Art Gallery of Guelph
358 Gordon Street N1G 1Y1 Guelph, ON, Canada

This month, the AGG launches a series of conversations hosted by members of the New York-based movement Decolonize This Place. Situating the struggle for civil rights as one for human rights, the dialogues are presented in conjunction with When We Breathe We Breathe Together their current installation at the AGG. Approaching the exhibition as a platform for organizing and action, the dialogues will explore how cultural institutions may be activated as sites of struggle and transformation. Join Decolonize This Place and their comrades, collaborators, and friends on Saturday, February 27 at 12 pm for the first conversation Land, Life, Liberation. To register for this online event, visit https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/139669177269.

We are pleased to reopen our doors today with social distancing and additional health and safety precautions in place. Explore three new exhibitions and swing by The Gallery Shop during regular open hours, Tuesday to Sunday, 12 to 5 pm. Admission and parking are free. Visit our website for information about our current exhibitions: https://artgalleryofguelph.ca/exhibiti/current-exhibitions/

Happy Family Day! Pickup a free copy of the AGG's Family Day Activity Book on the front porch today from 9 am to 5 pm and enjoy games and activities inspired by the Sculpture Park! To play at home in your own backyard, visit the gallery's website and download your copy today: https://artgalleryofguelph.ca/events_list/family-day/

Wishing everyone a happy Valentine's Day. Sometimes it is landscapes we love. In this painting, artist Pearl van Geest has repeatedly marked the surface with lipsticked kisses, creating patterns that point to human contact and the traces we leave in all of our encounters with nature. image: Pearl Van Geest, Spoiled in Rubies, 2002, oil and lipstick on canvas, 72 x 72 in. Macdonald Stewart Art Centre Collection at the Art Gallery of Guelph

Craft and play on Family Day! From bingo and search-and-find riddles to recipes for glittery snow slime and icy birdfeeders, the AGG's Family Day Activity Book offers fun for all ages. Free copies of the guide will be available for contactless pickup on the front porch from 9 am to 5 pm on Monday, February 15. Want to play at home? Visit our website to download a copy: https://artgalleryofguelph.ca/events_list/family-day/

ART/CRAFT Lot 7: Susan Dobson, Eskimo Canadian Missionary Literature, 2016, C-print from digital file, ed. 4/5, 54 x 61 cm (frame) To browse and bid: www.auctria.com/auction/ArtCraft2020 Based in Guelph, artist Susan Dobson’s renowned photographs and videos often explore urban landscapes and the built environment. Over the past three years, Dobson has photographed two slide collections that are in the process of being dismantled: I noticed that these resources had not been u...pdated in a while, having become obsolete decades ago. The paper paraphernalia separating the slides had yellowed; the methods of classification were outdated; many slide labels used politically incorrect terminology, and there were no updates to reflect recent changes to world geographiesThe physical objects in these defunct slide libraries become, for me, memorials to artists, to researchers, to analogue photography, and to the life cycle of material objects generally. Dobson’s work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in the United States, United Kingdom, Belgium, China, Germany, Spain, and Mexico most recently at the Images Biennale in Vevey, Switzerland. She is represented by Michael Gibson Gallery in Canada and by In Focus Gallery in Germany. Join us online for ART/CRAFT 2020, the AGG’s signature fundraising auction, and bid on over 30 works by contemporary Canadian artists. Bidding begins today and ends Saturday, November 28, 8 pm EST.

ART/CRAFT Lot 6: Michael Davey, St. Sebastian #6, 2001, gold, silver, bronze, enamel, glass, Lucite, 20 x 15 x 5 cm To browse and bid: www.auctria.com/auction/ArtCraft2020 Professor Emeritus at York University, Michael Davey is a sculptor and installation artist, whose work often includes cast materials and found objects. His interests in landscape, industrial technology, and the built environment find their way into his pieces, which have been shown and collected throughout ...Canada, the United States, and overseas. Part of Davey’s series of contemporary icons, this work’s vibrancy draws from his use of both light and precious materials. Join us online for ART/CRAFT 2020, the AGG’s signature fundraising auction, and bid on over 30 works by contemporary Canadian artists. Bidding begins today and ends Saturday, November 28, 8 pm EST.

