Something for Everyone, Nothing for Anyone

     This year marks twenty-five years of activity by the Definitely Superior Art Gallery. Again this year DEFSUP is a finalist for the Ontario Premiers Award for Excellence in the Arts. Their current shows are a good amalgam of current members, former members who are now professional artist/musicians in Montreal, and young people who are part of the Die Active Art Collective and may become future members. Having produced and presented over 800 exhibitions, events and activities DEFSUP has supported over 12,000 local, Canadian, and international artists.

     Last week I covered the Die Active 2-Pact show. Two other shows running currently are the 25^th Anniversary Member’s Show and a show called Something for Everyone, Nothing for Anyone, featuring two Montreal Artists, Tyler Rauman and Adam Waito. The two are former Thunder Bay artists.

     The Member’s Show is always an eclectic collection of styles and approaches for painting, drawing, multi-media, and sculpture. Such is its nature as the members featured are a mix of novices and professionals who do commercial and fine art.

     In Gallery One, the bizarre creature, a soft sculpture that will first grab your attention is Kathleen Twomey’s “Protector.” Half dog, half human, the thing is carrying a child. Spooky. Not far from this creature is a group of ceramic yellow ducks, by Katie Lemieux, where one duck is missing its eyes. Spooky-cute.

     Christian Chapman plays with the Queen’s head. Mark Neisenholt plays with Mayan hieroglyphs. Sam Shahsahabi’s and Janice Andrew’s acrylic paintings explode with colour, while Henry Hajdinjak’s is a tsunami of textures like you wouldn’t believe. Candace Twance goes for a little serenity in her painting, The Seer. Breanna

Bakkelund does a little classic piece in pastel called, Girl With Braided Hair. Kathleen Baleja’s Pod is made of “waspnest” material. And there’s much more worth checking out.

     In Gallery Three, Tyler Rauman and Adam Waito share their fun and lowbrow art, work that is a cross of commercial and fine art. They are both premiere poster makers for the music scene in Montreal. And they make their own music, so their affinity with what works and what the scene wants aesthetically makes them very current. Google their names to check out their amazing music careers.

     Their images are a mix of 1960/70s cartoon styles similar to Robert Crumb and Peter Max, and that of 1990s artists, Robert Williams and I, Braineater. It’s very much the kind of fun and edgy work popularized in Juxtapose Magazine.

     This art takes real skill and imagination, and mixed with its function of promoting bands and concerts these works are very effective at delivering a message and making the images memorable.

     Tyler Rauman’s work is hyper, manic, colourful, fun, dark, jazzy, and unrelenting in forcing you to look deeper. The mesmerizing quality comes from a great deal of colourful and strong repetition of simple shapes and images. His paintings can seem cluttered at first, but Rauman’s drawing abilities use the detail well.

     Adam Waito uses strong black contours to clearly delineate characters and objects. They too jump out at you, and for all their simplicity they are rich works, stronger in impact than the average political cartoon and resembling traditional woodcuts that have an association with dignity that is a bit jarring for the bizarre subject matter.

     Renee Terpstra says she and David K. brought this work to Thunder Bay in part because these two artists are both examples of how “this gallery has seeded artists throughout the country,” states Renee. “They’re here to help us celebrate our 25^th anniversary.”

     And you can too. These shows are up until July13. And cross your fingers and hope this year that DEFSUP wins the Ontario Premier’s Award.  

Modern Cave Painting at DEFSUP Gallery in Thunder Bay: 2-Pact Die Active Art Show

     The oldest cave paintings in North America are dated between 9,000 to 12,000 years old. Their meaning and function have never been fully resolved, but two distinct functions can be determined; our native ancestors said, “We were here,” and the images made them feel good.

     The paintings most likely performed the basic function of giving their makers comfort through mimesis, the copying of the things they loved and needed, primarily the animals they hunted for survival.

     By painting animals repeatedly the mass of images gave them feelings of plenty, which was especially important if the animals migrated to other parts for long periods of time. Those feelings of plenty became a necessary tool for survival, giving psychological comfort and reminding our ancestors that the animals would return.

     Having plenty, like our modern version of being materialistic, makes us feel good. We get status and security by owning lots of stuff. And for artists and others who collect art, art can be a substitute for the real thing. What we can’t have we make real in images, like lonely men painting women, poor people making vision boards, rich people collecting art supposedly imbued with deep meaning from some kind of guru artist, or a prisoner painting landscapes. Your fruit and flower curtains replace the winter view when everything outside appears dead. Your curtains remind you of better times. Lonely people watch lots of television.

     Having plenty of visual substitutes of what we can’t have makes us feel better.

      That’s why having art is so valuable in Thunder Bay, especially for young people. In our little community what we don’t have we can get surreptitiously through art.            

Witness the modern version of cave painting at the Definitely Superior Art Gallery currently on display in gallery two created by the Die Active Art collective. The imagery is a cross between graffiti and cave art where the art allows for a perfect blend of two desires most important for young people, acceptance and variety.

     The need for acceptance by ones peers and the need for freedom to be oneself may seem contradictory, but here at the DEFSUP gallery both meet perfectly in an expression of organized anarchy.

