myWAG-Qaumajuq Magazine - Spring 2022 by WAG-Qaumajuq

SPRING 2022

Winnipeg Art GalleryQaumajuq

300 Memorial Boulevard Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3C 1V1

Hours of operation subject to current health regulations. For current hours visit wag.ca Tues–Sun 11am-5pm, Fri 11am-9pm, Closed Mon Front Desk Art Classes Advancement Facility Rentals En français

204.786.6641 204.789.1766 204.789.1344 204.789.1765 204.789.1763

Group Tours wag.ca/bookatour For more information and descriptions of tours available visit wag.ca/schools Gallery Shop 204.789.1769 For hours visit wag.ca/shop Ishmael Marika. RULYAPA, 2021. Video animation with sound. photo: Rein Cabalquinto

* Pilot for Qaumajuq’s inaugural year, does not apply to school group visits.

Director’s Message

WAG-Qaumajuq News

Cliff Eyland: Library of Babel – A Retrospective

Esmaa Mohamoud: To Play in the Face of Certain Defeat

Tunniit: Inuit Embodied Practices

Kwaata-nihtaawakihk: A Hard Birth

Your Collection Returns

ORRERY Joins WAG’s Permanent Collection

Wanda Koop: VIEW from HERE

Upcoming & WAG@The Park

Lectures & Conferences

Spring Programs & Events

Become a Member

Art in Bloom Returns

WOW! Catering Joins WAG-Qaumajuq

ShopWAG: Germaine Arnaktauyok

** This policy advances the WAG's ongoing work to respond to the TRC Calls to Action. Membership See our membership levels on page 20 or visit wag.ca/member For more information, call 204.789.1764 Parking Parkade across from the Gallery, meters on surrounding streets. Wheelchair accessible. The Winnipeg Art Gallery is located on Treaty 1 territory, the original lands of Anishinaabe, Ininiwak, Anishininiwak, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.

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WAG@The Park The Pavilion Art Galleries in Assiniboine Park See a rotating series of exhibitions curated by WAG-Qaumajuq, featuring art from the APC collection. Entry is FREE. Don't miss the curated collection of Inuit carvings featured in the ZOO’s Gateway to the Arctic. Hours of operation subject to current health regulations.

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Follow us online. Exhibitions, programming dates, and content are subject to change. Visit wag.ca for the most up-to-date information.

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front cover: “big steps forward” Inuvialuktun >>> Outdoor Plaza photo: Lindsay Reid

Admission Member FREE • Under 18 FREE* • Adult $18 • 65+ $15 • Indigenous Peoples FREE**

DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE Here we are, one year after the opening of Qaumajuq, two years after the pandemic upended the order of our lives. As we look around and take stock of where we are today, we can see that we’ve achieved great things in the last two years. The completion of the Qaumajuq building project, and the generosity of you who donated and campaigned so that this dream could become a reality, shows us that we are on the right track. As the director of WAG-Qaumajuq, my work often means reflecting on and refining the role of the WAG in the community. I believe we are becoming more useful, meaningful, and relevant. As we move towards reconciliation and the Indigenization of the art world, these reflections only become more essential. Have we provided spaces for people to be challenged, encouraged, and inspired? Have we created the safety necessary for those who come through our doors to learn and to be moved by the incredible works on display? In the pages that follow, you’ll hear about our upcoming shows in more detail than I can cover here, but I’m personally thrilled by the breadth and variety of what we have in store for you this spring. Opening at the end of March, Kwaata-nihtaawakihk: A Hard Birth is an incredible remembering of the formation of Manitoba as a province, that centres Métis

and Indigenous experiences and ways of being through both exhibition and programming. We’ve extended the length of Qaumajuq’s inaugural show INUA, giving you more time with the incredible works by both young and storied Inuit artists. Coming in June, To Play in the Face of Certain Defeat features the stunning art of Esmaa Mohamoud exploring the construction of Black culture and identity through the lens of professional sports. We are celebrating local artists such as Wanda Koop and her monolithic series VIEW from HERE, and honouring and remembering the life of Cliff Eyland, whose work has affected the lives of so many in Winnipeg and nationally, whether they knew him as an artist, a teacher, a writer, or a curator. Finally, the WAG’s permanent collection has returned to several galleries, offering you more ways to explore and enjoy diverse voices through artistic expression. We here at the Gallery have much to be thankful for—each of you reading this has contributed to our ongoing success and ability to affect the world we live in. Even through the hardships, I hope that WAG-Qaumajuq continues to be a balm to your spirits, and that you can be uplifted through the visions of the creators and curators featured within our walls.

