2014 RECAP & WISHING YOU ALL THE BEST IN 2015!

We wanted to wish you all the best for 2015, and to give you a sneak preview of what will be coming up for 2015. 

In 2015, we will be kicking January off with three exciting events: an exhibition tour of Tom Burrows' exhibition at the Belkin Gallery, a visit to the studio of Tiziana La Melia, 2014 winner of the RBC Painting Prize and a Tour of three art spaces and exhibitions in Chinatown. We have a great couple of collection tours planned for the early spring, one collection has over 1,200 pieces, very impressive! The CASV and its members will also be going a bit further afield, visiting some inspiring spaces and collections in North Vancouver. It is going to a spring of cherry blossoms and well, ART! 

2014 was a very busy year for the CASV.   

If you ever needed reasons to convince a friend or art lover to Join the CASV just show them this list of great programming events we hosted in 2014. Proof positive that the membership is well worth the investment!

Here is a 2014 recap on what our members got up to...

The CASV successfully completed the second iteration of the CASV Emerging Artis Prize Award and Exhibition at Access Gallery. Special thanks again to CASV EAP Committee for growing the Award, and the awareness. Thanks to several fundraising initiatives, this year we were able to gift a larger amount towards supporting the winner Joseph Staples and the nominated artists: Laura Piasta, Erdem Tasdelen, Derya Akay, Byron Peters. Thanks to the jury members again as well: Grant Arnold (Audain Curator of British Columbia Art, Vancouver Art Gallery); Vanessa Kwan, artist and programmer; Sarah Macaulay (Macaulay Fine Art); Kimberly Phillips (Director/Curator of Access Gallery), and Reid Shier (Director of Presentation House Gallery).

We completed artist studio visits with: 

• Kingston Prize nominees - Fiona Ackerman and Roselina Hung
• Contemporary painter - Andy Dixon
• Sobey Art Award 2014 Longlist Nominee - Dan Starling
• Printmaker, Animator, and Teacher - Diyan Achjadi
• 2014 CASV Emerging Artist Prize Winner - Joseph Staples
• Vancouver based prolific photographer and videographer - Carol Sawyer
• 2013 Artist in Residence at Yamanashi, Japan - Derya Akay
• 2014 RBC Painting shortlisted artist - Laura Piasta

We hosted several artist talks with: 

• Candian Painter and Emily Carr Graduate - Kim Dorland
• RBC Painting Competition Winner - Colleen Heslin 
• Artist, Teacher and CASV Emerging Artist Prize Nominee - Erdem Tasdelen

We also completed some amazing tours and talks:

• The CASV Membership was invited to Canadian Art's Sarah Thornton book Tour at Van City Theatre
• The CASV was a partner with the Canadian Art Foundation on the Vancouver Art Hop
• In May the CASV hosted at the Richmond Art Gallery a reception on Collecting Contemporary Art featuring: Kate Bellringer, Director of Contemporary and Canadian Art Auctions at Maynards Fine Art and Antiques, Wil Aballe, Dealer and Owner of Wil Aballe Art Projects and Donna Partridge, private collector and Manager of Art Rental and Sales at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The talk was moderated by Gallery Director Rachel Rosenfiled Lafo.
• In June the CASV headed to Paris for a tour of several amazing art centres, galleries and studios in Paris, including: Palais de Tokyo, Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Foundation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain, and SAM Art Projects
• In September CASV's Programmer - Sunshine Frere - Lead the society on a tour of three fantastic new contemporary art spaces in Mount Pleasant in Vancouver: Burrard Arts Foundation, Fazakas Gallery and Field Contemporary
• In October the CASV headed to Toronto to take in Feature Art Fair, Art Toronto, studio visits, corporate collection visits, and Exhibition tours of The Power Plant, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art
• In October, The National Gallery of Canada's Curator of Photography Ann Thomas gave the CASV a tour of the NGC's Flora and Fauna Tour at the Surrey Art Gallery
• The CASV also visited a private collection in West Vancouver, the Hotel Georgia's Art Collection, and The Mircea Cantor Exhibition at the Rennie Collection. 

Phew! Busy year indeed. Here is to another exciting year of 'Arting'. 

Happy Holidays and see you all in January!

We hope you enjoyed this year's programming and from all members of the CASV Board, we wish you all the best in 2015!