     Around thirty-five artists were involved in one week of work, which included two workshops to teach graffiti and how to use wheat paste. The only limit to the creative individual expression of the members was the colour palette. Limiting the colour helps give the show some cohesiveness.

     A few members to note are, NoHart, a graffiti artist with ten years experience, Vivike Knutson, a recent grad from OCAD, David Hotson, a talented low-brow artist, and new members, Nick Van Skahl, Sam Piche, otherwise known as “Fish,” and Saskia Pateman, who at fourteen years of age also did a musical performance piece at the show’s opening last week.

     Two former Thunder Bay residents, returning from Montreal, Adam Waito and Tyler Rauman, who have their work in Gallery 3, also contributed to the show.

    Die Active is in its fifth year of operation, coordinated by the talented Laura Northway. Membership is free. They always welcome new members.

     This Tuesday Die Active is having a yarn-bombing workshop at 3:30, and on Thursday, July 11, from 1 – 4 they are working on their Cook Street graffiti project. Lora can be reached at 344-3814. You can get more info from their Facebook page by searching the Web with “Die Active Art Collective.” 

Damon Dowbak: Meditations on Colour and Form

     Damon’s work at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery is immediate and fresh, combining professional craftsmanship with brilliant presentation. He worked for three years on the stained glass pieces and two months on the design and creation of the panels for this show.

     Damon states, “Rather than a boring square frame, I tried to take some of the elements from the pieces themselves. Some of the pieces were irregularly shaped and needed to be tied into something.”

     So the stained glass pieces are set away from the walls. The light from the overhead spotlights bounces off the walls and is captured and reflected by the panels that hold the works.

     “Light traversing through glass produces a colour you can’t get anywhere else,” says Damon. “It’s so vibrant and alive. It really speaks to me, more so than painting. Paint reflects light and isn’t as immediate.”

     Damon used kiln form and fused glass, which is ordered from France and Germany, cut, assembled and fused together in his kiln. This glass is mouth blown/hand made glass, which is silica, soda ash, and lime with metal oxides, which gives it unique colours. Iron is added to make green glass, cobalt and manganese for blue, cadmium, selenium and gold to make yellows, reds, and oranges. He doesn’t make the glass himself. In Europe the glass is made into sheets that are 2’ X 3.’ There are very few companies in the world that produce this kind of glass. “It’s called Antique Glass because the methods of making it go back hundreds of years,” says Damon

     He also painted directly on some works to modify the colours and to diffuse the light with varying thickness of paint. Some of the black and white textures are similar to etchings and there are influences from filmstrips, with amber and red colours glowing, and framed in black. Damon’s influences come from all over, primarily nature, but also from urban settings.

     Damon loves working with glass. He’s created glasswork for more than 35 year, running his Kleewyck Stained Glass Studio on Simpson Street since the late 1980s. “Glass is a unique medium, an amorphous material, not a crystalline substance, so it can be a rigid liquid and change from a molten state and back to a solid state. But it’s not actually changing, it’s always glass.”

    In his works there are hints of 1950s abstraction, a time when art critic Clive Bell’s term “significant form” was used to describe the elements in a work of art that created emotional experiences. The idea was that you could appreciate objects or shapes as pure form and as an end in themselves not requiring recognizable objects in order to influence emotions. This explanation gave artists choices, allowing great freedom to play with different materials. The term fell out of favour because it was all encompassing, and was used to defend some pretty bad art. 

     However the term can be successfully applied to Damon’s work as the forms and colour really are the focus and they really do generate emotional, if not spiritual experiences for the viewer. This is due not only to the forms and colours which are well thought out and planned on paper, but also due to the materials used and their presentation, which is really quite wonderful and very classy.

     Damon is also an accomplished painter, photographer, and musician, having performed with great local and international talent. He has his own Damon Dowbak trio. For the production of work in this show, Damon is thankful for support from the Ontario Arts Council through the Northern Arts Grant. All works are for sale, but you will have to contact Damon directly. This show’s reception opens at 7:30 this Friday, where Damon will give a talk. The show runs from June 14 to September 8. 

Figure Drawing Sessions at the Baggage Building

     Russian writer, Leo Tolstoy, had trouble when it came to artists. He hated Wagner’s mega-opera, The Ring, and he had a lot to say about painters, including wondering why they had nude models. Why couldn’t they be drawn with their clothes on, he wondered.

     The answer is quite simple. For most, it is very difficult to draw the human body. As a result there are lots of benefits in attempting to do. One major benefit is that if you can learn to draw the human body, with feet and hands and face and figure, you can draw ANYTHING!

     Why is it so challenging? Because a normal object of any shape is rather predictable. A square, a circle, a triangle, a tube shape, etc. can be depicted easily in your mind and as result is fairly easy to draw. If we picture a hand, a foot, a face, a belly, an arm, etc. what comes to our minds will vary dramatically. And we know that the shapes are complex, so when we try to translate body parts in two dimensions by drawing on paper, our minds revert to preset ideas, something like a template of what the parts should look like. Yet perspective, reflections and the ability to measure with your eyes get in the way of translating 3D into 2D.

     This is why some artists pretend that drawing doesn’t matter. They hate that being able to draw a human figure acts like a discerning element in the arts, that it separates those artists who can do art from those who talk about it.