Dr. Stephen Borys Director & CEO Winnipeg Art Gallery –Qaumajuq

@stephenborys

@stephenborys_wag

l-r: Board Chair Dr. Ernest Cholakis, Dr. Stephen Borys and Gallery Ball Chair Ritza Lambos. photo: Jason Halstead

We can’t wait to see you here! myWAG

photo: Leif Norman

photo: Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press photo: Doug Little

WAG-Qaumajuq and Manitoba Education came together to celebrate a renewed agreement to formally partner in the delivery of programming for Manitoba youth to ensure that every student has the opportunity to become artistically literate, to experience artmaking, and to think critically and creatively.

WAG-Qaumajuq and the Inuit Art Foundation signed a major new agreement to collaborate on the promotion of Inuit art and culture. The agreement will see partnership on key programming initiatives, including the Kenojuak Ashevak Memorial Award, the IAF’s biennial prize celebrating mid-career Inuit artists. l-r: Hazel Borys, Travis Simonson, Dr. Julie Nagam, Reneltta Arluk, Alysa Procida, Dr. Carla Taunton, Dr. Heather Igloliorte, Matthew Brulotte, Dr. Stephen Borys

WAG- QAU MA J U Q NEW S

photo: Jason Halstead

In November, we welcomed visitors back to the Gallery for the annual CRAFTED: Show + Sale. The one-of-a-kind craft show was presented in partnership with Manitoba Craft Council and Northwest Territories Arts.

When heading West on Portage look out for Airplane, a detail of the 1983 artwork by local artist Wanda Koop. This outdoor art was made possible through a partnership with the artist and with Sussex Realty.

WAG-Qaumajuq and the Treaty One Nation signed an official agreement that commits both organizations to working together long-term on shared initiatives to support First Nations Treaty One citizens and WAGQaumajuq members and patrons. l-r: Dr. Stephen Borys, Chief Derrick Henderson, Chief Dennis Meeches, Chief Glenn Hudson

photo: courtesy of the artist

WAG-Qaumajuq announced a new initiative that furthers the Gallery’s continued work of incorporating Indigenous knowledge and perspectives into the fabric of the institution. The Artworks Renaming Initiative gave new names to artworks in the WAG collection through a process led by Indigenous Knowledge Keepers.

Knowledge Keeper Victor Tssessaze with artworks from renaming project. photo: WAG Staff

Check out the new outdoor installation on Portage and Sherbrook of Still Life of Apples, Grapes and Peaches from 17th-century Dutch artist Balthasar van der Ast. This painting welcomes visitors from the west downtown thanks to a partnership with Sussex Realty.

In early February we held a virtual symposium bringing artists, curators, activists, and water defenders together to discuss the power of water during artist talks, curator panels, film screenings, and performances. The Water Symposium, part of the inaugural Winnipeg Indigenous Triennial, Naadohbii: To Draw Water, presented by BMO Financial Group, centered Indigenous voices from Turtle Island, Aotearoa, and Australia discussing environmental, political, and cultural traditions and interconnected relationships to water. The symposium was a huge success, drawing over 400 RSVPs. Learn more about upcoming conferences & lectures on page 18.

The Inuit Art Foundation announced Inuk artist Tarralik Duffy as recipient of the 2021 Kenojuak Ashevak Memorial Award. Beginning with Duffy, WAG-Qaumajuq will offer winners a solo exhibition, catalogue, and residency, as well as acquire one of the artist’s works. Duffy’s solo exhibit is slated for Fall 2023, when the next award winner will be announced.

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photo: Doug Little

photo: Leif Norman

WAG-QAUMAJUQ NEWS

CLIFF EYLAND: LIBRARY OF BABEL – A RETROSPECTIVE

liff Eyland was many things over the course of his life: teacher, writer, curator and artist. Born in Nova Scotia in 1954, he became a beloved pillar of the Winnipeg art community through his art practice and work as an associate professor for the University of Manitoba’s School of Art. Known nationally as a painter, his most accessible works are library installations featuring thousands of 3x5 inch paintings in Halifax, Winnipeg and Edmonton. That 3x5 inch index card format, an homage to the library card catalogue, became what curator Robert B. Epp calls “his basic unit of creativity.”

