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The BAC's contemporary visual art program is collaboratively developed
by a Program Team that is lead by George Wale, M.Ed., Director of Programs and
includes Executive Director, Ian Ross, M.F.A.; the Curator of the Collection,
Jonathan Smith, M.F.A.; Dawn Beatty, Associate Curator of Programs; Preparator,
Brad Issacs; and Kiln Technicians, David Kupas, Shane Norrie and Dorothy Heuck.
Curatorial objectives are achieved through a series of exhibitions over a number
of years rather than any in one fiscal period. Our visual arts program has three
areas of focus:
The Burlington Art Centre pays artist fees in accordance with the CARFAC Minimum Copyright Fee Schedule.
Compulsion:
Kelly Mark and Ben Walmsley
January 14 - February 11
Main Gallery
Reception: Sunday, January 14
Guest Curator: Carol Podedworny
Co-ordinator: George Wale
The exhibition combines the installation work of Mark with the paintings of Walmsley. Visually, the works respond to one another and seem relevantly juxtaposed due to their apparent interest in the repetitive, even obsessive, use of images, materials and processes. Yet, what extends the interest that the viewer might find in these objects is their underlying investigation of issues of modernity. On the one hand, both artists are interested in critiquing the art historical lineage of the past: a past that was most recently defined as 'modern.' Walmsley, for instance, references commercial still photography, while Mark critically re-works notions of modern sculpture with a fresh approach to minimalism and conceptual art practices.
Mark and Walmsley moreover, are intent on critiquing the commodification of culture - a particularly modern development. In works that refer to the commodification of art objects for Mark, and to the marketing of art and culture for Walmlsey, these artists reflect on the broader implications of modernity to not only art but society.
Both artists work in Ontario, Kelly Mark lives in Hamilton and Ben Walmsley is based in Toronto.
Co-produced with University of Waterloo Art Gallery
Publication
Tours to University of Waterloo Art Gallery, February 22 - March 24
Carol
Bryer Fallert: A Sense of Wonder
February 25 - March 28
Reception: Sunday, March 18th at 2pm
Artist's Talk: Art Quilts: Beyond Tradition - March 19th at 7:30 pm
Workshops March 16, 17, 19
Main Gallery
Curator: George Wale
A selection of recent work from this internationally recognized, award winning, American artist - born in 1947 and living in Oswego, Illinois.
"For as long as I can remember, I have expressed myself through artwork. My formal training was primarily in design, drawing, and studio painting. After many years of painting, sewing, and experimenting with other media, I discovered that fabric, as an artistic medium, best expressed my personal vision. I love the tactile qualities of cloth, and the unlimited color range made possible by hand dyeing and painting." Carol Bryer Fallert, 1996.
In collaboration with the York Heritage Guild, Toronto, and the Burlington Quilters Society, the Art Centre will present an exhibition and a series of related activities - exhibition tours and artist's illustrated lectures and workshops, a mini artist-residency, March 16, 17, 19.
Originated by the Burlington Art Centre
Publication
Artist's talk, seminar, workshops, and studio course
Constructed
Identity: Ed Burtynsky and Suzy Lake
April 26 - May 27
Main Gallery
Curator: George Wale 
Is the Canada you know built upon, and of, a Canada that was? Is your "self" made through change, transformation, deconstruction, and construction of your memories and ideas? The exhibition, through the photographs of Toronto artists, Ed Burtynsky and Suzy Lake, encourages the audience to consider the images as metaphors for the construction of national and personal identities. A seminar to discuss the concepts of constructive and experiential knowledge and the aesthetic experience as a learning experience will complement the exhibition.
Originated by the Burlington Art Centre
Publication
Seminar
Into the Forest: Conversations with Trees
June 3 - July 15
Main Gallery
Curator: Dawn White Beatty
This exhibition examines the spiritual nature of the relationships between four regional women artists and trees. Pat Kozowyk, of Freelton, has worked extensively in drawing, pastel and the natural materials of trees, and has been involved with 'On the Edge', a series of environmental exhibitions and publications about the fragile environments within the urban areas of Hamilton. Justine Giuliani of Burlington works in oil, acrylic and mixed media on paper and canvas, Audrey Shimizu of St. Catharines has an ongoing body of mixed media and installation work and Julie Aubin, of St. Catherines works with ceramics, natural materials, photography and printmaking to create mixed media dialogues. Each expresses a personal spirituality through their renderings of the tree image.