     Some contemporary artists say emotional expression is more important, or new and modern aesthetic challenges are more interesting than the old human body. For decades one particular director of the National Gallery of Canada had a hate-on for drawing. The Gallery purchased not one drawing during his tenure.

     For most of us that template of what a person is supposed to look like is too strong to overcome. For example: draw a nose. You will most likely draw a line from a corner of the eye to the nostril. Take a look in the mirror and tell me if you see a line. You might see a line if you turn your head at an angle and there is a harsh shadow cast on your face. That line is evidence of the template, because in most instances there is no line, but very subtle shadows. And of course, shadows are difficult to draw.

     Thomas White, a professional artist and a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design is running a figure drop-in session Tuesday nights beginning at 7pm at the Baggage Building in Prince Arthur’s Landing. It’s open to everyone, and he’s willing to give instruction, so if all you’ve ever drawn were stick people this would be a great opportunity for you.

     Thomas has built the studio “horses” in which to sit with a board to accommodate up to ten students. Unlike other drop-in sessions he provides the boards, the paper and the charcoal, but you’re welcome to bring your own materials. He’s built a professional model stand and has lights set up to cast interesting shadows. He can teach a variety of approaches, and he’s very proficient with the “deep anatomical” approach to drawing “where the bones are like the foundation of a house,” he says.

     More than just rendering an accurate likeness, Thomas sees drawing as a way of “Exploring the human condition through the act of drawing.” He believes that similar to the way a human face tells a story of a person’s life, so does the body where there is also a great deal of expression involved. 

     Thomas, who once worked in the area as a tree planter and crew boss, moved to Thunder Bay from Toronto five years ago, graduated from teacher’s college and bought a house in the country with his wife. He has two children. He loves the accessibility to the forest and laments the distances from nature in Toronto. Locally he’s become more involved in the arts, doing auto body painting as seen on his own motorcycle. He’s also producing fine art, working towards an art show in the future.

     Thomas prefers the models avoid static poses, which results in the models being more animated. The drop-in students start with warm-ups of 30 second poses to a minute, then five minute and up to half an hour.

     His model for last Tuesday night, Julia Postigo-Rombola has modeled for 3 years at LU and at the Painted Turtle. Julia got into modeling inspired by a fictional book character who did the same. Julia thought it was incredibly brave. Challenging herself she gave it a try.

     “I don’t really mind being naked. It’s not sexualized. And everyone has the same body. Our North American culture is pretty afraid of nudity. I never really understood it.”

     Julia says she constantly fidgets, so she enjoys the challenge of sitting still. She uses the time to meditate and think of the next pose. “It’s fun and it’s like you get paid to learn, because you listen to the instructor and you can try it at home.”

     Julia studied sculpture and is now an outdoor recreation student.

     Thomas is still looking for more students, and looking for people of all body types and ages to pose for the sessions. It’s a paid gig for the model. Portraiture is also taught in his sessions. You can email him if you would like to join the group, or pose for the artists, at disorder@fastmail.fm. You can also register through the Baggage Building Arts Centre: 684-2063.

Great High School Work at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery

    What to do, what to say, how to react, and how to interpret how others treat them as either a child or as an adult can confuse young adults, caught in the child/adult stage of development.

     When it comes to painting, sculpting, printing and being generally creative, they relax a little, and the ratio of the child/adult mix is often obvious in the art. Some young students revel in their childhood interests and paint copies of Johnny Depp, Disney characters, Batman, etc. Others explore a bit of the mix with Goth images, culture mixes (South American, aboriginal), figure studies, faces that drip and clothes that explode with colour.

     And then others leap forward with outright adult work, both in terms of skill and subject matter. A few manage to pull off work that even professional artists would be hard pressed to reproduce.

     As in the case of grade eleven student, Santana Paleske from Queen Elizabeth District High School, in a work called, You’ve Had Enough Sugar. Here you can see the amazing drawing skills of a professional artist, taking advantage of a common theme, and making a wonderful and very human statement about our inability to control our childlike desires. The thrill in the little girl’s face is awesome. We immediately pick up on the feelings she must have, sinking her teeth into that most awesome cupcake. The girl has entranced and startled eyes, and although we don’t see her mouth, the marshmallows mimic giant teeth and the pink of the cupcake resemble lips, as if the cupcake itself were a surreal distorted mouth representing the uncontrollable animated delight of emotions related to eating. Here’s an artist who has used that knowledge of one positive aspect of being a child, and capturing it masterfully. Santana! Do not sell this drawing for less than $2,000.00!

    Whatever stage of maturity these students are at they have the desire to stretch their skills, to see what they can accomplish, and although the subject matter might not be original, as when copied from a photograph, the excitement is genuine.

     Being part of a big show is fun too, and the students get a confidence boost by having their work on display, and a taste of what it’s like showing work. They also get to share and learn what other students are up to in terms of technique, skill and subject matter.

     Crammed on the walls of the Thunder Bay Art Gallery are the works of students from the majority of high schools in town, both public and Catholic, along with Geraldton Composite High, Marathon High, and Nipigon-Red Rock. There are noteworthy young up-and-coming artists from each school.

