Past exhibits

 

Images of Internment: Paintings by Dr. Henry Shimizu

November 19, 2011, to February 2, 2012
Maltwood Prints and Drawings Gallery at the McPherson Library
Image Credit: Painting #3 by Henry Shimizu

In 1999, Dr. Henry Shimizu created a series of oil paintings based on his life as a teenager in the New Denver Japanese Internment Camp, BC, from 1942 to 1946. Images of Internment is an attempt to highlight the activities and lifestyle of the internees in this camp; they are the memories of a teenager and his friends.

According to Shimizu, despite isolation from mainstream Canadian Society during this time, the development of young Japanese Canadians progressed in almost the same pattern as any other Canadian teenager. One would have thought that this internment experience would have embittered this group and led to widespread despair and depression. Instead, says Shimizu, they came away from the experience more determined to be successful Canadians, contrary to the intention of those who promoted and carried out this injustice of internment and exile.

 

 

Revival: The Personal Archive of Robert Aller

February 23 to March 28, 2010 April 11, 2010
Legacy Art Gallery and Cafe
Image Credit: Robert Aller, Mask, University of Victoria Art Collections

Revival is a snapshot into the vast personal archives of the late artist and teacher Robert Aller. Revival is one concern that has been addressed throughout Aller’s artistic practice - he examines the loss of first nation’s culture and becomes influenced by their history in craft and tradition, which surfaces in his drawings, paintings and basketry.

While studying under Arthur Lismur at the School of Art and Design in Montreal, Aller’s interest in native art grew, and in later years it became his lifelong challenge to document the lives of First Nations people.

 

 

 

Teachers of Teachers

30th Annual Art Education Faculty Exhibition

January 9 to March 17, 2010
McPherson Library Gallery
Image Credit: Bill Zuk, Bow Glacier, print on paper, 2010

For the 30th consecutive year, the Art Education Faculty will display a rich and diverse collection of images at the McPherson Library Gallery at the University of Victoria.

The exhibit, with the largest group of contributors on record, will show the work from 22 studios of art educators who practice what they teach. The work comes from a range of backgrounds, from retired professors to masters students working as teaching assistants. On view will be themes capturing traditional and realistic perspectives to newer media explorations that are ephemeral and mystical.

Travels and Treasures:

The Divine Inspirations of Katharine Maltwood and Treasures of the Turcomans

October 5, 2009 to January 30, 2010
Exhibit held-over until March 5, 2010.
Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery

This exhibition showcases striking Middle Eastern textiles by Turcoman artists and sculpture by Katharine Maltwood. Maltwood's sculptural work was inspired by her Asian and African travels. Also explore the Japanese influenced botanical illustrations of Elizabeth Duer.

The exhibition complements two views on foreign travel; The Divine Inspirations of Katharine Maltwood focuses on the renowned globetrotter and artist Katharine Maltwood and her travels to Egypt and Japan in the early 20th century. Treasures of the Turcomans exhibits the jewelry and carpets collected from an expedition made through Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan in the 1930s.

Katharine Maltwood obtained numerous works of art and was moved by the rich religious histories in the two regions. The show includes photographs and key pieces of sculpture that she acquired while in Egypt and Japan.

Treasures of the Turcomans features The Gastrell Collection of jewelry, textiles and carpets made by nomadic women and acquired by a British diplomat’s family whilst living in Iran and Baluchistan (northern India/Pakistan) during the 1930-40s.

 

Cross Connections: Five Decades of Contemporary Art in the Pacific Northwest

January 6 to February 21, 2010
Legacy Art Gallery and Cafe

The University of Victoria’s Legacy Art Gallery and Café presents Cross Connections: Five Decades of Contemporary Art in the Pacific Northwest.

This exhibit features works from UVic’s newly acquired Coast Art Trust Collection. It includes works by the Trust’s founding members, James Felter, Kal Opré and Gregg Simpson, as well as works from each of the five decades represented in the collection.

