written by Alice McClintock Tucked away on the first floor of the Toronto Reference Library is a unique space, where the TRL showcases portions of Toronto’s cultural history. On now is the exhibition Vice & Virtue: Booze, Broads, and Sunday Laws, which traces the complicated history and the moral conflict of the city known as “Toronto the Good”. What visitors will appreciate is an exceptional exhibition that openly discusses a city’s moral code, through a study of race, class, and gender. Here there are tangible histories, some extending back to the nineteenth century, others much more recent to the collective Torontonian memory. The TRL handles such scope deftly, with an exhibition that engages with a local audience about their city’s past, while also challenging commonly held attitudes and assumptions about Toronto. At the start of the exhibition there is a touchscreen with a map of Toronto’s breweries and distilleries, giving visitors a sense of place. The exhibition’s primary focus is on temperance (a social movement popular in the late nineteenth century to stop the consumption and production of alcohol), and features temperance propaganda from the period, denouncing the evils of alcohol in the simplest terms, from a list of acceptable stimulants to effects of alcohol on various professions. There are also some labels for “malt” that are shown, as brewers circumvented prohibition laws in order to produce beer. Of particular interest are excerpts from brewer William Helliwell’s diaries (the brewery infrastructure can still be seen at Todmorden Mills), and a map of Enoch Turner’s original brewery property (another brewer who founded Toronto’s first free school in 1848). Also covered is the sensationalism of tabloids and sex scandals, most notably the controversy that surrounded Toronto when burlesque shows were opened on Sundays. There are examples of the tabloid magazine Flash, with its bold headlines of: “Lust-Mad Male Seduces Sitter in Wife’s Home”, “Filthy Movies Flood Canada”, and others. It’s interesting to see just how far we haven’t come, as the headlines in the National Enquirer show that we still thrive on scandal, except now in the mainstream. The exhibition takes a look at the legality of homosexuality throughout Toronto’s history, with added content surrounding Toronto’s first queer bar, and the early advocacy groups for LGBTQ rights in the city. Similarly, an investigation of the issues surrounding women’s access to contraception, which was not made legal until 1969, and how certain medical groups would use euphemisms (such as “feminine hygiene”) to be able to supply birth control to those who wanted it. Both issues are especially pertinent to consider in today’s political climate. Vice & Virtue brings together many interesting pieces of ephemera, and showcases the visual culture of Toronto during this particular time period. You can also link to an app called Aurasma that adds extra content to the exhibition by creating “auras” around certain objects. While the technology was at times spotty, the added content that Evan and I could access was informative and entertaining, mostly consisting of videos relating to certain artifacts or points in history. The TRL has done a wonderful job of representing some of Toronto’s darker cultural history. It is both entertaining and eye-opening. The exhibition is located in the TD Gallery on the first floor of the TRL, and is running until April 30. There are weekly tours at 2pm every Tuesday, and there is a host of talks and film screenings that accompany the exhibition. More information can be found here: http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/programs-and-classes/exhibits/vice-and-virtue.jsp. All photography courtesy Alice McClintock. All images courtesy of the TRL.