    

A particularly rough acrylic painting by Willa Ratz (grade 10 from Superior CVI) called, Don’t Look Back, is very reminiscent of the artist Maxwell Bates. Bates overcame skill troubles by representing the human condition. Messy art with worthwhile subject matter can have associations with us emotionally messy people.       

     Willa picks up on this aspect of our human condition by painting a young man who loves speed, loves life and a little danger. As the road blurs ahead of him he looks behind, but he is not worried. His image in the mirror is also blurred as if speed blurs one from truly looking at oneself. He doesn’t need to look back, but he does for the viewer’s benefit, so he’s not all about himself. He’s taking account of you, the viewer, as a rider on the back of his ATV. He’ll keep you safe. What a great painting. It’s as good as any of Bates’ work.

     There are lots of great works and young artists worthy of attention. This is most definitely a show worth checking out. You will be impressed. It’s filled with humour, talent and surprises in a variety of mediums ­– painting, sculpture, glasswork, printmaking, and more. And this says something about the art teachers in the region as well. Good on you for inspiring so many young artists.

    This show is highly recommended. 

Thunder Bay's Culture Plan

     The creation of the newly developed Culture Plan has quite the history, which involved teams, committees, community groups, city staff, senior city staff, mayors, city counselors, and many others. It’s a wonderful thing to see so many people of different stripes come together to collaborate and share ideas, form an agreement and act on it.     Culture can be difficult to define.

     Culture, simply put, is what we celebrate. What is remembered, what is repeated and what is loved is culture. This could be our ethnic history, hockey, favourite TV shows, War Craft, dancing, scuba diving, art, green fields in which to picnic, trees, greasy hamburgers, pot luck parties, LGBT dances, shags, Christmas, bonfires – culture is just about everything that you like to do regularly. That so many were able to discuss what culture means to the City, and how to move forward is very commendable.

    A plan that looks to accentuate what this city has and to give to it what is needed can be complicated by what we think is important or not worth celebrating, and of course whatever political or economic ramifications are involved. So a plan will not be perfect for everyone, as complaints have and will continue to surface, but at least the start taken and the plan made is an exceedingly excellent one, something that other cities can only dream of.  

     The plan that is the “strategic document” for the City was initiated in 2010. It is intended to help build the city, to make Thunder Bay more culturally relevant for its citizens and for the City’s future prospects.

     The Office of Urbanism in association with AuthentiCity worked with two decades worth of arts, culture, and heritage policy developed by the city and many others in order to form this plan.

     The plan is broken into six parts, describing that those involved will:

     1. Foster Capacity in the Culture Sector, which means developing partnerships with corporate entities to obtain funding and figure out the who, how, where and when, of the finances.

     2. Develop Tourism Potential in the Creative Community, by “supporting collaborative efforts for enhancing tourism opportunities,” etc.

     3. Activate Culture in Urban Places and Spaces, which means supporting year round festivals and other events, with a schedule and resources for both ends of the city.

     4. Enable Cultural Participation in Neighbourhoods, by bettering programming, public policy, and coming up with new initiatives.

     5. Nurture Cultural Interaction and Exchange in Public Spaces, by bringing all kinds of different people together in communal spaces, whether of different ethnic backgrounds, income levels, ages, etc. (i.e., traditional Town Square functions).

     6. Foster the Potential for Creative Entrepreneurship in Youth, by providing “small business support for artists and creative entrepreneurs” and finding spaces for such creative activities in order to activate development programs and create potential cultural industries. An example of this might be the film students who are sticking around in town to create their own film businesses.

     The plan has passed the “Assessment and Visioning” stage and has implemented many of the policies created as it moves forward. Policies go back as far as 1991, with the Arts and Heritage Policy. Policies get revised over time and others are created as new challenges come up.

     It can sound rather complicated, but such is the nature of democracy, that in order to keep most everybody happy rules have to be made. If it were up to a dictator, things would move faster. When Napoleon III decided to beautify Paris he and his “prefect” Baron Haussmann razed entire neighbourhoods without giving the poor people who lived there any other option than to get out of the way. Democracy, by its nature, works a little slower.

     Presently, the “Inspire Thunder Bay Culture Plan Strategic Implementation Team” met a week ago to start implementing the plan. Jennifer Morin, (Cultural Services Coordinator) who works with Leah Bayly, (Supervisor of Cultural Services and Events) was hired this year for this new position to help direct the plan. Their names will crop in future articles on culture in Thunder Bay, as will many others involved in the Culture Plan.

     Writing on this topic is a bit overwhelming as the plan encompasses so much that is of cultural value to the city, and involves all kinds of notable locals. Over the summer I will endeavor to write more about the people involved. The plan itself can be seen at www.thunderbay.ca/cultureplan.

City Beautiful: A True Story leading up to an article about the Culture Plan

   Over thirty years ago, advice from the Ontario government about diversifying the economic structure of Thunder Bay and the region was ignored. During a resource boon for the forest, pulp and paper, and grain shipping industries, this advice was taken to be a holier-than-though attitude towards the North. “Diversity” was a word spoken by a cultured Toronto elite.

     But they were correct. A region, let alone a city, cannot rely solely on its resources. The world progresses and regresses in economic waves from unpredictable international forces that have nothing to do with the good will or hard work of the people in this city.