UVic’s Coast Art Trust Collection comprises more than 100 works by 45 contemporary lower mainland artists. It includes paintings, sculpture, collage, mixed media and photography created in the latter half of the twentieth century. The collection represents a capsule history of Vancouver’s contemporary art scene from the 1960s onwards.

The Coast Art Trust Society recently donated this important historical collection to the University of Victoria’s Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery. The Society was formed as an artist driven enterprise to help preserve BC’s artistic heritage by assembling, maintaining and exhibiting visual art works and archival materials that document artistic activity in the Lower Mainland in the last half of the twentieth century.

Inside Chinatown: Paintings by Robert Amos

October 28, 2009 to January 17, 2010
Legacy Art Gallery and Cafe

The Legacy Art Gallery and Café presents Inside Chinatown: Paintings by Robert Amos. The exhibition showcases 20 original paintings of the fascinating interiors of Victoria's Chinatown.

Victoria’s Chinatown is Canada’s oldest Chinese neighbourhood, second only to San Francisco in North America, and has a lineage unbroken since 1858. Original artwork from Robert Amos (www.robertamos.com) will take you behind the doors of the 29 private clubs that make up the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association. You’ll see the gilded altars, antique art and ornate furniture that grace these meeting halls.

Amos’ new book Inside Chinatown (co-authored by Kileasa Wong, TouchWood Editions) will be available for sale at the Legacy’s gift shop.

Passage
Portraits by Lisa Hebden

November 18 to December 17, 2009
McPherson Library Gallery

Victoria-based artist Lisa Hebden explores the transformation from childhood to adulthood with a series of paintings of young girls, capturing the feelings of being small both physically and psychologically.

Influenced by film and drawn to media images of adolescent girls who appear both vulnerable and strong, Hebden says the foundation of her work lies in the fragility of childhood.

“I am captured by the moodiness of film lighting, the long pauses that focus only on a subject’s face or eyes, the expression pregnant with thought or emotion,” says Hebden. “Being a child is fun and overwhelming. Children endow their environments with meaning and imagination. A large empty room can be intimidating and magical. The big wood floor beckons for sliding across, while the shadowy corners are dark and ominous. An open field is an opportunity to get lost in the tall grass, an adventure both thrilling and scary.”

 

Ted Harrison: Painting Paradise

August 19 to November 29, 2009
Exhibit held-over until January 3, 2010.
Legacy Art Gallery and Cafe

The University of Victoria’s Legacy Art Gallery and Café presents Ted Harrison: Painting Paradise, a career retrospective of one of Canada’s most popular and beloved visual artists, from Aug. 19 to Nov. 29, 2009. The show includes dozens of works spanning five decades, including recently discovered paintings from Harrison’s 1994 Commonwealth Games series.

“This exhibit demonstrates why Ted Harrison’s work has been both critically acclaimed and popular,” says Martin Segger, director of UVic’s Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery. “It is a compelling summary of an extraordinary artistic career.”

The exhibit is curated by Katherine Gibson, the author of Ted Harrison: Painting Paradise, a biography of the artist. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the Legacy Art Gallery and Café during an official book signing on Saturday, September 12 between 1 and 3 p.m.

Harrison came to Canada in 1967 and soon settled in the Yukon. The area’s vast, awe-inspiring beauty became the inspiration and subject of his paintings, which combine vibrant, idiosyncratic colour with a sense of form that is both sophisticated and beguilingly childlike.

 

 

 

Rocks and Shadows: Exploring the works of Judith Foster

October 16 – November 15, 2009
McPherson Library Gallery

August 26 – October 25, 2009
Legacy Art Gallery and Café

Engage with the creative processes of renowned printmaker Judith Foster and discover the methods and techniques behind this precise art form. The exhibit showcases a playful sampling from different points in her career, from New York mezzotints to Okanagan woodcuts.

Judith Foster (1930-2000) was an American born printmaker who documented her creative processes through meticulous record keeping. These archives, on display, including process materials, personal notations and progress prints provide a window into the methods and techniques that Foster engaged with to create such powerful works of art.

Please note that the exhibit has be extended and expanded and will briefly show in two locations in mid-October. After October 26, 2009 the entire exhibit will be on display in the McPherson Library Gallery at the University of Victoria.