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Written by Evan McMurtry From now until March 4th the Toronto branch of the Japan Foundation and the Stuart Jackson Gallery are hosting an unassuming, yet thought-provoking, aesthetically appealing, and well-choreographed exhibition called Legendary Loyalty: The 47 Ronin in Japanese Prints. Before we begin, I would like to thank Toshi Aoyagi, Program Officer at the Japan Foundation for guiding us on a thoroughly enlightening and entertaining tour of the exhibition. The Japan Foundation provides grants to artists, as well as language training and libraries at various locations across the globe. This exhibition features depictions of the forty-seven Ronin, an early eighteenth-century group of leaderless samurai who conducted a vendetta on behalf of their master Asano Naganori after an incident in which he was ordered to commit seppuku, a form of ritual suicide. In the process it highlights Japanese cultural politics since that time, not to mention Japanese artistic virtuosity. From the point of view of a museum professional, moreover, it could be said that whenever another culture portrays itself, rather than through the Western gaze as the Other, that can be vastly more nuanced and rewarding. There is much we can learn about Japanese culture from this exhibition, even though any code of honour portrayed here is dead in Japanese culture. As Aoyagi pointed out during our interview, Oboshi - leader of the faction in the incident - is held up in Japanese culture as exemplary: “If there’s one thing the Japanese are good at, it is they’re good in a group.” Aoyagi added that Oboshi is the ideal Japanese leader, having a physical presence, being not too skinny, as well as being patient with good planning skills and foresight. “Here comes the company boss,” Aoyagi quipped. The exhibition makes clear the enduring popularity of traditional stories in Japan. For instance, a cabinet showed eleven ukiyo-e prints made nearly fifty years later after censorship on the subject matter had ceased, and yet another showed mid-nineteenth century prints based on them. Another wall was lined with posters of a recent Japanese theatrical production of the events, which took three months to present since it consists of eleven shortened plays. Overall, it is the sheer entertainment value of the stories, which he likened to a Japanese Game of Thrones. As Aoyagi remarked later during our tour, “fiction grows in the imaginary world.” Ō Kinai and Wakajima Yasuemon (Hazama Kihei Mitsunobu and Okajima Yasoemon Tsuneki) Artist: KUNISADA (1786-1865) Signed: Ouju Kunisada ga (drawn by special order by Kunisada) Series: Kanadehon Chūshingura Youchi Ninzū no Uchi (Participants in the Night Attack in The Treasury of Loyal Retainers) c late 1820s-30 "I also like the aspect from design, the painters are making so many different variations from a single story line. This theme-and-variation structure is one of the special characters of Japanese creativity," stated Aoyogi in an online email exchange. Finally, another reason why we recommend Legendary Loyalty is for the use of technology. Unlike some iPad installations in which visitors are expected to click through endless screens, the curator at Legendary Loyalty thoughtfully installed them to give access to material not on display. For instance, one book that featured the semi-fictional life stories of the characters. Overall, the exhibition offers visitors a feast for the eyes that will be memorable. The exhibition is on view at the Japan Foundation, 2 Bloor Street East, Suite 300 until March 4, 2017. Click here for more information and exhibition times. All images courtesy of Japan Foundation. Written by Alice McClintock Printmaking has been one of my passions for a long time, ever since I started with a volunteer job at Lang Pioneer Village as their resident historic printer. While completing my Masters Degree in Museum Studies, I worked as a collections management intern over the summer of 2013 at Open Studio: Contemporary Printmaking Centre. For readers who aren’t familiar with this institution, Open Studio represents around 150 Canadian and international artists, many of whom are members who regularly make use of their studio. Many of their works are regularly exhibited in their gallery space. Open Studio is the place to find cutting-edge contemporary art, and their roster of exhibitions never fails to delight. Open Studio has three separate gallery spaces, and is therefore able to put on three separate shows. Guest artist and St. Catharines native Carolyn Wren’s impressive installation Dwell is featured in Open Studio’s main gallery. The installation consists of a large linen tablecloth with a linocut print, draped over a wooden table and sidelined by two wooden, stiff-backed chairs. Depicting both a map and landscape of Niagara Falls and the area surrounding it, Wren explores the subject of place as both private and public. Installations are some of my own personal favourite artworks, as viewers can move around the installation and experience it from different angles. The