Originated by the Burlington Art Centre
Publication
Julie
Aubin - EXCERPTS ON THE GINKGO: PRIMAL CONNECTIONS
Painted
Journals: Elizabeth Dawson, Unsettled: Debra Jackson
September 30 - November 18, 2001
Opening Reception: Sunday, October 14 at 2pm
Main Gallery
Curator: Dawn White Beatty
Elizabeth Dawson has traveled the world and renders the difficult conditions of its working women and girls in her batik paintings on cotton.
Debra Jackson examines the difficult journey of girl to woman in her multi-media constructions that employ contemporary materials such as latex castings, photography and printmaking techniques.
What connects these artists is their use of visual documentation to give voice to their experiences and those of the women that they have come close to, recording the acts of oppression and difficult situations that they have witnessed. They speak of circumstances that women worldwide have as common experience and reference the rich abundance of women's histories and traditions that are again surfacing to become guides for contemporary women and girls on their own personal journeys. While honouring the strength of the female spirit and body, they offer urgent reminders of the unresolved issues yet to be addressed.
Originated by the Burlington Art Centre
Publication
Portraiture: Heads and Tales
December 2, 2001 - January 6, 2002
Main Gallery
Curator: George Wale
An exploration of a variety of concepts, processes, and media employed by artists when they create portraits. The exhibition will include film, video, sculpture, painting and photography. At this time participating artists include: video - "My Father Was An Englishman" and "Missing Culture" by Peter Karuna, Hamilton; film - "Thirty-Two Short Films About Glen Gould" directed by Francois Girard; sculpture - Joe Fafard, Pence, and Susan Low-Beer, Toronto; painting - Kathrine MacDonald, Dundas.
An extensive program of related educational activities are planned - studio courses (painting and sculpture), illustrated artists' seminar and talks, and an analytical display, designed by BAC Curator of the Collection, Jonathan Smith, illustrating a systematic approach to drawing a portrait.
Originated by the Burlington Art Centre
Publication
Artist's talk, seminar, and studio courses
Cups
January 3 - June 3
Reception: Sunday, January 14 at 2pm
Permanent Collection Corridor
Curator: Jonathan Smith
Originally this group of six artists established itself for the purpose of self-critique and to stimulate exploration. After working together for two years, they decided to pursue a specific subject in the group's artistic investigations, that of the question of what constitutes a vessel form, physically, ritualistically, socially, historically and environmentally. The form they chose was the common cup, which ties the oldest of objects to our everyday life. The cup form defined the parameters for group work, and provided a point of departure for discussion about many issues facing ceramic artists today. Some of the issues that will be investigated through this exhibition are as follows: essence of form through the intimate and tactile nature of the cup, health and environmental concerns and social responsibility, cultural values and rituals, and function versus denial of function in ceramic objects.
The artists include - Laima Bruveris, Etobicoke, Susan Card, Toronto, Judith Graham, Toronto, Louise MacNab, Toronto, Jutta Spengemann, Mississauga, and Danuta Weisenbluth, Toronto.
Originated by Burlington Art Centre
Publication
Susan Low-Beer - Rocksbreath - Courtyard Installation
June 10 - September 9
Curator: Jonathan Smith
This year the Courtyard Installation artist is Susan Low-Beer, of Toronto. Low-Beer's site specific installation will use the outdoor courtyard of the building to help examine the interior dialogues that her mixed media (steel and ceramic) sculptures portray. The feelings of fear and alienation men and woman experience between each other and between their own physically are seen from Low-Beer's feminist perspective. The organic clay body parts of her work seen against the more geometric planar steel elements of structures echo the natural vegetation and manmade structure that encloses the work, as the site and the work echo each other in their attempt to reach an unattainable balance.