 

Gathering: 25th Anniversary Masters and Doctoral Art Education

Graduate Students and Faculty Honouring Dr. Margaret Travis

June 4 to September 25, 2009
University Centre Room
B115, 250-721-6313.

Mon to Fri 10am to 4pm with special openings in conjunction with Farquhar Auditorium events.

Art Education celebrates 25 years of outstanding Graduate programs with an exhibition hosted by the Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery. The exhibition, Gathering, honours Dr. Margaret Travis and will show showcase artworks produced by its graduate students and faculty.

What began as a small group in the Art Education program became over 100 success stories. The exhibition also recognizes professors Geoff Hodder, George Steggles, John Cawood, Dr. Margaret Travis, Dr. Bill Zuk, Dr. Don Bergland, Dr. Robert Dalton and Dr. Mike Emme for their guidance and expertise.

The Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery is open 10 am - 4 pm Monday to Friday. Admission is free.

 

Two Fish, Out of Water

Photographs from the Japanese Landscape

August 5 to October 5, 2009
McPherson Library Gallery

After three years of exploration in the East, photographer Paul Kohl invites the viewer to discover an estranged view of Japanese landscape in his new series at the McPherson Library Gallery.

Kohl, also a professor in art, design and media at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, explores the state that the French call depaysement, the sense the traveler experiences where nothing is as you have known it; where the birdsong, the raked gravel, the telephone’s ring are joltingly exotic. Kohl’s unusual technique employs scanned black and white negatives using Photoshop as a darkroom. He then prints on Japanese paper with an Epson 7600 using pigment inks.

Works from the exhibit are from his recent book, Two Fish, Out of Water, which will be available for sale at the Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery and the University of Victoria Bookstore.

For more information visit Kohl’s website.

From a Modern Time:
The Architectural Photography of Hubert Norbury, Victoria in the 50’s and 60’s

July 1 – August 9, 2009
Exhibit held-over until August 23, 2009
Legacy Art Gallery and Café

Imagine Victoria when Bastion Square was a parking lot, UVic had no rabbits and Paul’s Diner served the best plate of fries at any hour. A retro Victoria comes alive through the work of architectural photographer Hubert Norbury, on display at the Legacy Art Gallery and Café this summer.

Norbury succeeded in documenting a building boom that transformed Victoria from a sleepy retreat to a vibrant city, rejuvenated by progressive town planning, a new university campus, and an international airport. His photographs serve as a rich and detailed record of a unique era in Victoria’s architectural history when modern ideas and new building technologies were embraced by its architects and increasingly accepted by the general public.

Images include the construction of car parks, medical clinics, high-rise apartments, hospitals, churches, schools, and educational facilities familiar to any long-term resident of Victoria.

 

MFA Visual Arts Exhibition

May 13, 2009 to August 16, 2009
Legacy Art Gallery and Cafe.

This summer the Legacy Art Gallery and Café brings a mixture of imaginative artworks from the studios of five young artists. Recently graduated MFA students Allison Cake, Katie Lyle , Shelly Penfold, Sara Robichaud and Ethan Wills share their top explorative pieces in their final thesis exhibition for the Fine Arts Masters program at UVic. The exhibit features a variety of works, from soapstone sculptures in the form of every day objects, to paintings of ghostly young women, to abstract wooden structures.

“Looking over these works, we see five artists committed in their disparate manners to a similar end: the creation of possible itineraries of the imagination. … A parallel universe, if you will, summoned forth from studio space.”
-Kitty Scott from Studio Space UVIC MFA 2009

Hope in Shadows

May 6, 2009 to May 30, 2009
Legacy Art Gallery and Cafe

The Legacy Art Gallery and Cafe, in partnership with Victoria’s Together Against Poverty and Street Newz, is pleased to present Hope in Shadows, an exhibit that offers a retrospective look into the lives of people living in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. In an annual photography contest, started in 2003 by Pivot Legal Society, residents are given disposable cameras and asked to photograph their lives. The result is an exhibit highlighting 20 winning photographs, determined through a community vote. The chosen images challenge stereotypes surrounding issues of poverty, addiction and marginalization.