ART/CRAFT Lot 33: Janet Werner, Little Redhead, 2003, oil on canvas, 35.5 x 28 cm To browse and bid: www.auctria.com/auction/ArtCraft2020 Evolving her distinct approach to portraiture for over two decades, Janet Werner imagines nuanced female characters and their worlds. The antithesis of conventional portraits, Werner’s painted subjects are composed of found images, often containing details drawn from vintage beauty magazines, fashion catalogues, and illustrated books. Werne...r received her BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1985 and an MFA from Yale University in 1987. She currently lives and works in Montreal, Quebec, where she is a Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Fine Arts at Concordia University. Werner has shown widely in Canada at public and private galleries, as well as, artist-run centres, and her work is in the collections of the Musée du Québec, Musée d’art contemporain, Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), Owens Art Gallery, the Canadian Embassy in Berlin, University of Lethbridge, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Mendel Art Gallery, and numerous private and corporate collections. Her work is represented by Bradley Ertaskiran, Montreal and Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles. Join us online for ART/CRAFT 2020, the AGG’s signature fundraising auction, and bid on over 30 works by contemporary Canadian artists until Saturday, November 28, 8 pm EST.

ART/CRAFT 2020 fundraising auction on now!: The Art Gallery of Guelph showcases new online format

ART/CRAFT Lot 32: Reed Weir, Time Piece, 2010, stoneware, 32 x 33 x 27 cm To browse and bid: www.auctria.com/auction/ArtCraft2020 Reed Weir is best known for her ceramic sculptures inspired by rural Newfoundland. Predominately figurative, her works also have a storytelling capacity addressing enduring themes and compelling images, while exhibiting elements of wonder and whimsy. Her works have been exhibited nationally and internationally. She has been exhibited in Canada, t...he United States, Germany, Japan and Thailand notably Earth Works, organized by the Gardiner Ceramic Museum for Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany and Autoportrait, 10th Biennale Nationale de Ceramique, Trois Rivieres, Quebec, and Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, Waterloo, Ontario. No longer working in ceramics, she now resides in Ontario. Join us online for ART/CRAFT 2020, the AGG’s signature fundraising auction, and bid on over 30 works by contemporary Canadian artists until Saturday, November 28, 8 pm EST.

ART/CRAFT Lot 5: Darlene Cole, Rosé, 2017, photo etching with Chine-collé, ed. S/P, 82 x 68 cm (frame) To browse and bid: www.auctria.com/auction/ArtCraft2020 Darlene Cole’s prints are an extension of her canvases, fantastic expanses that are explorations of time and memory, childhood innocence and its loss. Cole's work has been collected across Canada and internationally, including the Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Tom Thomson Art Gallery, Royal Bank of Canada, CIBC, OCAD Un...iversity, Fairmont Hotels (Toronto, Montreal, Banff), and Manulife Financial. Cole is represented by Bau-Xi Gallery, Toronto. Join us online for ART/CRAFT 2020, the AGG’s signature fundraising auction, and bid on over 30 works by contemporary Canadian artists. Bidding begins today and ends Saturday, November 28, 8 pm EST.

