Volunteers rule at the CAG

This week is National Volunteer Week and the CAG takes its hat off to our dedicated team of over 50 volunteers. We thank them for their valuable gift of expertise, amazing energy and dedication.

As Gallery Coordinator I consider myself privileged to work alongside volunteers who fulfill so many necessary roles in the organisation. It might be a surprise to some to discover the sheer diversity of their backgrounds. This has encompassed occupations ranging from students, artists, teachers, architects, librarians, marketing professionals and designers through to treaty negotiators! In recognition, I would like to share with you a series of profiles that highlight the interests, backgrounds and experiences of these dedicated individuals.

First in the series is Dan Potter:

What brought you to volunteer at the CAG?

I love contemporary art!  I think that there is nothing that can relay various life experiences and different perspectives better then art.  It really is the best storyteller.  So being an artist since the age of two, I decided to get a post secondary education in art and pursue it as a career.  That meant I was looking for “experience”, but also something fun relating to art which made me want to get involved with the CAG.

 What is your favorite thing about your volunteer position at the CAG?

I like talking with the various gallery visitors.  I have had some interesting  chats.  I also like my position in that I am the first person who people get a chance to talk to after they have seen the exhibit.

What and where was the first Contemporary Art work that you experienced?

It was at the Vancouver Art Gallery on a school field trip.  I was quite young, in early elementary school.  I remember seeing a piece hung on the gallery wall which consisted of a single straight line pointing upwards.  It must have been Barnet Newman or something else like his work.  But I remember I didn’t get it!  I couldn’t see the point for a creation of such simplicity hanging in a museum!  I guess my abstract mind was still developing.  Of course now I understand and enjoy the intricate use of meaning in all disciplines of contemporary art.

 What other creative activities do you do?

I am of course an artist in that I paint and draw with a focus on creativity and experimentation.  I compose and record various genres of music by playing several different instruments, but my main musical focus is playing the guitar.  I also write about art by including my various musings on life as they pertain to a particular art exhibition taking place around town. Check out Dan’s blog here: http://we-all-get-it-in-the-end.blogspot.com/

Thank you Dan for sharing! More profiles coming soon.

- Jill Henderson

Here are some favourite pics of our volunteers in action:

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Elizabeth McIntosh Interviews Eli Bornowsky

The CAG and the Western Front present the second of two videos featuring a conversation between Eli Bornowsky and Elizabeth McIntosh. This video was produced in conjunction with Bornowsky’s exhibition WALKING, SQUARE, CYLINDER, PLANE at the Western Front from November 26 – January 22, 2011. McIntosh questions Bornowsky about his new work, his need for a defining structural framework, and his methodology. Bornowsky also talks about his desire to create paintings that encourage active looking.

Walking, Square, Cylinder, Plane: Elizabeth McIntosh Interviews Eli Bornowsky (Part 2 of 2) from CAG on Vimeo.

Eli Bornowsky Interviews Elizabeth McIntosh

The CAG and the Western Front present a new video featuring a dialogue between Eli Bornowsky and Elizabeth McIntosh. The video was produced in conjunction with McIntosh’s solo show Violet’s Hair, at the CAG from November 19, 2010 – January 9, 2011. McIntosh and Bornowsky are both Vancouver-based painters whose work fits primarily into the realm of geometric abstraction. The discussion navigates McIntosh’s personal relationship to her work and her viewers, as well as her artistic process. The interview, which is set against the backdrop of a part of McIntosh’s exhibit, reveals new and unexpected layers of meaning within specific paintings.

This is the first of two videos. Released soon will be Elizabeth McIntosh Interviews Eli Bornowsky produced in conjunction with Bornowsky’s exhibition WALKING, SQUARE, CYLINDER, PLANE at the Western Front from November 26 – January 22, 2011.

Violet’s Hair: Eli Bornowsky interviews ELizabeth McIntosh (Part 1 of 2) from CAG on Vimeo.

 

Jan Verwoert and Elizabeth McIntosh Public Conversation

Last Friday night the CAG hosted a public conversation between art historian and critic Jan Verwoert and local artist Elizabeth McIntosh. McIntosh is currently exhibiting a solo show entitled Violet’s Hair at the gallery. The event drew in a huge crowd, filling the gallery to full capacity, and engaged the audience in a dialogue about contemporary practices of painting.

A big thank you to both Jan and Elizabeth for their participation!

Here are some of the pictures from the evening:

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Violet’s Hair Opening Reception

Last night we opened Elizabeth McIntosh’s new exhibition Violet’s Hair at the CAG. There was a great turnout and there seemed to be a real excitement.

Here are some of the pictures:

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photographs by Melba Dalsin

Feature on Elizabeth McIntosh

Canadian Art has a feature article with Elizabeth McIntosh, who will be exhibiting at the CAG this November. You can view the article here (and read about what she’ll be showing at the CAG) :

http://www.canadianart.ca/art/features/2010/06/01/done-not-done/