     Relying on only a few industries is very risky. A city can go from Boom, Bust, Echo, and then to Ghost Town rather quickly. Think of Detroit or many other large dilapidated American cities.

     And Thunder Bay was getting ugly. Real ugly.

     Here’s a true story that might upset you. The couple will go unnamed.

     Seven years ago, a young man from the USA got a good job in Thunder Bay. His wife was under contract at her job in the U.S. and couldn’t move for a couple months. The husband bought a house here. After the wife’s contract ended, she hopped on a plane for Thunder Bay. The husband was unable to meet her when she arrived at the airport, because he was busy at work. “No problem,” she said over the phone. “I will find my way.”

     And she did. She got a taxi at the airport and was driven quickly to her new home from where she called her husband. “I like the house,” she said and added with excitement in her voice, “I’m taking the car to see the city.”

     Half an hour passed, and the husband’s cell phone rang while he was at work. It was his wife. She was crying. He asked, “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” worried that something serious had happened. She responded, yelling, “WHY DID YOU MOVE TO THIS F*#@ING UGLY CITY!!”

     His wife had driven from her home, down Arthur Street, along Simpson, Water and a long stretch of Cumberland Street, to stop at a motor hotel, short of the Boulevard Dam.

     Her husband had to restrain himself from laughing. He met up with his wife and drove her to see Boulevard Lake, the Bluffs, Chippewa, Hillcrest Park, some of the old decorated homes and other beautiful locations in the city. She was calmed enough and decided she could stay.     

     You can only rely on nature to provide beauty for so long in order to describe a city as beautiful. A well-traveled, and slightly despondent man once said of Rio de Janeiro, that if it wasn’t for the long beaches, the picturesque hills and mountains, the city would be as much a dump as any other big South American city. 

     While Thunder Bay stagnated over the years, Grand Mirais and Duluth expanded and beautified themselves enough to become serious tourist destinations and economically vibrant. Thunder Bay didn’t follow suit, and politicians would visit both cities and ask, “How did you do this?”

     These cities had a plan.

     Thanks to all sorts of forward thinking people, we now have a Culture Plan. The Culture Plan is but one aspect of diversifying the city, but a major one for attracting tourism, business and other economic development. Last week I lied. I will go into details of the Culture Plan next week. 

Legacy of Beliefs and their Intrusion into Community Art

     A book could be written on the history of artists and their relationship and attitudes towards government, the public, popular forms of art, and arts’ legacy. With an extensive and diverse Culture Plan, Thunder Bay is well on the way to making history, establishing itself as a beacon of the North, which could well inspire other communities to follow suit.

Although many artists are thrilled, many others are circumspect on these matters. Even though the plan will directly benefit artists, many are apprehensive, and many are either reluctant to contribute or don’t know how. For some, if they fail at one attempt to win a public competition, they don’t try again. There are many reasons for this.

     Historically, in times when democracy didn’t exist to offer the freedom artists generally crave today, artists relied on commissions from authorities and wealthy patrons. Many artists revelled in their time, fully a part of their community and at times sharing the same beliefs as those in authority, so they could be quite successful and be an integral part of the designing and building of towns and cities, such as the City Beautiful movement back in the 1890s, in which Thunder Bay was also positively affected.

     At other times, artists created what was essentially propaganda, as in the Soviet Union — and loathed doing so. Many artists protested and were often the first to be imprisoned, as in Iran, China, Saudi Arabia or Zimbabwe today.

     Artists are generally politically leftist, but can be as anti-government as right-wingers, routinely expressing their fears of government influence. And many artists who readily admit to a disinterest in politics can side with conspiracy theorists and retain anti-government attitudes even when, ironically, receiving government grants.

     A stereotype of what it means to be an artist today also depicts artists as anti-establishment and fiercely independent. The belief that the best art is that which expresses the artist’s emotions and aesthetic principles pits the artist against the public, popular arts, and any program where “beautification” is the goal, because such a program, they worry, might impede upon the artist’s hard fought freedom to fully express themselves. And many artists are taught and live with the false belief that to work for others and to be motivated by financial gain is to be a sellout.

     So today, with the result of history, artistic ideology, stereotypes and suspicion, many artists give little credit or are simply unaware that many politicians and civil servants can work hard to build and promote a cultural support system that benefits everyone, especially artists. And it should be noted, that often, politicians and civil servants could also be artists themselves.

     Today in Thunder Bay artists have never had such great opportunities where they can contribute to their community. For example, from the years 1981 to 2007, there were three major public art installations completed for the city. But from 2008 to 2012, 22 public art projects have been completed, not including over 100 individual works of art for the city. Public involvement, mayors, city councillors, the business community and many others have brought about these opportunities.

    A few details about the Culture Plan, some of its history and those involved, will appear in future articles.