EMERGING ARTIST PRIZE - CONGRATULATIONS TO JOSEPH STAPLES

We are pleased to announce this year's winner of the CASV Emerging Artist's prize: JOSEPH STAPLES. Thank you to Access Gallery for hosting the exhibition this year, and to all the participating judges and submitting artists. The next iteration of the Contemporary Art Society's Emerging Artist Prize will take place in 2016. 

Emerging Artist Prize Chair - Rachel Rosenfeld Lafo and this year's Winner Joseph Staples.

CASV Emerging Artist Prize Exhibition installed at Access Gallery in Vancouver.

The winner of the second Contemporary Art Society Emerging Artist’s Prize is Joseph Staples, who was awarded $3000 at last night’s opening of the CASV Emerging Artist’s Prize Exhibition at Access Gallery. Jury members Grant Arnold, Vanessa Kwan, Sarah Macaulay, Kimberly Phillips, and Reid Shier selected Staples from a field of five finalists. The jurors recognized the quality of work of all five finalists, who were chosen from a field of 89 entries.

Staples’ work, along with that of the other four finalists, Derya Akay, Byron Peters, Laura Piasta, and Erdem Tasdelen,who each received a $500 award, is on view through May 31, 2012 at Access Gallery, 222 E. Georgia Street, Vancouver.http://accessgallery.ca/

Staples’ works with found images and photography through collage and printmaking. His project for this exhibition revolves around real estate, printmaking, failure and the unknown. The jurors noted how the work Staples submitted for the exhibition builds on his earlier work but represents an exciting new direction for the artist, demonstrating a more complex reference to the urban landscape. Staples has exhibited locally at the Vancouver Art Gallery, Equinox Gallery, Wil Aballe Art Projects, Malaspina Printmakers and abroad.

This CASV Emerging Artist’s Prize was established in 2011 to encourage and support artists within the first five years of their careers, and is the only one of its kind in Vancouver selected through an open competition.

The prize is entirely funded by donations of CASV members and supporters. The CASV is a not-for-profit membership-based organization founded in 1977 that focuses on promoting an appreciation and understanding of Contemporary Art. Members enjoy studio visits, art trips, collection visits and lectures by prominent artists, critics, collectors, designers, architects and fine art professionals. For more information about CASV visit the website: http://www.casv.ca/.

PSST... HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE EMERGING ARTIST'S PRIZE FINALISTS?

Contemporary Art Society of Vancouver Announces

Finalists for 2014 Emerging Artist’s Prize

The Contemporary Art Society of Vancouver (CASV) has announced five finalists for the 2014 CASV Emerging Artist’s Prize, a competition open to emerging artists in the Lower Mainland. The biennial prize was established in 2011 to encourage and support artists within the first five years of their careers, and is the only one of its kind in Vancouver selected through an open competition.

Chosen from among 89 applicants, the five are:

• Derya Akay
• Byron Peters
• Laura Piasta
• Joseph Staples
• Erdem Tasdelen

The distinguished jury of art professionals who selected the finalists are: 

• Grant Arnold (Audain Curator of British Columbia Art, Vancouver Art Gallery)
• Vanessa Kwan, artist and programmer
• Sarah Macaulay (Macaulay Fine Art)
• Kimberly Phillips (Director/Curator of Access Gallery)
• Reid Shier (Director of Presentation House Gallery)

The selected artists work in a wide range of contemporary art practices, including video, installation, sculpture, painting, sound, collage, printmaking, photography, and ceramics. 

Their work will be exhibited at Access Gallery (accessgallery.ca) in Vancouver from May 17 - 31, with an opening reception on Thursday, May 22 from 7 – 10pm. 

The winner of the $3000 prize will be announced at 7:30 pm on the night of the opening.

“We are pleased that for this second competition so many talented artists applied,” says CASV Emerging Artist’s Prize Chair, Rachel Lafo, “and look forward to the exhibition of their work and the juror’s selection of the prize winner. We hope that the recognition the artists receive is a further validation of their artistic efforts.”

The prize is entirely funded by donations of CASV members and supporters. The CASV is a not-for-profit membership-based organization founded in 1977 that focuses on promoting an appreciation and understanding of Contemporary Art. Members enjoy studio visits, art trips, and lectures by prominent artists, critics, collectors, designers, architects and fine art professionals from North America and abroad. To join CASV visit the website: www.casv.ca.

MEDIA CONTACT: Aderyn Davies, aderynd@gmail.com, 778-836-2334

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