Originated by the Burlington Art Centre
Publication
and Artist's talk
Recent Acquisitions
January 9 - December 16, 2001
Nelson Lobby
Reception: Sunday, January 14, 2001 at 2pm
Curator Jonathan Smith
An exhibition that highlights the growth of the collection over the past year. This exhibition tries to convey the diversity of work from the traditional media based study of functional ware to the artistic expression of idea driven sculptural work. The Permanent Collection at the Art Centre primarily grows through the generosity of our donors, many of whom gift the Centre regularly from their personal collections and this exhibition is our first chance to share these gifts.
Originated by the Burlington Art Centre
Diane Nasr - 'things remembered'
June 10 - September 9
Curator: Jonathan Smith
Diane Nasr of Kleinburg Ontario has over the last fifteen year developed a body of work that explores the range of organic forms. From the early pod like forms reminiscent of the flora of her native Trinidad to the landscape tray forms of her latter work she has explored the fecund power of nature. Her exploration has lead to explore the edges of her medium where she pushes her firing techniques to the line between success and failure. The sheer brilliance of her technique when seen in combination with her freedom of expression are the hallmarks of her work.
Originated by the Burlington Art Centre
Fusion
Article
Harlan House
September 16 - December 30
Curator: Jonathan Smith
Harlan House, originally from Alberta but now a resident of St. Mary's, Ontario, is a Bronfman Award winner and is recognized by the BAC as an artist whose work is collected in depth. Using the Art Centre's Collection as the core of the exhibition, House's work is traced from the early landscape murals to the present functional forms based on classic Chinese vessels. Attention will be paid to House's experiments with wood firing and his recreation of glaze formulas that have been lost for 1200 years until House's rediscovery of them. The artist will produce a small selection of work especially for this exhibition, which will also include a number of drawings.
Originated by the Burlington Art Centre
Publication
Artists' talk
Built in 1978, the Burlington Art Centre was developed as an ideal home for the many visual art and craft guilds that had been active in Burlington since the 1950s. The guilds represent an important point of access to the Centre as a whole. Typical guild participants will enter as beginners and, through classes, critiques, discussions and exhibitions, they develop themselves to a serious amateur or professional level.
There are seven guilds that have fully-equipped studios at the Centre. Each guild runs a varied program to promote a greater understanding of their specific art form and to develop their skills as creators.
Originated by the Burlington Art Centre
Publications
Juror's critique for each exhibition
All guild juried exhibitions are held in the F. R. Perry Gallery
Ontario Handweavers and Spinners Juried Exhibition:
'CONTAINED IMAGES'
January 7 - February 18
Reception: Sunday, January 14, 2001 at 2pm
F.R. Perry Gallery
Curator: Jonathan Smith
Members of the Ontario Handweavers and Spinners were challenged to use their imaginations and create works for this juried exhibition that figuratively or literally contained an image. In the words of Ankaret Dean, the juror for this show, "The old image of traditional woven scarves and wooly socks is no more, instead one finds Japanese influenced textile pieces, contemporaty tapestries and fine weavings and 3-D works in such techniques as shaped leather, woven boxes, basketry and felting." This is an imaginative and exciting exhibition that showcases the work of 24 talented Ontario fibre artists.
Latow Photographers'
Guild Juried Exhibition
February 25 - March 25
Reception: Sunday March 18 at 2:00 pm
Sculptors' Group Juried Exhibition
April 12 - May 6
Reception: Sunday April 29 at 2:00 pm
Quilters' Society Juried Exhibition
May 13 - June 17
Reception: Sunday June 17 at 2:00 pm
Hooking Craft Guild Juried Exhibition
August 26 - September 30
Reception: To be announced (sometime during the Guild's Conference)
Potters' Guild Juried Exhibition
October 7 - November 11
Reception: Sunday October 14 at 2:00 pm
Burlington Fine Arts Association Juried Exhibition
November 26 - December 21
Reception: Sunday December 2 at 2:00 pm