes these two realities possible.
Kaleidoscope of the Senses re-purposes the existing lifeguard chair and brings together a dynamic composition of elements that are “both a visual and experiential celebration of the senses and a metaphor of the body in space.”
Noodle Feed creates a shared augmented reality environment where people can interact in new ways and consider “that the world is much more than we perceive.”
Winter Stations 2020 is on display at Woodbine Beach until March 30. Winter Stations local partners include the Beach Village BIA and East End Arts.
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.
