SASKATOON EXPRESS - April of 6-12, 2015 6, - Page Volume 12, Issue 14, Week April 20151
Saskatoonʼs REAL Community Newspaper
Acting chief curator Sandra Fraser says the Mendel Art Gallery is closing with a celebratory tone (Photo by Shannon Boklaschuk)
End of an era
Final shows open at Mendel Art Gallery Shannon Boklaschuk Saskatoon Express t’s the end of an era in Saskatoon. The Mendel Art Gallery, a 50-year-old cultural institution in the city, is permanently closing its doors in June. Now on display are the gallery’s final exhibitions, which will stay open for viewing until June 7. The Mendel will shut down the very next day, on June 8. While the Mendel is preparing to cease its operations, plans continue to take shape for the public opening of the Remai Modern Art Gallery of Saskatchewan in 2016. While it’s the end of an era for the Mendel, it’s the dawn of a new era for the Remai Modern. Fittingly, the Mendel’s two final shows are “future focused and aspirational” in nature, said acting chief curator Sandra Fraser. “I feel very happy that these are the two exhibitions that are closing the gallery. I think it’s in a strong way. I don’t want to go out with a whimper; I want to go out in a more celebratory tone,” she said. Featured on the Mendel’s main floor is the annual School Art exhibition of student work, alongside an exhibition showcasing
I
indigenous art called The Fifth World. Fraser said the final exhibitions “feel young and energetic” — and that is certainly apparent with School Art. The popular annual exhibition has been running for the majority of the Mendel’s history — for 43 of its 50 years — and recognizes the creativity and the talent of the city’s elementary and high school students. This year, more than 200 students are included in the final offering of School Art, which displays paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs and other works created by children and teens. School Art fits with the notion of looking forward to the future, as “children literally are the future,” said Fraser. “The great thing about School Art is how it really celebrates imagination and creativity, and that’s something that’s really important for us — to nurture that,” she said. Fraser is also enthusiastic about The Fifth World, a show that features 11 “strong artists.” “I think they’re doing great things,” she said. Wanda Nanibush curated The Fifth World to celebrate the 20th anniversary
of a local arts organization called Tribe Inc. In 1995, a small group of Aboriginal artists organized Tribe: A Centre for the Evolving Aboriginal Media, Visual and Performing Arts Inc., which has had a number of partnerships with the Mendel over the years. According to the Mendel, the new exhibition critiques Western colonial thought and “proposes a fifth world — a new consciousness of justice and environmentalism blossoming in the hearts of all human beings.” “The importance of the indigenous population is more and more obvious – I think politically, artistically, everything. There’s a really strong voice and a really strong movement, and I think we’ve seen that particularly with movements such as Idle No More,” said Fraser. “There’s a lot more recognition and a lot more acknowledgement of indigenous sovereignty, so that, to me, is also really future forward — very focused on the future and what’s possible.” While Fraser is pleased that School Art and The Fifth World are the Mendel’s final exhibitions, she admits that the combination of the two shows wasn’t intentional; rather, it just worked out that way.
“We plan exhibitions two, three years in advance; there’s a lot of research and planning that goes into exhibitions. We didn’t know for sure which shows would be the actual final shows until it got closer,” she said. “So I’m really excited that these are the shows that are closing. They have a lot of sort of symbolic power, I think — both the School Art and The Fifth World — because of the content. I think they’re also both really community oriented.” Fraser said the feeling of the spring exhibitions is different from that of fall 2014, when the Mendel held its 50th anniversary exhibition entitled Modern Visions. That exhibition drew from the gallery’s permanent collection, which includes nearly 8,000 works. “It was a bit of a nod to our history, and it had a bit of a nostalgic kind of tone,” Fraser said of the exhibition. In an interview last fall, Gregory Burke, executive director and CEO, said the 50th anniversary came at “an interesting time” in the Mendel Art Gallery’s history, given the transition that is underway to the new Remai Modern. (Continued on page 5)