The 44th annual Prince Albert Winter Festival Art Show & Sale’s guest curator, Tim Moore, poses in the Mann Art Gallery on Jan. 28, 2020. (Jayda Noyes/Daily Herald)
Tim Moore has come full circle.
One of the first professional
exhibitions where the Swift Current-based artist showed his work was
the annual Prince Albert Winter Festival Art Show and Sale. Now, he’s
that same exhibition’s guest curator.
The 44th annual exhibition,
which is estimated to have pieces from 136 artists, is showing at the
Mann Art Gallery from Feb. 7 to Mar. 21.
Tuesday was Moore’s first of two days
of curation. Artwork of all sorts was scattered across the gallery’s
main and project galleries, as well as in the education studio.
“You can’t get into a situation like
this with 136 artists and not have this massive variety,” said
Moore.
“You’ve got everything from tapestry fibre, felting, mixed media sculpture. You’ve got paintings of all sorts, everything from oil to encaustic, acrylic. You’ve got drawings, a wooden sculpture.”
Moore says this felt piece by Reanne Settee was inspired by a song. (Jayda Noyes/Daily Herald)
Moore is a founding member of the
Indigenous Peoples’ Artist Collective (IPAC).
He grew up in the city’s West Flat
before moving away to B.C. for about four years. This, he feels, is a
way of reintroducing himself into Prince Albert’s arts community.
He and his wife have a cabin in Round
Lake, which is about half an hour northwest of Prince Albert, but
reside in Swift Current where they both work at the gallery.
Moore said he’s been familiar with the
Winter Festival Arts Show & Sale for about 20 years.
“If you’ve been kind of keeping tabs
on this exhibition long enough, you will notice…there was a
cohesive group of artists, so you got familiar with everybody,” he
explained.
“I’m not familiar with all of the
work anymore. There’s a few that I can still pinpoint,” Moore
added.
“There’s definitely new blood coming into the exhibition these days.”
This artwork is by Jim Mason, a Melfort-based carver and sculptor. (Jayda Noyes/Daily Herald)
Moore considers himself a mixed media
or interdisciplinary artist. Not only does he draw and paint, but he
does a lot of collages and mixed media sculptures.
In 2015, his show A Day at the Races toured to Prince Albert’s Mann Art Gallery.
Moore said because there’s so many
artists in the Winter Festival Art Show & Sale, curating is more
of a challenge.
“Sometimes you get things set and you
think that’s going to work. About an hour later, everything has
changed,” he said.
“It’s very different than say, you’re
curating an exhibition with just one artist, so you will have 30 or
40 works that usually will run in some kind of a theme.”
He said he likes to start with a work
that grounds the room, pointing to a large tapestry on the floor that
had yet to be hung up.
Surrounding the tapestry were pieces of
a similar, colourful tone.
“I tried to choose everything along
it that would work with it and help to set it off and the others
off,” said Moore.
When asked to pinpoint a piece that stands out to him, Moore walked towards one by Michel Boutin. The work, which Moore didn’t yet have a title for, is a bull skull crushed between two boards. A red piece of fabric drapes around the horns.
One of about 136 artists participating in the Prince Albert Winter Festival Art Show & Sale is Michel Boutin. Moore believes this piece showing a skull being crushed was used in performance art. (Jayda Noyes/Daily Herald)
From what he knows, the piece was used
in performance art.
“I guess the performance had a lot to
do (with)—it’s a vice, and he crushed, continually crushed skulls,”
said Moore.
“I just like the ruggedness of this
and kind of the steel, wood and everything. Often art, everybody
thinks it has to be beautiful,” he said.
“Art can look like a lot of different
things. As long as it has a certain message and a certain presence,
so this is a good example of that.”
Another work is by Kylee Blackburn, who
used film emulsion to create a camera.
“I really quite like the use of material, the design is very simple. It’s not overly done,” said Moore about her piece.
Artist Kylee Blackburn used film emulsion to create a camera. (Jayda Noyes/Daily Herald)
Artists from all over the province have
pieces in the show. All Saskatchewan residents are eligible to submit
work as long as they’re members of the Mann Art Gallery.
The Prince Albert Winter Festival Art
Show & Sale opening gala reception takes place on Feb 7 at 7 p.m.
Admission for participating artists is free, for gallery members is
$10 and for the general public is $15.
The Guest Curator’s Talk & Tour is
on Feb. 8 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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.