The seasons are always changing beyond Michael Davey's Short Life, Long Branch, 2007-2009, the installation he has described as a "memento mori. The cast bronze skeletons in this work "do a kind of dance macabre on the length of the branches. The skeletons evoke the inevitable cycle of life and death. They also remind us to make the most of what we have at every moment." #autumn #sculpturepark

Bidders ready your devices! Bidding for ART/CRAFT 2020 is now open. Unique in its celebration of the powerful intersection of art and craft, the auction features an exciting selection of over 30 works by contemporary artists donated in support of the gallery’s artistic programming and educational opportunities. Bidding will conclude Saturday, November 28 at 8 pm EST. Artworks can be viewed online or in person at the Art Gallery of Guelph until November 28, 2020. To register to bid, visit the link here: www.auctria.com/auction/ArtCraft2020

ART/CRAFT Lot 31: Lorne Wagman, Blades of Grass 46, 2003, serigraph, ed. 1/1, 39 x 99 cm (frame) To browse and bid: www.auctria.com/auction/ArtCraft2020 A highly prolific artist, Lorne Wagman lives and breathes painting. Working out of his farmhouse studio in Owen Sound, Wagman captures the countryside by finding a balance between realism and abstraction, with an impressionist flare. Wagman’s work is highly sought after for its expressive brush strokes and his use of bright... and contrasting colours. Join us online for ART/CRAFT 2020, the AGG’s signature fundraising auction, and bid on over 30 works by contemporary Canadian artists until Saturday, November 28, 8 pm EST.

ART/CRAFT Lot 30: Tony Urquhart, Threshold, 1994, etching, ed. S/P I, 69 x 60 cm (frame) To browse and bid: www.auctria.com/auction/ArtCraft2020 Tony Urquhart is one of Canada's leading contemporary artists. His paintings, drawings, and unique "boxes" have received major recognition at home and abroad. He has played a crucial role in the development of contemporary art in Canada, and is well known for both, his activism for artists' rights, as well as, his distinguished teach...ing career. Urquhart’s public sculpture, Magic Wood (1987), is a permanent feature in the AGG’s sculpture park. Join us online for ART/CRAFT 2020, the AGG’s signature fundraising auction, and bid on over 30 works by contemporary Canadian artists until Saturday, November 28, 8 pm EST.

"There needs to be a commitment in supporting Black artists. We need to be a part of the infrastructure and there needs to be a commitment on the part of non-Black curators as well, to be familiar with the practice of Black artists." Sally Frater, AGG Curator of Contemporary Art, is interviewed for CBC's Uncensored a new show exploring the realities facing Black communities in Canada that airs on CBC's Information Radio on Thursday mornings. https://www.cbc.ca//man/uncensored-art-galleries-1.5762306

ART/CRAFT Lot 29: Camille Turner, After BlackGrange, 2018, pigment print on metal, ed. 4/4, 27.9 x 35.5 cm (unframed, series of 7, each) To browse and bid: www.auctria.com/auction/ArtCraft2020 Artist Camille Turner explores issues of race and space, home, and belonging. Bridging video, new media, social practice, and performance art, her work has been presented throughout Canada and internationally. The founder of Outerregion, an Afrofuturist performance group, as well as the... Afronautic Research Lab, Turner has presented this work and lectured at institutions across the country. The images that comprise After BlackGrange document the locations as well as the performative aspects of BlackGrange, a walking tour and performance she developed to illuminate histories of the African diaspora in Toronto's Grange neighbourhood. Like many of her projects, After BlackGrange is based on Turner's archival research illuminating Canada's history of slavery. She is a graduate of Ontario College of Art and Design and York University’s Masters in Environmental Studies program, where she is currently a PhD Candidate. Join us online for ART/CRAFT 2020, the AGG’s signature fundraising auction, and bid on over 30 works by contemporary Canadian artists until Saturday, November 28, 8 pm EST.

What’s a Guelph landscape to Guelph kids? An opportunity for emerging artists 7-12, join us for an ART A.M. art class on Saturday, October 17, from 10:30-noon. All materials are provided for this fun and creative class delivered via Zoom that will engage kids in exploring different traditions of landscape art, then imagining and designing their own landscape with moving parts! A perfect complement to social studies and art curriculum, this Art A.M. session is $25 and includes a kit full of everything your artists need to complete the activity. Space is limited; register now! https://artgalleryofguelph.ca/events_list/art-am/