installation feels at once both stark and familiar, the domestic scene is inviting, but the lack of colour makes it visually arresting. On display in the Print Sales Gallery is the exhibition Design in Printmaking, where several works by Canadian artists are showcased for their use of elements of design, including line, colour, and form. I was drawn to Open Studio member Laurynas Navidauskas’ playful reimagining of familiar objects, and, almost for the "wow" factor alone, fascinated by a series of red/blue 3-D images by artist project Yorodeo (a collaborative effort between artists Paul Hammond and Seth Smith). LEFT TO RIGHT: Yorodeo (Paul Hammond and Seth Smith), Item #357, 2016, 3-D anaglyphic screenprint on paper, ed. 4/10, paper size: 22” x 22”, $300 Yorodeo (Paul Hammond and Seth Smith), Item #053, 2016, 3-D anaglyphic screenprint on paper, ed. 2/10, paper size: 22” x 22”, $300 Yorodeo (Paul Hammond and Seth Smith), Item #105, 2016, 3-D anaglyphic screenprint on paper, ed. 1/10, paper size: 22” x 22”, $300 Japanese artist Shogo Okada distills images from popular culture into their constituent parts and forms; his work is as energetic as it is minimal. Accomplished Master Printer Lorna Livey’s monotypes, based on photographs taken from a flight from Indonesia, are intense with marked colour contrast, demanding the viewer’s attention. Top Row Left to Right Shogo Okada Made of Plastic #1, 2016, screenprint on paper, AP [Artist Proof], 26.5” x 21.5”, $350. Shogo Okada, Made of Plastic #2, 2016, screenprint on paper, ed. 3/5, 26.5” x 21.5”, $250. Bottom Row Left to Right Shogo Okada, Made of Plastic #3, 2016, screenprint on paper, ed. 3/5, 18.25” x 21.5”, $250. Shogo Okada, Made of Plastic #4, 2016, screenprint on paper, ed. 3/5, 18.25” x 21.5”, $250. LEFT: Yorodeo (Paul Hammond and Seth Smith), Item #105, 2016, 3-D anaglyphic screenprint on paper, ed. 1/10, paper size: 22” x 22”, $300 CENTRE: Lorna Livey, Orange Crush, 2016, monotype on paper, ed. 1/1, paper size: 43”x 55”, $2,500 RIGHT: Laurynaus Navidauskas, Structure 3, 2015, screenprint, ed. 6/10, paper size: 15”x15”, 120, Laurynaus Navidauskas, Structure 4, 2015, screenprint, ed. 3/10, paper size: 15”x15”, 120 Located at the corner of Spadina at the artist complex 401 Richmond, Open Studio brings greater knowledge and appreciation of a rich and multifaceted artistic practice. Their work is pivotal to the support of Canadian artists, and I am always amazed by the variety and depth of the art that they showcase.
This trio of exhibitions runs until February 11, with gallery hours being from Tuesday to Saturday, 12-5pm. Open Studio rotates their exhibitions regularly, so please check back here for more reviews and updates. Open Studio offers a host of printmaking classes, from etching to lithography to letterpress to screen-printing. Their represented artists' works are also available for purchase. More information on Open Studio can be found on their website: http://openstudio.ca/. Biographical information on individual artists sourced from openstudio.ca All photographs courtesy of Laura Bydlowska Written by Alice McClintock and Evan McMurtry Alice's Perspective Evan and I ventured last weekend with some friends to see the AGO’s popular exhibition Mystical Landscapes: Masterpieces from Monet, Van Gogh, and More. Featuring works of several renowned artists, Monet, Gauguin, Van Gogh, and Munch, just to name a few, the exhibition also includes work by lesser-known artists, including Charles Marie Dulac and Henri le Sinader. What informs the central narrative of the exhibition is a discussion of the turn of the century artists’ interactions with mysticism, involving meditation and spiritual connection with the infinite. I enjoyed this exhibition; the AGO has brought together a host of incredible artworks. While drawing visitors in with a focus on “celebrity” artists like Van Gogh and Monet, there was equal representation for lesser known but equally captivating artists. Each piece was given pride of place, there was a clearly defined path through the exhibition, and the artworks were given enough weight visually. Even though the exhibition resurrects fin de siècle art, the theme itself is topical. Mystical experiences in this time were a way to reconnect with the spiritual in an increasing industrialized and war-torn world. Monet painted the Rouen Cathedral many times over in different light, and did the same with his famous Water Liles (Nymphaes) after long meditation in his Japanese garden. Lawren Harris painted northern Canadian landscapes many times over to capture their beauty and majesty. We are seeing a shift in the way in which people interact with spirituality in an increasingly secularized world. There is much more focus on the individual experience in both formal religion and other settings. What Mystical Landscapes explores is the highly individual mystical experiences of the artists featured. This is reflected in the individual styles of each painter, and each one is as valid as another. Evan's Perspective I share Alice’s viewpoint that Mystical Landscapes is a