On view until May 2022 Galleries 5 & 6 Curated by Robert B. Epp

Cliff Eyland: Library of Babel – A Retrospective offers a broad overview of Eyland’s work, covering a period of about 40 years and featuring over 1000 works. “It’s kind of a bizarre scope for a show, even for a retrospective,” Epp says. “But it’s the nature of the way Cliff works that you can have this number of works in a show.”

Supported by Cliff Eyland and Pam Perkins

While the exhibition began as a collaboration between the two curators, when Eyland passed away in May 2020 the exhibition transformed from a contemporary show to something more historical. The Library of Babel, a short story by Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges, “sets the conceptual framework of the show,” says Epp. “It’s the library of the universe; Cliff really loved that idea. It includes everything, and anything.” In many ways, this framework reflects Eyland’s artistic and professional practice. “He’s a bibliophile. He’s been obsessed with libraries and librarians and authors and bookshelves; all the components of the library show up in his work,” says Epp. In addition to the library elements that he became known for, Cliff Eyland: Library of Babel – A Retrospective features more recent work, “a major series called Treaty Landscapes with Art and Crosses of Faith and Lost Faith.” Epp hopes that through these reflective pieces, composed near the end of Eyland’s life, “people will find something new maybe that they didn’t know about Cliff, kind of a different sensibility.”

EYLAND’S WORK TRANSFORMED HOW WE SEE AND ENGAGE WITH ART. — Dr. Stephen Borys

opposite: Cliff Eyland. Librarians, Books and Clouds (detail), 2014-2016. 300 paintings: acrylic on MDF board, acrylic on inkjet print on MDF board. Collection of the Artist’s Estate. photo: Serge Gumenyuk above: Cliff Eyland. photo: Mikaela McKenzie, Winnipeg Free Press

The exhibition also features two films by Winnipeg filmmaker Adam Brooks on Eyland: a short film highlighting Eyland’s three library installations, and an hour-long documentary composed of intimate interviews between Brooks and Eyland after Eyland’s double lung transplant in 2016, a result of the pulmonary sarcoidosis that destroyed his lungs. “It takes you through this whole emotional experience,” says Epp. The documentary offers a glimpse into Eyland’s character and mindset. “He was always there to encourage people who had a lot of anxieties about making art and insecurities,” says Epp. Despite living with chronic illness, Epp recalls that Eyland “never gave himself any excuses not to make art.” Cliff Eyland: Library of Babel – A Retrospective celebrates all the facets of a man who always moved towards creation and community. In addition to understanding the full scope of Eyland’s work as writer, teacher, and curator, Epp hopes to emphasize the democratic nature of Eyland’s paintings. “You can walk through the exhibition without reading anything and just enjoy it,” says Epp. “Like wow, these are amazing paintings. They’re beautiful.”

EX H IBITIONS

“I AM INVISIBLE, UNDERSTAND, SIMPLY BECAUSE PEOPLE REFUSE TO SEE ME… WHEN THEY APPROACH ME, THEY SEE ONLY MY SURROUNDINGS, THEMSELVES OR FIGMENTS OF THEIR IMAGINATION, INDEED, EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING EXCEPT ME.” —Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man (1952)

EX H IBITIONS

ESMAA MOHAMOUD: TO PLAY IN THE FACE OF CERTAIN DEFEAT

eavily influenced by the writing of Ralph Ellison, the works featured in Esmaa Mohamoud’s exhibition To Play in the Face of Certain Defeat don’t shy away from exploring the tension of being both essential and invisible. The installations address the exploitation of Black people and culture through the lens of sport: kente pattern cloth covers empty football helmets on metal pikes, concrete basketballs live in a state of deflation and deterioration on the floor, and cleats hang from industrial chain.

“Visually it’s stunning, it brings you in. The work itself is just meticulously composed,” says Riva Symko, WAG-Qaumajuq Head of Collections & Exhibitions and Curator of Canadian Art. “There’s this really smart conceptual component to it.” With its unmistakable aesthetic and intensity, the exhibition has generated significant public interest; travelling from Museum London, To Play in the Face of Certain Defeat has been exhibited at the Art Gallery of Hamilton and the Ottawa Art Gallery before coming to WAG-Qaumajuq. “This has become a really important show in Canadian contemporary art, travelling across the country and striking so many nerves,” she says. In a city like Winnipeg, home to several major sport franchises and the most recent Grey Cup champions, the local connection and appeal is undeniable.