Youth Arts Week: May 1 - 7, 2013

Youth Arts Week begins May 1 and activities in Thunder Bay are offered at various locations throughout the city. Information can be found at: www.facebook.com/TBayYouthArtsWeek

     Youth Arts Week was initiated by the Arts Network for Children and Youth two years ago. Alana Forslund (alana.forslund@youthartsweek.ca) is one of the coordinators busy with preparations. “It's exciting to see the growth we've had in community response since the first year here in Thunder Bay. A number of local organizations and artists are taking part in this initiative this year, including the Baggage Building Arts Centre, Community Arts & Heritage Education Project, Definitely Superior Artist Run Centre/Die Active Art Collective, and Thunder Bay Art Gallery. The City of Thunder Bay has jumped on board to help promote the event in partnership with Youth Week.”

     Some of the activities include a neighbourhood walkabout to explore photography and digital manipulation techniques, creating soundscapes to go with the images, creating original lyrics and learning how to use them in a song, visual art workshops, creating a live “yarn-bomb” installation, dance and performance art, language workshops, found object fashion inspired by Caribana which includes a parade, creating music with instrument software using computers and webcams, a film night, painting a Mac’s Convenience Store, poetry slams and more.

     The activities surrounding Youth Week sound like a great way to jump start the spring and summer for your kids, getting them involved in activities that they could continue over the holidays. Parents often have trouble getting their kids motivated with something new, and what Youth Arts Week provides is an opportunity to meet with other interested kids in engaging settings with experienced instructors who enjoy working with children. Most of the opportunities offered are free of charge.

     The sheer joy young people get at an early age from finding and strengthening their talents and opening their eyes to a variety of possibilities in terms of life choices and developing hobbies and careers is also something of great value in the future when they retire from work. The number of Canadians who don’t know what to do with themselves after they retire is staggering. Just when they have the freedom to do whatever they want, they don’t know what to do because they haven’t developed any skills, hobbies, or interests that are challenging and close to their hearts. It’s never too late.

     We all have some kind of natural talent or a few, but discovering talent and developing it doesn’t always happen. Even if one is not particularly good at something, like dancing, there’s no reason to quit, and with effort, you can at least get good at something, get healthy, make friends and benefit in unforeseen ways. There’s a great line from the animated movie, Ratatouille, which applies here. “Everyone can learn to cook, but not everyone can be a great chef.” This is worth remembering, and applies to all the arts. And who knows, maybe you can become the great chef, great singer, dancer, or musician, whatever. But it all starts with opportunities and encouragement. 

Liar, Liar at the Thunder Bay Historical Museum

A unique collaboration of two groups put their collective talents together to create a show beautifully showcased on the second floor of the Thunder Bay Historical Museum. Nine members of the visual art group, Northern Mosaic, worked with four authors of NOWW (Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop). Chosen by a Workshop jury, the authors, Deborah deBakker, Marion Agnew, John Pringle, and Jack Shedden worked with artists John Books (sculptor), Leslie Shaw (painter), Cheryl Wilson-Smith (glass artist), Debbie Metzler (visual artist) and musician, Wayne Faulconer.

     Each artist had a challenge to create art based on the text with the generous theme of lying. From the info sheets, each artist describes the challenge creating imagery for the stories they selected.

     Cheryl Wilson-Smith had never collaborated in this way before. She found inspiration in the words themselves, transferring Debbie Metzler’s text to glass surfaces and employing other mixed media. A mirror with the words, Liar, Liar, etched directly on the glass becomes a kind of negative affirmation quote. Anyone looking into the mirror is immediately accused of being a liar. Simple and clever.

     John Books found the theme more bold and direct than what he usually envisions for his work. He rose to the occasion with several works. One, a cat sculpture, TOOTS, has a horn sticking out of his butt. All the better to toot with, which is intended to relate to the protagonist of the story Books cleverly illustrates in three dimensions.

     Debbie Metzler’s tall works are intended to confuse the viewer to mimic how lying might function visually by distorting perspective and character within the images. Ascribing falseness to distortion might insult cubists and their ilk, but contemporary artists often try to rip apart what we are accustomed to in order to reveal deeper truths. So Debbie is in vogue attempting to tell a truth about lying, and the beautiful presentation of the subject matter allows the viewer to take their time, to think upon the subjects.

     Leslie Shaw’s paintings similarly use distortion as a means of expressing falseness. The titles indicate the theme of fabrication rather than analysis, so maybe this is not all out lying, as we understand it, but how burying and obscuring is just as good, difficult to pull off using landscape and abstract imagery.

     Wayne Faulconer had a difficult task of relating sounds to lying, easy to accomplish with lyrics as lying is a common theme in popular songs written for jilted lovers. Again distortion is suggested rather than outright lying, as in the form of electric guitar sounds over the acoustic. Bob Dylan took criticism for using an electric guitar because it wasn’t a folk instrument, so he was accused of being a phony. Today, however, it’s a bit of stretch to suggest that the sounds of an electric guitar could be seen as a lie, but for musicians this resonates quite a bit. They get into big fights over this kind of thing.

     Abstracted images and non-objective works (unrecognizable subject matter) on their own are not immediately understood as lies, unless the artists want them to be. The theme is a bit problematic because it is such a wide topic. An illustrator or political cartoonist would portray the theme with obvious images of politicians, psychics, corporate public relations officers, advertisers, and so on. Lies and liars are everywhere. What’s great about this show is that the themes aren’t obvious, they’re tacit, subtle and the results are beautiful to look at, worth discussion and worth collecting.