Rebels and Realists

100 Years of the Victoria Sketch Club

March 9 to May 29, 2009
University Centre Room
B115, 250-721-6313.

Mon to Fri 10am to 4pm with special openings in conjunction with Farquhar Auditorium events.

This exhibition celebrates western Canada's oldest arts organization and features over 50 of the club's best-known artists including Emily Carr, Josephine Crease, Sophie Pemberton, W.P Weston, Thomas Fripp, Max Maynard, Jack Shadbolt, Ina Uhthoff. Katharine Maltwood, Stella Langdale and Edythe Hembroff.

The Lion and The Fox

Art and Literary Works by Wyndham Lewis from the C.J. Fox Collection

April 1 to May 28, 2009
McPherson Library Gallery

The University of Victoria Libraries, the Friends of UVic Libraries and the Maltwood Art Museum & Gallery are pleased to present an exhibition of the C. J. Fox Collection of Wyndham Lewis art and literary works. The public showing celebrates former Reuters/Canadian Press journalist and Modernist scholar Cyril Fox’s donation of his extensive English Modernism collection to the University of Victoria. The Lion and the Fox comprises two exhibits; the McPherson Gallery exhibit of art works by Wyndham Lewis and others, and a display of Wyndham Lewis books and materials from the Cyril James Fox fonds, held in the Archives and Special Collections Reading Room (A005). For more information please visit:http://library.uvic.ca/site/spcoll/exhibitions/fox/

Taking Flight

The Art of J. Fenwick Lansdowne

December 10, 2008 to May 3, 2009
Legacy Art Gallery and cafe.

The Legacy Art Gallery and Cafe is pleased to present "Taking Flight", an exhibit showcasing the life's work of one of Canada's foremost avian artists, J. Fenwick Lansdowne. Born in Hong Kong, Lansdowne spent the majority of his life in British Columbia where he created delicate representations of birds and plant life. These renderings led to his being appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1976, followed by the award of the Order of British Columbia in 1995. Taking Flight features a variety of Lansdowne's works, including watercolor paintings, drawings, and prints.

 

Conversations About Green

A photographic exploration of the coastal rocks of British Columbia by Vancouver photographer Fiona Spalding-Smith.

April 1, 2009 to May 3, 2009
Legacy Art Gallery and cafe.

Artist's tour on Sunday April 5th at 2:00 pm.

Copper Thunderbird: Invention, Inspiration and Transformation

July 9 to November 30, 2008

"Copper Thunderbird: Invention, Inspiration and Transformation" featured painted works spanning three decades as well as costumes, drawings, and photographs created by UVic professor Mary Kerr from "Copper Thunderbird," a play about Norval Morrisseau. Artists mediate realities and bridge worlds. The shaman lives in two or more inter-visible worlds and functions traditionally as the go-between to bring back what he sees to make art and transform the world. The stage artist has to bridge the stage world to the audience. We were looking for a stage environment that would be a container for Norval's Shaman and artist consciousness and Marie Clement's script. We needed a theatrical world in it's own right and not an illustration of his paintings or a documentary of his life. I envisioned the stage design as representing the interior of Norval's mind, where everything in the play, all the events, real and imaginary, were seen through the shifting shapes and colours of shamanistic consciousness. - Mary Kerr, Celebrated Canadian Stage Designer

This Earth

Jun. 4, 2008 - Jul. 27, 2008 in the McPherson Library Gallery

Lisa Murray's This Earth explores texture, movement, and colour through acrylic paint and collage technique. In this exhibition are paintings predominantly from two juxtaposed series: Light Catchers responds organically to the quality of light throughout the day, while her diptychs and triptychs create space for exploration in movement and repetition. All of these paintings reflect the dynamism and transformative qualities of the light sources and media which inspire Murray to "capture some of the beauty of This Earth".