Don't miss your final opportunity to see Uprising: The Power of Mother Earth! The Art Gallery of Guelph has been honoured to present this retrospective of the work of Michif artist Christi Belcourt, closing today at 5 pm. Bringing together over 30 works, Uprising highlights her engagement with the natural world over 25 years of artmaking, as well as her community-based collaborations with knowledge holder, storyteller, and artist Isaac Murdoch. Curated by Nadia Kurd, this national touring exhibition is co-produced by Thunder Bay Art Gallery and Carleton University Art Gallery and presented by the Art Gallery of Guelph with the support of Canadian Heritage. Image detail: Honouring my Spirit Helpers - Baagitchigawag Manitou, acrylic on canvas, 223.52 cm x 401.32 cm

"What we need is a revolution of love / A revolution of the earth / A revolution that cannot be stopped." This is the final weekend to view Uprising: The Power of Mother Earth, a mid-career retrospective of the work of Michif (Metis) artist Christi Belcourt. These powerful words accompany the painting "Revolution of Love" a tribute to the life and legacy of Anishinaabe water walker Josephine Mandamin, an environmental activist and co-founder of Mother Earth Water Walk. The AGG is open Saturday and Sunday from 12 to 5 pm; admission and parking are free. Image detail: Christi Belcourt, Revolution of Love, 2018, acrylic on canvas, 172 x 454 cm. Collection of the artist

Saturday mornings are for sunshine and supplies art supplies! Crafty kids can now register for the AGG's latest hands-on program, Art A.M. Presented live via Zoom, these Saturday morning sessions will lead young artists step-by-step through 5 unique craft projects. The fee is $25 per session and includes all the materials needed to complete the activity. Register today! Visit our website to learn more and download the registration form. https://artgalleryofguelph.ca/events_list/art-am/

Did you know we now offer a new time to visit the gallery? Enjoy extended hours every Thursday until 8 pm. Currently on view: Uprising: The Power of Mother Earth (closing October 11), Carolina Caycedo: A Landscape Is Never Natural, Clemencia Echeverri: Sin Cielo / Skyless, and Grounding. Doors open at noon, admission and parking are free.

The AGG is excited to launch Art A.M. Saturday morning Zoom art sessions for kids! Kids age 7 to 12 can join AGG Instructors Addi and Emilie for 5 fun Saturday sessions (10:30 am to 12 pm). Each session is $25 and includes a kit with all the materials needed to complete the activity. Rise and shine and make art with the AGG! Session 1: Moveable Cityscape starts soon (October 17). Register today, space is limited. https://artgalleryofguelph.ca/events_list/art-am/

Closing soon! This week is the last week to see Uprising: The Power of Mother Earth, a retrospective of the work of Michif artist Christi Belcourt. Bringing together over 30 works, Uprising highlights her engagement with the natural world over 25 years of artmaking, as well as her community-based collaborations with knowledge holder, storyteller, and artist Isaac Murdoch. On view until Oct 11, 2020, the gallery is open 12-5 Tuesday to Sunday, Thursday until 8 pm. Curated by ...Nadia Kurd, this national touring exhibition is co-produced by Thunder Bay Art Gallery and Carleton University Art Gallery and presented by the Art Gallery of Guelph with the support of Canadian Heritage. Image details: Christi Belcourt, This Painting is a Mirror, 2012, acrylic on canvas, 206 x 256 cm. Collection of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (Photographer: Lawrence Cook) See more

Follow the AGG today on Instagram at @agguelph as Maya Wilson-Sanchez, 2020 winner of the Middlebrook Prize for Young Canadian Curators, takes over our feed, offering a curatorial tour of her exhibition Grounding, on view until December 13, 2020!

Among Artforum critics' picks, Christi Belcourt's exhibition Uprising is on view now at the Art Gallery of Guelph. Join us tomorrow, Thursday, September 17 for extended hours until 8:30 pm to view this fabulous exhibition as well as our new fall program. Uprising is on view until October 11, 2020. https://www.artforum.com/picks/christi-belcourt-83914