     The opening reception at the Thunder Bay Historical Museum for Liar, Liar is this Sunday, April 21^st at 2pm. The show runs till June 2^nd.

Tom Brenner at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery

It’s a pleasure to walk into a big room filled with oversized objects. The size and repetition of certain objects can inspire a sense of awe very quickly. Large and foreboding objects can make you feel overpowered and fearful, or illicit warmth and mystery depending on the materials. You can be made to feel like a child.

     Tom Benner’s work at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery in his show, Call of the Wild, gives the immediate sense that one has entered a room full of the remnants of a storybook world, told primarily in sculpture. It’s size and variety makes a great impression.

     Brenner’s work follows a trend that’s been going on in the contemporary art world for about ten years now, which is to mimic and reference children’s stories and folklore. Last year at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, a freak show called Fairy Tales, Monsters, and The Genetic Imagination, featured a collection of contemporary artworks by artists who, in one form or another, referenced stories usually aimed at children. These artists were trying to invert and shock the audience, taking the familiar and making it “different” with a dark twist. They justified their intentions because the stories that inspired them were often reinforcing “beliefs that are now discredited, such as male superiority and the benevolence of the ruling class.” These fine artists were going to “bring to light the messages inside the fantasy.”

     The trouble with correcting the past, and one-upmanship, “I’m smarter and more open minded than you are,” is that those who judge often get judged themselves. And one can ask, for all their analytic intelligence, could the fine artists at the Winnipeg Gallery write a story as good, and as memorable as the stories of which they are critical? And do it without scaring the children.

     So, with relief, Brenner’s show is actually inspiring, for adults and for children. His work pays some homage to the past and to folklore without inverting or shocking. Although he isn’t trying to tell a complete story, he does allow for positive interpretations of the work he’s accomplished. Each piece appears as if a scene from a different story. He employs the repetition of images very well. Individually a fin might look like something else, but many of the same objects means there is a pod of whales in the gallery. One beaver approaching a canoe is just a beaver approaching a canoe. A gang of beavers approaching a canoe is a problem.

     As a whole, the entire show holds together very well, revealing Brenner’s playful love for a variety of materials. He employs familiar techniques, using sculpture, relief, painting, printmaking, and found objects.

     Holding together the show, A Thorough or Dramatic Change In Form or Appearance, is its theme, stated in the title. Transformation and spirituality, which can be demoted to New Age thinking, still resonates deeply for indigenous peoples all over the world. This show brings together a disparate group of artists who often dealt with these themes throughout their careers, offering up examples of how one theme can be credibly accomplished by so many artists in so many different styles.

     Using humans and animals to interpret something as mysterious as a netherworld or underworld without making the art tacky, requires deep-seated beliefs and respect. Your Facebook friends who post images of tacky paintings of swirling galaxies over translucent naked models could learn from this show. There’s a lot to be said for subtlety, simplicity and the defined focus of true believers. 

     These shows and Duane Linklater’s solo exhibition of videos will be opening tomorrow at 7:30pm, running through most of May. Duane Linklater will give a talk. Tom Benner will have a reception and artist talk on April 25^th at 7:30. More information is at: www.theag.ca.

Galleries in Thunder Bay: A Description for Tourists

Thunder Bay and the region have a rich arts community of painters, sculptors, potters, weavers, glassmakers, quilters, fabric artists and more. Many of these artists and galleries join forces for temporary shows, art auctions or studio and garden tours that occur more often in the summer. Checking websites, local papers and poster boards in coffee shops, shopping malls, libraries, and convenient stores will guide you to many local artistic activities.

      Unlike Grand Marais, the art community in Thunder Bay is spread throughout the city, often in odd locations, with more galleries located in Port Arthur (north end). In the early 1970s, shortly after Fort William (south end), and Port Arthur became Thunder Bay, political representatives of each township fought to have new institutions and box stores built on their end of the city. Unfortunately the compromises resulted in these being built in unusual places where there is little or no walk-by traffic. The result is that Thunder Bay is a “car town,” which is why we are always concern about parking. You need a car to see most of the galleries on this list. Most hotels and galleries will have an art map called “Hand Made in Thunder Bay.” The city and current crop of politicians can be credited with a clear plan to improve the cultural layout of the city. The development of Prince Arthur’s Landing, road improvement, art installations, and other ongoing beautification projects has really helped the city in the last few years.

Galleries of Art and Craft in Thunder Bay

     The most notable gallery in the city is the Thunder Bay Art Gallery (central). The TBAG (or teabag as it is referred to by the locals) is a contemporary public gallery with the largest permanent collection of art in the region. The exhibition space is the most accommodating in the city with three large showrooms. With a focus on Aboriginal art, the gallery has nearly 25 exhibitions a year, featuring local artists and artists of national significance in travelling exhibitions, with themes and art selected by professional curators. The TBAG is situated on the Confederation College campus. Unfortunately, the names of the roads leading to the gallery change often. Check your map. The gallery is most definitely worth the trip.