Macbeth

a Civil War of the Mind Apr. 3, 2008 - May. 31, 2008 in the McPherson Library Gallery

This exhibit features the paintings of Wade Stout and his unique representations of Shakespeare's Macbeth from an artist's viewpoint. Combining classical drama, Tarot, mythology and the culture of the early 17th century with modern symbolism, he recreates an accessible Shakespeare that spans layers of meaning and media.

Borderlands

liminal treatments of the heart and mind Feb. 6, 2008 - Apr. 27, 2008 in the Maltwood Gallery

The Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery at the University of Victoria is pleased to present a new exhibit at its downtown gallery: "Borderlands: Liminal Treatments of the Heart and Mind" opens on Wednesday, Febraury 6 at the Legacy Gallery and Cafe, 630 Yates Street The guest curator is Fran Willis.

Studio Portraits

photo-collages of the studios of 33 artists of southern Vancouver Island Nov. 22, 2007 - Mar. 31, 2008 in the Maltwood Gallery

Robert Amos’ new book new book, "Artists in Their Studios" (TouchWood Editions, Victoria, 2007), has 33 chapters on the foremost artists of Vancouver Island, including Robert Bateman, E.J. Hughes and Emily Carr's attic. The book is about to become an exhibition at the Maltwood Museum (November 27, 2007 to March 31, 2008) in which his studio portraits will be enlarged almost to life size, and each artist will be represented by original artwork, mostly drawn from the University's collection. It's a privileged view from an insider's viewpoint. Visit Ted Harrison and Pat Martin Bates, among many others. You can stand "where art is born".

Living with Land Mines

Feb. 20, 2008 - Mar. 28, 2008 in the McPherson Library Gallery

Canada's leading portrait photographer V. Tony Hauser presents the shocking reality of war into an artistic context through 17 life- size portraits of Cambodian children who have suffered the consequences of land mines, accompanied by statements about each child. After documenting the temples of Angkor Wat, Hauser unexpectedly found a different kind of beauty in the shadows: the dignity of these young victims of land mines. Using Polaroid film and a seamless canvas backdrop, Hauser shines the spotlight onto the children's lives. "I purposely chose to isolate them" he says "and, at the same time, reveal my admiration for their strength and defiance in facing the daily fear of living with land mines."

Art Education Faculty Exhibit

Jan. 15, 2008 - Feb. 14, 2008 in the McPherson Library Gallery

As teachers and artists, the Faculty's art educators reveal their diverse artistic interests and identities. These are explored in drawings, paintings, collages, prints, ceramics, sculpture, and light displays. This annual exhibit steps out of the classroom into the studios of art education to look at the creative energy which fuels their teaching. Official opening: Wednesday, January 16, 2008 at 3:30 pm. Dr. Ted Riecken, Dean of Education presiding. The McPherson Library Gallery is open Monday - Thursday 7:30 am - 11 pm, Friday 7:30 am - 9 pm, Saturday 10 - 9 pm and Sunday 10 am - 11 pm. Media Contacts: Caroline Riedel (Curator of Collections, Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery) at 250-721-6313 or curator@uvic.ca Aubrey Emlyn (Publicist, Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery) at 250-721-6562 or maltpub@finearts.uvic.ca

Book Arts

Mosaic & Millennium in a Box Oct. 6, 2007 - Jan. 10, 2008 in the Maltwood Gallery

"A Book Arts Mosaic" features 25 pieces by 38 Canadian book artists portrayed in media as diverse as handmade papers, wood, leather, cotton, and photographs. This group of work focuses on the ethnic and cultural diversity of Canada. "Millennium in a Box" features 35 Canadian book artists' interpretation of where the new millennium may lead, whether technically, socially or personally. This exhibit features a similarly wide range of binding styles including tunnel, miniature, origami and concertina books. This exhibit runs from October 6, 2007 to January 20, 2008 in the McPherson Library Gallery. Guided Tours of the exhibit wil take place Friday November 23rd at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the McPherson Library Gallery. The McPherson Library Gallery is open Monday - Thursday 8 a.m. - 9 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Saturday - Sunday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Media Contacts: Caroline Riedel (Curator of Collections, Maltwood Museum and Art Gallery) at 250-721-6313 or curator@uvic.ca Marlaina Buch (Publicist, Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery) at 250-721-6562 or maltpub@finearts.uvic.ca

