April 21, 2006 Source: :
http://www.smu.ca/newsreleases/2006/04-21-21-2006.html Art Gallery Hosts Sight Unseen Show Sight Unseen: Recent Acquisitions and Other Works from the Permanent Collection
22 April – 11 June 2006
Opening reception: Friday, 21 April, 8:00 pm Art works that are usually hidden from view can be seen this spring at Saint Mary's University Art Gallery. The exhibition, Sight Unseen: Recent Acquisitions and Other Works from the Permanent Collection, will be on display from 22 April to 11 June. Guest Curator David Court, working through an internship from NSCAD University, has selected works that explore notions of visibility and community as they relate to the Gallery’s Permanent Collection. The Gallery’s Art on Campus programme makes artworks available for display in hallways, offices and elsewhere on campus – primarily paintings and framed works on paper – but much of the collection normally remains unseen. Less visible works may be delicate or vulnerable, or require special conditions for their display, or they may be otherwise obscure or marginal elements within the collection. A second theme of the exhibition is how the collection reflects the Gallery’s relationship with communities both on and off campus. Court notes that, "as a public space, the gallery is located somewhere between the university community and the art community. It is a site where these communities can extend into one another – can see and be seen." Retiring professor of Irish Studies, Dr Cyril Byrne, has donated to the collection two miniature portraits of Rev Richard Baptist O'Brien by William Valentine, who was active in Halifax in the 1840s. These delicate studies, depicting one of the University's first Presidents, are an important reflection of the University’s history. The collection also includes works by many established figures associated with NSCAD University. A recent donation by noted painter Gerald Ferguson features works by his former students, now NSCAD graduates. The Eyelevel Paperworks, a newly acquired set of limited edition works on paper by artists associated with this region, will also be exhibited. Three drawings and a sculpture by the late Arthur Handy are the subject of a special focus in the Side Gallery. An interpretive text by the guest curator will be launched as the second in the Gallery’s Permanent Collection Series of brochures on selected works in the collection. "This exhibition," says Court, "represents an attempt to expose the Permanent Collection of the Saint Mary’s University Art Gallery – to open it up for investigation – by presenting works that would not otherwise be visible in public, as well as work that makes visible the gallery’s connection to broader social networks." An opening reception for the exhibition will take place at Saint Mary's University Art Gallery on Friday, 21 April 2006 at 8 pm. All events are free of charge and open to the public at Saint Mary’s University Art Gallery, in the Loyola Building, 5865 Gorsebrook Avenue. This exhibition and associated activities are supported by programme funding from The Canada Council for the Arts. -30- Contact: 902 420-5445
Email: gallery@smu.ca
Website: www.smuartgallery.ca
Digitized image files/slides/photos available Saint Mary's University is known for its community outreach projects, both in Canada and around the world. Saint Mary's, founded in 1802, is home to one of Canada's leading business schools, a Science Faculty widely known for its cutting-edge research, a comprehensive and innovative Arts Faculty and a new Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. -30- For More Information: Paul Fitzgerald
Public Affairs Officer
Saint Mary's University, Public Affairs
(902) 420.5514
E-mail: paul.fitzgerald@smu.ca
www.smu.ca
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