Operated by the Calgary Contemporary Arts Society

July 7 – August 24, 2011

Home
Current Exhibit
 Future Exhibits
Past Exhibits

PULSE: ALBERTA SOCIETY OF ARTISTS AT 80 YEARS
80th Anniversary of the Alberta Society of Artists 1931 – 2011
July 7 – August 24, 2011

 

Pulse: Alberta Society of Artists at 80 Years is a two-part exhibition honouring past artistic achievements as well as highlighting recent practices by eleven members of the Society.
               
Established in 1931 by Alfred Crocker Leighton, the ASA was formed to represent the dreams and ambitions of artists working in the province. As a professional organization, it played a supportive role in the development of the visual arts in western Canada. It did this through exhibitions, meetings and other activities like publishing (Highlights Magazine) and through organizing week-long painting camps.

Pulse is divided into two sections. The first represents the past and consists of a small curated selection of paintings and prints created by artists who lived and worked in Alberta prior to the Second World War. Of particular note, is an oil on canvas by founder, A.C. Leighton; a landscape by Harry G. Hunt which appeared in one of the first ASA exhibitions, and the paintings of Maxwell Bates, Marion MacKay (Nicoll) and Janet Mitchell: all active in the emergence of modernism in Alberta.

The other section of Pulse features contemporary artwork created by eleven of the Society’s current members. They are: Kim Bruce (Redwood Meadows), Linda Daoust (Calgary), Elaine Funnell (Spruce Grove), Eveline Kolijn (Calgary),  Candace Makowichuk (Edmonton), Lynn Malin (Edmonton), Roberta Murray (Rocky Mountain House), Liv Pedersen (Calgary), Bonnie Scott (Calgary), Bev Tosh (Calgary) and Barbara West (Canmore).
               
Taking the contemporary pulse of the ASA, this curated selection represents not only the energies of artists working in installation and photography but also some of the more singular acts of art-making like tapestry, encaustic sculpture and botanical art. Other media like printmaking and off-canvas painting also are represented in this exhibition. The concerns of these members embrace the ecological and environmental; the wish to convey stories about social drinking and “war-bride” immigration; childhood play and a sense of place, as well as aesthetic approaches. Overall, many are artists who push beyond the conventional boundaries of the Alberta Society of Artists and its deeply established roots in landscape art and easel painting. This is also work that would tend to fall outside of the scope of many juried ASA shows.

Mary-Beth Laviolette
Exhibition Curator

 

Pulse: Alberta Society of Artists at 80 Years has been curated by Mary-Beth Laviolette, an art writer, critic and freelance curator based in Canmore, AB.

 

This special art exhibition project has been made possible through the generous assistance of:

LEADING SPONSORS: Alberta Society of Artists, Government of Alberta – Community Spirit Program, Roderick Green.

Supporting Sponsors: Calgary Contemporary Arts Society, Great Events Group Corp., Masters Gallery Ltd., Robert Pryde.

 

 

"PULSE" HISTORICAL:

Alfred Crocker Leighton, RCA (1901-1965) – Boulder Pass, Banff, c.1940 Harry Hunt (1888-1970) – Autumn, Kananaskis, 1931
Frederick G. Cross, RCA (1881-1941) – Four Cows in a Field Annora Brown (1899-1987) – Rosehip, c. 1930
Marion McKay (Nicoll), RCA (1909-1985) – Still Life, 1933 Henry G. Glyde, RCA (1906-1998) – Raymond, Alberta, n.d
Walter J. Phillips, RCA (1884-1963) – Mountain Torrent, 1926 William Lewy Leroy Stevenson (1905-1966) – Farm
Margaret Shelton (1915-1984) – Bankview (Calgary), 1942 Maxwell Bates, RCA (1906-1980) – The Family, 1953
Janet Mitchell, RCA (1912-1998) – Birds and Cats Keep Time, 1975  

List of Images (left to right, top to bottom):

Artwork

  1. Alfred Crocker Leighton, RCA (1901-1965) – Boulder Pass, Banff, c.1940; oil on linen. Collection of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. Photo by Brent Laycock, RCA.

  2. Harry Hunt (1888-1970) – Autumn, Kananaskis, 1931; oil on canvas. Collection of Fred and Patti Hunt. Photo by Brent Laycock, RCA.