successful exhibition that does a nice job bringing forward some of the lesser known artists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. My favourite is the work of Paul Serusier, the avant garde artist who was crucial to the Post-Impressionist movement. Furthermore, there are many Canadian artists represented here, which reflects recent interest by the art market. And, moreover, there are some underrepresented women artists here; I had never seen so many paintings by Georgia O’Keeffe together in one place. That being said, this is by definition a blockbuster exhibition. There are some major artworks by some major artists represented here, such as Vision of the Sermon (Jacob Wrestling with the Angel) by Paul Gauguin. This painting is reproduced in many art history textbooks as a classic Post-Impressionist example of casting aside conventional use of perspective and colour. I also agree that the exhibition is topical and has popular appeal. Some of the artworks could have merited an exhibition on Post-Impressionism, for instance, but considering that most people - myself included - are unsure of what Post-Impressionism actually is, such an exhibition would not draw such a broad audience. Spirituality and mysticism hold a deeper meaning for most people, which I believe happens whenever individuals cultivate sensory awareness. The common conception is that artists are on the vanguard of spirituality and with the rest of us consumed with the business of our daily lives the only way that we can transcend the material condition of life is by appreciating art. The common critique of blockbuster exhibitions is that they eschew a scholarly approach in favour of ‘postcard’ art that is more likely to attract enough visitors to gain admission and concession sales. Judging by the droves of visitors attending Mystical Landscapes to see both major art and not-so-major art, it would seem that art museums can and do succeed by tapping into themes that are universal. We found the exhibition to be enjoyable and thought-provoking, bringing together a diverse selection of art. The AGO and its partner institutions mounted a very successful exhibition that gives visitors both broad strokes and intimate understanding of the Impressionist and mystical movements. The exhibition runs at the AGO until February 12th, and is a timed-ticketed event. Get your tickets at: http://www.ago.net/mystical-landscapes. Both of us are historical interpreters; we don historic costume to tell people about the past. In the many years that we have been variously involved in this role, we have devised a few tips for other museum professionals that will hopefully prove useful in their own roles.
Evan's Tips: 1. It is important to have situational awareness, or, more colloquially, to be able to think on your feet. Situational awareness, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, is the ability to: “identify, process, and comprehend the critical elements of information about what is happening to the team with regards to the mission. More simply, it's knowing what is going on around you”. This is an important quality for interpreters and program staff, as a program or tour is constantly evolving, and an interpreter who operates on ‘autopilot’ is bound to be unprepared for the predictably unpredictable nature of the job. For instance, in the role of program staff I have often correctly prepared for a Christmas tour only to realize that the group will be late (usually due to snowfall) and in such an instance there is no possibility of extending the program. That challenges me to stop and think on my feet, and to adapt my plans accordingly. 2. It is an unacknowledged fact that interpreters do their own research. Sure, we all get background packages explaining the basic facts of a historic building or period, but interpreters tend to love their jobs enough that independent research is a reward in itself. However, it can cause unintended problems for interpretation, especially given the temptation to lead off with one’s own latest and greatest research. I was pondering this problem while observing some veteran interpreters and realized that the best way to structure interpretation is to foreground the basic information and to put one’s own research in the background. If the visitor or student picks up on some interesting tidbit I’ve mentioned, then I’ll offer more information. 