On view June 26–Oct. 17, 2022 Galleries 5 & 6 Curated by Matthew Kyba

“We don’t think of professional sports as having any kind of relationship to race or gender or sexuality or anything contemporaneous,” says Symko. “But of course it does, right? It’s part of our culture. They have their own set of issues, but it’s also a microcosm of our larger culture." Through Mohamoud’s use of familiar sports iconography, she is able to take viewers of her work on a journey centring and celebrating Black resilience and culture while also exploring themes of exploitation and commodification. A work that exemplifies this sensibility is Heavy, Heavy (Hoop Dreams), an installation of 60 monochromatic concrete basketballs, many of which are deflated, meant to represent the dream of playing basketball professionally. Symko finds the work eerie, “especially the fact that they’re decomposing: turning into dust, to nothing.” Mohamoud’s work also complicates narratives around Black queerness and gender. A series of photographs, entitled One of the Boys, features Black models in recognizable jerseys made of ball gowns and corsets. In many shots the model’s identity is ambiguous as they are turned away from the camera. “She’s talking about race and gender specifically, and how those are constructed through professional sports; how especially male Black athletes need to conform to this idea of what a male Black athlete should be; and how that’s different from potentially white athletes, settler athletes, but also women athletes,” says Symko. “She’s juxtaposing these seemingly dichotomous symbols of gender and sports in order to make us think about what these symbols actually mean.” To Play in the Face of Certain Defeat is an exciting exhibition from Esmaa Mohomoud, one that Symko is looking forward to seeing at WAG-Qaumajuq. “We’re lucky to be getting it; I’m glad we’re hosting it in Winnipeg.”

E XHI BI T I ON S

Esmaa Mohamoud, One of the Boys (Black and White), 2019 (photo elements: archival pigment prints). photos: Courtesy of the artist

Nici Cumpston. Nici Cumpston. Oh myOh Murray my Murray Darling, Darling, 2019. 2019. Archival Archival pigment pigment print on print Hahnemühle on Hahnemühle paper.paper. 75 x 175 75 cm. x 175(Detail) cm. (Detail) Nici Cumpston. Oh my Murray Darling, 2019. Archival pigment print on Hahnemühle paper. 75 x 175 cm. (Detail)

BMO BMO is proud is proud to be to be a long a long time time BMO is proud to be a long time partner partner of the of the Winnipeg Winnipeg ArtArt Gallery, Gallery, partner ofour the Winnipeg Art Gallery, including including our presenting presenting sponsorship sponsorship including our presenting sponsorship of the of the firstfirst Indigenous Indigenous Triennial Triennial of the first Triennial Naadohbii: Naadohbii: To Indigenous Draw To Draw Water. Water. Naadohbii: To Draw Water.

ADD YOUR MESSAGE TO THE VISIBLE VAULT

When you walk into Qaumajuq, you come face-to-face with a three-storey glass vault filled with thousands of carvings on 500 shelves. ONE OF THESE SHELVES CAN BE YOURS. Adopt a shelf today and be recognized by name and with a message of your choice. You can use the space to honour a loved one, mark a special occasion, or to celebrate. Each shelf is $2020, and a tax receipt will be issued for the full amount of the gift. To adopt a shelf, please visit wag.ca/adopt-a-shelf or contact gifts@wag.ca • 204.789.1343 E XHI BI T I ON S photo: Jumil Ofiaza

TUNNIIT: INUIT EMBODIED PRACTICES April 6, 2022–July 2022 Gallery 3

or curators Jocelyn Piirainen and Zoe Ohokannoak, working together on Tunniit: Inuit Embodied Practices was a unique opportunity for the two curators from Iqaluktuuttiaq (Cambridge Bay), Nunavut. “I am excited to be working with and act as mentor to Inuit Futures student Zoe Ohokannoak. Being from the same community, it is great to mentor another emerging Inuk artist and curator,” says Piirainen.

The exhibition showcases Indigenous cultural reclamation and identity through the process of Inuit tattooing and its connection to shamanism. “Tunniit and kakiniit (Inuit traditional tattoos) are a vital part of Inuit identity,” Piirainen says. “They were once banned by missionaries, and only within the last decade have they seen a revitalization.”

Curated by Jocelyn Piirainen Zoe Ohokannoak

Maudie Rachel Okittuq. Sea Goddess, 1977. Duffle, embroidery thread. Government of Nunavut Fine Art Collection. On long-term loan to the Winnipeg Art Gallery.

“Inuit embodied practices vary across the north in meaning and values, from individual experiences, community, family, gender, partnership, motherhood and so on,” explains Ohokannoak. “This exhibition is to show the process of traditional Inuit tattoos, and that does not only include an individual being tattooed, but the thoughts, care, meaning, and history behind it.”