     Considered an alternative public gallery (non-profit/charitable), the Definitely Superior Artist Run Centre + Gallery is operated by mostly young and cutting edge artists with an emphasis on the experimental and the avant-garde with up to 50 shows a year. The DEFSUP gallery (referred to as the “deaf soup” gallery by locals) supports local, national, and international talent. Much of this centre’s funding comes from dramatic and original campaigns that inspire throngs of young people, with attendance in the thousands, taking over the north end core. The centre contributes dramatically to the growth of the arts community where developing artists, of any background, can experiment with any style and medium, including performance art, video instillations, multi-media, etc. Diversity is key to the function of this gallery centre. It is located on Park St, just up from the Casino, in the basement of the defunct Eaton’s building, the big block sized department store.
     In the heart of Prince Arthur’s Landing (formerly Marina Park) the newly built Baggage Building Arts Centre is intended to be “a workshop for new artistic creations” and “an incubator for creative people and organizations.” So, throughout the year the building will work as a venue for a variety of projects, classes, art shows, etc. There are monthly exhibits, with artists in residence and a gift gallery; the small commercial space located on the second floor displaying the work of local artists, jewelers, authors, and more.

     Before you cross the Kaministiquia River, on St. James St, heading towards Mount McKay, you will see a gallery in a short strip mall on your left. This is the Ahnisnabae Art Gallery. This gallery represents up to 30 different artists, many of the Ahnisnabae culture. Original works and all manner of reproductions, from professional silk-screens and serigraphs to posters are available, catering to a diverse budget. The work is bright, beautiful, entrancing and resonates with the cultural heritage of the First Nations people who live in the region. Roy Thomas was the founder of this gallery in 1997. He was a prominent artist in the community who passed away in 2004. The owner and operator, Louise Thomas, has kept her husband’s legacy alive with this commercial space. This is a must destination for anyone new to the area.

     The Habana Gallery, across from what used to be the Cumberland Theatre, and near to one of the entrances to Prince Arthur’s Landing, offers an eclectic mix of local artists’ work along with works of Cuban artists. Ayesha, the owner, is a young Cuban immigrant and artist. Ayesha continues to regularly bring unique and beautiful Cuban arts and crafts to Thunder Bay. The Cuban influence of rich colour and vibrancy is immediately felt when walking through the door. Local artists who show in the gallery have a unique space in which to show their work and contribute to the art scene. Ayesha offers classes, and beginning in May they will have evenings with live music. 

     The Algoma and Bay St. area has become a trendy hotspot for the locals. It may not quite look like it yet, but it’s as close to a town square as you will get in Thunder Bay, other than the Country Market on Saturday mornings. There are many little shops here that sell arts and crafts, along with a couple famous Finnish restaurants, along with coffee shops and unique boutiques. But the little shop with the longest tradition of supporting the greatest number of locally made arts and crafts is the Fireweed. It is PACKED! It’s small, but take your time upon entering and make sure you put your packsack down or you’re likely to break something – and pay for it. The quality of work is some of the best in Ontario. Uniqueness is the goal for the little shop, and the artists that show work here, do quite well, especially before Christmas. Chiefly known for its pottery, they also sell jewelry, fine art, fabric art, glass, locally produced books, CDs, and much more. There’s no end of small gifts.
     Gallery 33, across from a popular Thai restaurant, is a commercial art gallery displaying up to 50 local artists’ work. The place is very spacious, so each artist has lots of room to hang more than a sampling. The quality ranges from novice to professional. The gallery sells jewelry and books by local authors along with other items. The stairs to the basement leads to The Painted Turtle, an art supply shop where classes are offered. The Turtle is a favourite go-to place for local artists, and in the summer tourists stroll up from the waterfront to check out the galleries and restaurants bringing them to this new space.
     One block further inland, and just around the corner from the DEFSUP gallery, is Chenier Fine Arts. This little gallery is packed with art by established and emerging local artists, as well as 40 international artists. With nearly 250 works this space is a feast for the eyes. The variety of works includes modern abstracts to traditional landscapes and figurative works in all mediums. The owner, Debra Chenier has a long history within the community, continuing a relationship with art that began with her mother’s shop, which opened in 1964 and was the first fine art gallery in Northwestern Ontario. Chenier also offers high quality framing with an incredible variety of moldings from which to choose.

     The Kleewyk Stained Glass Studio is midway between the downtown cores on Simpson Street. Once a bustling street in the 1960s the city is now trying to retake this area’s history and create incentives for citizens to take a second look. On your first drive you can’t miss the dramatic and beautifully decorated studio shop. This is a professional working studio with a display room. The glass artist, Damon Dowbak, produces stained glass windows, abrasively etched glass, and kiln formed glass. The display room features a variety of works in glass and pottery, along with paintings, also created by Dowbak.

     Located in the Victoriaville Mall near the Courthouse and City Hall, The Lake Superior Art Gallery has an eclectic salesroom, divided in two, with the first featuring original art and reproductions, and the other, electric motorbikes. The show room for the art is the larger space. The owner, JP Fraser, a retired photo-editor is usually on hand with his lovely assistant, Tamara. Like Gallery 33, they cater to both novice and professional artists, also selling other crafts and books by local authors. There are five entrances to the mall that is essentially a section of Victoria Avenue with a large roof dropped over it. The main entrances are both on Victoria Avenue. Look for signage, as the entrance isn’t immediately apparent.