3. This next strategy comes directly from the teaching of Freeman Tilden, an American who worked with the United States National Parks Service. His manual, Interpreting Our Heritage, has informed the work of historic interpreters since the 1950s. One of his principles that struck me was that the visitor should always be acknowledged and valued for their insights and knowledge. In practice, interpreters naturally experience occasions when a visitor innocently states something incorrect. The key, to paraphrase Tilden, is to diplomatically correct them and thus still make them feel valued in their contributions and remain part of the conversation. After all, good historic interpretation should result in a conversation about history. Alice's Tips: 1. Inject your interpretation with humour! Having a well-meaning and well-placed joke or comment can do a lot to liven the mood of an interpretation, and visitors remember times when they felt especially happy or light-hearted. If you can attach a fact in with your joke, it is more likely to be remembered. Humour helps to boost fact-retention, especially with children (for more information, see this article: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/laughter-learning-humor-boosts-retention-sarah-henderson) 2. Find and make connections between past and present. When describing things to younger audiences, ask them what is similar or different from their own surroundings and life experiences. Asking an open-ended question is always a good start, and facilitates intellectual exploration. For older visitors, this can sometimes foster deeper intellectual discussions about historical narratives. Oftentimes, I use this opportunity to talk to visitors about more difficult history (xenophobia, misogyny, and so forth). 3. Be dynamic. Gesturing with your hands to artifacts, holding things in your hands, walking over to certain items of interest and pointing out constituent parts are all important things to do. Walking around the space you are in can help too; if you are in an open space it allows visitors to literally follow you at their own pace. Enthusiasm is nothing if not infectious, and if you are enthusiastic about your material, your audience will be too. We hope that you have enjoyed these tips about interpretation! Written by Alice McClintock In one of its latest exhibitions, the AGO sheds some light on the beautiful art objects that are Gothic prayer beads, boxwood carving that helped those in the sixteenth century pray through meditation on the imagery contained within each bead. Featuring over sixty prayer beads from various collections and a number of intricately carved miniature altarpieces, the exhibition brings four years of scientific research on these objects to the foreground.
It has proven, in previous years, very difficult to understand the full extent of the skill it took to carve such beautiful objects of worship. Scanning the altarpieces with Micro CT technology reveals details not always noticed by the naked eye, and answers the question of how these pieces were constructed. Similarly, 3D imaging allows visitors to view background imagery in much closer detail. Videos featuring these scans and 3D imaging are placed at strategic points throughout the exhibition, highlighting significant pieces. The exhibition is minimalist; the beauty and intricacies of the prayer beads are on full display. Sometimes a single bead sits in one case with full illumination, pleasing to the eye and drawing attention to the religious purpose of these objects. These devotional objects were used often during travel, and could be packed up for longer journeys. In line with the hands-on, and experiential learning trend in museums, the AGO provides visitors with an opportunity to handle a length of boxwood. I found this to be a nice added touch; it always helps to have an opportunity to touch the materials that are on display. In a similar vein, there is a small display of artist’s tools from the period, along with unfinished work. Through touch and observational learning, I feel that visitors will get a more holistic view of the carving process. Additionally, the exhibition offers a virtual reality experience for visitors on weekends, where visitors can immerse themselves in an individual bead by travelling “through” it. While I did not try it, it seemed like other visitors enjoyed it. What struck me was that boxwood carvings are featured prominently in the AGO’s Thomson Collection of European Art, but for all the times that I had been through the permanent collection, I had only seen a handful of people studying them. Here, in the Small Wonders exhibition, the AGO highlights some of its most astonishing pieces, giving them a place of prominence in the gallery. I felt that marrying six hundred year old objects with cutting-edge technology to be a smart move on the part of the curators. The exhibition offers opportunities for reflection, too. When I learned of the significance of these objects to the people who used them, and the prominence of religion in their daily lives, I thought about our decade’s own devotion to technology, and having portable pieces of it with us (be it smartphone, tablet, or iPod) constantly. I don’t know if the curatorial team intended upon visitors drawing such a parallel, but it was an interesting thing to think about, nevertheless. AGO’s Small Wonders exhibition runs until January 22nd, 2017. There is a full catalogue of objects available online and in the AGO gift shop, and there are a number of talks and performances in the exhibition’s closing weeks. With groundbreaking technology at the fore, and a closer look at some of the AGO’s prized pieces, Small Wonders: Gothic Boxwood Miniatures is not to be missed. |
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