  3. Frederick G. Cross, RCA (1881-1941) – Four Cows in a Field, n.d.; watercolour on paper. Collection of Henry M. Beaumont, Q.C. Photo by Brent Laycock, RCA.

  4. Annora Brown (1899-1987) – Rosehip, c. 1930; watercolour on paper. Collection of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. Photo by Brent Laycock, RCA.

  5. Marion McKay (Nicoll), RCA (1909-1985) – Still Life, 1933; watercolour on paper. Collection of Henry M. Beaumont, Q.C. Photo by Brent Laycock, RCA.

  6. Henry G. Glyde, RCA (1906-1998) – Raymond, Alberta, n.d.; oil on canvas. Collection of Henry M. Beaumont, Q.C. Photo by Brent Laycock, RCA.

  7. Walter J. Phillips, RCA (1884-1963) – Mountain Torrent, 1926; colour woodcut on paper. Collection of Peter and Shirley Savage. Photo by Brent Laycock, RCA.

  8. William Lewy Leroy Stevenson (1905-1966) – Farm, n.d.; oil on board. Collection of the Canadian Art Galleries Ltd. (Douglas MacLean). Photo by Brent Laycock, RCA.

  9. Margaret Shelton (1915-1984) – Bankview (Calgary), 1942; woodblock on paper. Collection of Henry M. Beaumont, Q.C. Photo by Brent Laycock, RCA.

  10. Maxwell Bates, RCA (1906-1980) – The Family, 1953; oil on board. Anonymous Lender. Photo by Brent Laycock, RCA.

  11. Janet Mitchell, RCA (1912-1998) – Birds and Cats Keep Time, 1975; watercolour on paper. Anonymous Lender. Photo by Brent Laycock, RCA.

"PULSE" CONTEMPORARY:

Kim Bruce – 33 Bit, 2011 Linda Daoust – Mothering, 2010
Elaine Funnell – Seasons-Balsam Poplar Study #3 (Populus balsamifera), September 2010 Eveline Kolijn – Sublime Waste, 2010-2011
Candace Makowichuk – Art of Play – Prized Possessions, 2011 Lynn Malin – Earth (12 modules installation), 2011
Roberta Murray – Spring Clouds, 2011 Liv Pedersen – Three Wise Men, 2010
Bonnie Scott – Sun Salutation, 2009 Bev Tosh, RCA – Tender Steel, 2011
Barbara West – Teabagging, 2011  

List of Images (left to right, top to bottom):

Artwork

  1. Kim Bruce – 33 Bit, 2011; encaustic. Collection of the artist. Photo courtesy of the artist.

  2. Linda Daoust – Mothering, 2010; ink, graphite, charcoal, oil stick & paint on watercolour paper. Collection of the artist. Photo by Brent Laycock, RCA.

  3. Elaine Funnell – Seasons-Balsam Poplar Study #3 (Populus balsamifera), September 2010; watercolour & graphite pencil on Arches. Collection of the artist. Photo by Brent Laycock, RCA.

  4. Eveline Kolijn – Sublime Waste, 2010-2011; hand-cut, recycled Styrofoam cups & clamshell containers. Collection of the artist. Photo courtesy of the artist.

  5. Candace Makowichuk – Art of Play – Prized Possessions, 2011; bromoil on paper. Collection of the artist. Photo courtesy of the artist.

  6. Lynn Malin – Earth (12 modules installation), 2011; oil, mixed media on Lexan on Plexi. Collection of the artist. Photo courtesy of the artist.

  7. Roberta Murray – Spring Clouds, 2011; photo using a pinhole lens layered with photo of watercolour painting; pigment inkjet print on archival watercolour paper. Collection of the artist. Photo by Brent Laycock, RCA.

  8. Liv Pedersen – Three Wise Men, 2010; shaped tapestries woven on Dutch plank loom. Collection of the artist. Photo by Brent Laycock, RCA.

  9. Bonnie Scott – Sun Salutation, 2009; watercolour on paper. Collection of the artist. Photo by Brent Laycock, RCA.

  10. Bev Tosh, RCA – Tender Steel, 2011; steel wire. Collection of the artist. Photo courtesy of the artist.

  11. Barbara West – Teabagging, 2011; knitted textile sculpture, found object. Collection of the artist. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Iron Lava Web Design email Copyright by Calgary Contemporary Arts Society