The Hold of Our Hands

Art from the Robin & Sylvia Skelton Collection Aug. 31, 2007 - Nov. 15, 2007 in the Maltwood Gallery

This exhibit will be on display from Friday, 31 August to Thursday, 15 November, 2007 at the Maltwood. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday, with occasional evening and weekend openings in conjunction with Farquhar Auditorium events. Admission is free. Robin Skelton was a prominent figure in the Victoria art and literary scenes and amassed an impressive collection of art with his wife and fellow artist, Sylvia. This exhibition features work from the Limner Art Group as well as illustrations by Jack Butler Yeats, brother of poet W.B. Yeats, other noteworthy Irish artists and Robin's own collages. This show is part of a campus wide celebration of Robin Skelton's creative life and contribution to the University community. For more information about the celebration visit http://web.uvic.ca/malahat/ Photo of Robin Skelton used with the permission of the Skelton family.

The Mac

A Tribute to Dr. D.L. MacLaurin Aug. 25, 2007 - Sep. 30, 2007 in the McPherson Library Gallery

In this display, MacLaurin pays tribute to the educational contributions made to UVic by her late uncle, Dr. Donald L. MacLaurin, and uses his namesake building on the university campus as the focal point for her installation. Using manipulated photographs, sound collage, video and sculptural elements, Ruth has created a tribute piece to her uncle, who was a well respected member of the University community. As an art professor, Ruth has been inspired by her uncle’s legacy and has creatively reinterpreted his celebrated teaching career. Ruth MacLaurin is Associate Professor of Creative and Critical Studies at the University of British Columbia Okanagan. The McPherson Library Gallery is open Monday – Friday 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 pm, and Saturday – Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 pm. Media Contacts: Caroline Riedel (Curator of Collections, Maltwood Museum and Art Gallery) at 250-721-6313 or curator@uvic.ca Marlaina Buch (Publicist, Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery) at 250-721-6562 or maltpub@finearts.uvic.ca

Cascadia: Studio Furniture from Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska

Jun. 15, 2007 - Aug. 20, 2007 in the Maltwood Gallery

Jurors focused on the Northwest Coast to highlight the quality furniture makers of the area and showcase the particular historical and geographical influences of the region that have contributed to the unique quality of design. For more information about the annual Furniture Society Cenference please visit http://www.furnituresociety.org. For more information about the Island Illustrators Society, visit http://www.islandillustrators.org. This exhibit runs June 15-August 20, 2007 in the Maltwood Museum in the University Centre Room B 115. There will be a special opening Saturday June 23 from 9-4 in conjunction with the Furniture Society Conference. The Gallery is open Monday-Friday 10:00am-4:00pm and in conjunction with special events on campus.

20 Years of Fine Furniture

Jun. 15, 2007 - Aug. 20, 2007 in the McPherson Library Gallery

This display showcases graduate work spanning the Program's entire twenty-year history. Many exhibitors will be showing works based on specific themes and made from indigenous British Columbia wood. All of the entrants have stayed active in the furniture or woodworking industries and are submitting either a favorite piece made as a student or something made more recently as a professional. For more information about the Island Illustrators Society, visit http://islandillustrators.org. This exhibit runs June 15-August 20, 2007. The McPherson Library Gallery summer hours are Monday-Thursday 8:00am-9:00pm, Friday 8:00am-6pm and Saturday-Sunday 10:00am-6:00pm.

Master Minds

UVic Retirees Exhibit Apr. 13, 2007 - Jun. 7, 2007 in the Maltwood Gallery

Combining the initiatives of the UVic Retirees Association and the Centre for Aging, this exhibit showcases the artistic talents of 22 UVic retirees. The multimedia collection is comprised of still life, landscape and figurative pieces, each demonstrating the contributions of the artists to the University and surrounding community. For more information, please visit the Masterminds website at http://www.uvic.ca/masterminds