Studio Visit with Kitty Blandy - Sept. 27/09

Programming Notes- Three Aims for the 2009/10 Season

The programming activities for the 2009 CASV season included some very specific aims. that will be taken forward to the 2010 season. One aim being outreach to other institutions in the city with whom the CASV had yet to collaborate. Another was to expand the diversity of media represented by the Studio Visit programs so that it included artists working not only with 2-d or sculpture, but also with installation and performance. The third, and very important aim, was to move towards gender equity in the artists and lecturers selected for our programming schedule. The global artworld has a poor track record with equal representation of both male and female artists in both commerical galleries and museum and institutional exhibitions and collections. Important discussions have been taking place over the last several years, most notably including New York-based art critic Jerry Saltz.

The following contribution to this global conversation comes from Artnet News (www.artnet.com) and was posted on June 23, 2009

CRITIC CALLS OUT MOMA FOR GENDER BIAS

"New York Magazine (and Artnet Magazine) art critic Jerry Saltz has long crusaded for better representation of women artists in the art world, notably parsing the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Biennial, P.S.1’s "Greater New York" and even shows at Chelsea galleries for gender bias. Recently, he has taken the issue to his Facebook page, where a wide-ranging discussion has been launched.

More important, perhaps, are the statistics that Saltz has marshaled to make his case -- stats that show the Museum of Modern Art doing an exceptionally poor job of giving women artists their rightful place in the patriarchal story of modern art. According to Saltz’s numbers, MoMA has 383 works of art hanging on its fourth and fifth floors, where the museum presents its comprehensive history of 20th-century art -- and a pathetic four percent of the works are by women.

Specifically, of the 135 artists with works hung on those two floors, only nine are women: Louise Bourgeois, Sonia Delaunay-Tack, Natalia Goncharova, Eva Hesse, Frida Kahlo, Lee Krasner, Marisol, Agnes Martin, Lyubov Popova and Hannah Wilke. The museum has no shortage of women in its collection; they’re just not on the walls. On Facebook, Saltz lists 75 women artists in the MoMA collection whose art could easily be added to the museum’s influential art history lesson.

The list -- and quite an impressive one it is -- includes Anni Albers, Romaine Brooks, Claude Cahun, Leonora Carrington, Elaine de Kooning, Helen Frankenthaler, Grace Hartigan, Barbara Hepworth, Gwen John, Hannah Hoch, Dora Maar, Joan Mitchell, Grandma Moses, Alice Neel, Louise Nevelson, Georgia O’Keeffe, Niki de Saint-Phalle, Florine Stettheimer, Dorothea Tanning and Bridget Riley.

Now, Saltz has sent an open letter to Ann Temkin, MoMA’s chief curator of painting and sculpture, urging that "something has to be done -- soon." Saltz notes that he is well aware that the museum is publishing a book on all the women artists in its collection, that MoMA photo department plans an "all women hang" this year, and that the curators consider the entire museum as "the permanent collection," which presumably brings the numbers up a bit. He also implies that the museum may be waiting for more exhibition space in a new building planned to the west of the current facility, an option that Saltz calls unsatisfactory. Will Temkin find a way to do better by the numbers? Stay tuned."

http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/news/artnetnews/saltz-moma-gender-bias6-23-09.asp

Studio Visit with Ben Reeves - Sunday, May 31/09

Studio Visit with Mike Grill - Sunday May 3/09

Mike Grill gesturing while talking about gesture in his self-portraiture work.

Photographer Mike Grill & Artist Rebecca Donald.

Selection of Mike Grill's work.

Mike Grill talking about the work in his current show "Parrot" at Jeffrey Boone Gallery.

Art Hop with The Canadian Art Foundation - April 18/09

Sarah Thornton speaks to a packed house at the Van City Theatre.

(l to r) Filmmaker's Terry Turner and Megumi Sasaki.

(r) Ann Webb, Canadian Art Foundation

(l to right) artist Biliana Velkova, Dealer and CASV Board Member Jeffrey Boone.

Post film mileu.

Pre-film Promenade.

Art Accountants Rudy and Alison Bootsma

(l to r) Designer Paul Condor, CAG Director Christina Ritchie, Development Consultant Rosemary Condor.

Popcorn in the lobby.

(l to r) Dealer & CASV Board Member Monica Reyes, Artists Chris Gergley, Angela Grossman.

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Canadian Art Foundation's Ann Webb, Sherri Kajiwara CASV President, CASV Secretary Megan Kalaman, Artist & CASV Board Member Anna Plesset.

Check in desk with Art Hop volunteers Luisa Santos.

Current issue of Canadian Art Magazine.

Canadian Art in the house!

Studio Visit with Sonja Hebert and Carrie Walker - Sunday March 1/09

Sonja Hebert discussing her "organ transplant" inspired series of mixed-media work.

Sonja's inspiration board in the studio.

Carrie Walker's Animal Drawings.

Carrie with Trooper, the star of many drawings.

For more information on Sonja Hebert: http://www.sonjaportfolio.ca/

For more information on Carrie Walker: http://www.carriewalker.ca

Jeremy Hof Studio Visit - Sunday Feb. 1/09

For more information on Jeremy Hof: http://www.blanketgallery.com/artists/artist20/artist20.php

Geoffrey Farmer Studio Visit - Sunday 23 Nov/o8

The CASV had an exceptional turn-out to the Geoffrey Farmer studio visit Sunday, Nov. 23/08. Geoffrey generously opened his home to our 30-odd attendees who were given a tour of the house (a cleverly and minimally renovated 1970's cottage) and the garage studio with sunken concrete floor based on Roman bath-house architecture. Geoffrey spoke of his affinity for the legacy of contemporary art in Vancouver, his experiences mounting installation-based exhibition at institutions such as the Tate in London, England, and about the importance of experience in his work. Geoffrey feels that his installations are moving towards an even more theatrical position than in previous work, and to facilitate this intention, he has recently incorporated 3-d imaging techniques to prepare for exhibitions, and computer programming to invisibly control the "stage performance" of the installation.

Click images to enlarge.

Every think to yourself...gee, I wonder what cool art things are happening today?

TIP: One of the best ways to find out what contemporary art events are happening in town is to subscribe to the Instant Coffee newsletter. Go to www.instantcoffee.org and register for the monthly e-newsletter.

Another way to find out what art-related events are happening in Vancouver is to create a Facebook account and look for art events. Better yet, become friends with someone who seems to always know what's happening and scope out their events in the "friends events" section of FB.

Preview the Gallery Guide is a great overview and a paper-based publication you can pick up at any local gallery. Subscriptions are available to have it delivered directly to your door. The Georgia Straight also does a great job of publishing art events on a weekly basis.

Finally, by joining the Contemporary Art Society of Vancouver for $185/year you are supporting a valuable, longstanding group that since 1971 has provided exclusive access to studio visits with artists, in addition to our lecture series. And don't forget the private receptions for members after our world-class speakers series events at the homes of private collectors and art community members. Plus we sponsor two annual scholarships given to graduating Emily Carr University students.

Join online today www.casv.ca at any time during the year.