EX H IBITIONS

photo: @zeituntravels

Extended until FEBRUARY 2023

Curated by HEATHER IGLOLIORTE ASINNAJAQ

Presented by

KRISTA ULUJUK ZAWADSKI KABLUSIAK 100 works of art by 90 artists—from the 1940s to the present—including commissioned works and loans from across Canada, Alaska and Greenland. Learn more about these artworks and other key pieces wag.ca/inua-online

Audio Guide Partner

KWAATA-NIHTAAWAKIHK: A HARD BIRTH

waata-nihtaawakihk: A Hard Birth is an essential remembering of the unique formation of the province of Manitoba, and a space for engaging the future. A collaboration between Michif curator Cathy Mattes and Métis/Algonquin/Irish curator Sherry Farrell Racette, Kwaata-nihtaawakihk: A Hard Birth combines an incredible array of archival documents and historic and contemporary art to piece together the story of Manitoba. “These events are living histories in the Métis community,” says Farrell Racette. “We consulted with Métis elder, Verna DeMontigny, asking for the word to describe a difficult birth, thinking of the process as a female being giving birth to the province.” Delayed for two years due to the onset of the pandemic, the exhibition content hasn’t changed very much from its initial conception as a part of the commemoration of Manitoba 150. “We have brought together some amazing pieces of historic and contemporary art, which will be woven throughout,” says Farrell Racette. “We are bringing pieces ‘home’.” The works in the exhibition illuminate the unique story and perspectives behind the province’s formation. “The creation of Manitoba was a Métis accomplishment, but the Red River Settlement was a diverse community – 80% Métis, but also Saulteaux and Cree villages, retired HBC traders, with a small group of recent arrivals from Ontario,” says Farrell Racette. “We want to centre the tensions and connections. I’m not sure if it’s a theme, but we wanted to give viewers a sense of what was lost in the aftermath of 1870. So—beauty, conflict, resistance, but also resilience and continuity.”

EX H IBITIONS

“For me personally, the key themes, in addition to what Sherry has shared, is recognizing the importance of kinship ties, and how continuance and continuum is present in ancestral and contemporary art,” adds Mattes. Through Kwaata-nihtaawakihk: A Hard Birth, the curators centre the past firmly within the experiences of the Métis community. “My family, my ancestors remained here, remained in this province, despite what were at times great atrocities that they were experiencing,” says Mattes. As a part of the exhibition’s commitment to Indigenous ways of being, Kwaata-nihtaawakihk: A Hard Birth centres interactivity and dialogue. “An important component of the exhibition is that the space and art be ignited with opportunities for gatherings, including art workshops, guest speakers, music, poetry, and Mawachihitotaak, a Métis Studies Symposium being held in conjunction with this exhibition,” says Mattes. These opportunities for hard and good conversations surrounding the birth of the province offer participants and visitors the ability to explore what could have been, and what might still be. “We hope to fill the gallery with people—laughter, tears, contemplation, visiting, and music,” says Farrell Racette. “This is a big story that we are still living today.”

On view March 19–Sept 3 2022 Galleries 7, 8, 9 Curated by Cathy Mattes Sherry Farrell Racette Presented by Manitoba Métis Federation and Infinity Women Secretariat

Visit page 18 to learn more about Mawachihitotaak Métis Studies Symposium

Jennine Krauchi. Beaded Picture Frame (detail), 2022. photo: Danya Danger

E XHI BI T I ON S

YOUR COLLECTION RETURNS After a brief period off-view during the construction of Qaumajuq, the WAG’s well-loved permanent collection has returned to Galleries 1, 2, 3, and 4, in addition to Eckhardt Hall and the Skylight Gallery. In the coming year, the presentation of the collection will expand to Gallery 5. The current installation features historical European and Canadian works ranging from 1500 to 1950, including paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, and furniture.

Ongoing Galleries 1, 2, 4

For Dr. Borys, the reinstallation of parts of the permanent collection was a chance to delve into a curatorial process he’s passionate about. “As Director and CEO, I don’t always get the chance to curate a show,” he says. “I love the chance to look again at the collection in the vaults, assemble checklists, and then see the works come to life in the galleries.”

Curated by Dr. Stephen Borys

Highlighting the European historical gallery are five outstanding 17th-century Dutch and Flemish paintings, on loan from the collection of Murray and Cara Sinclair. Additionally, a painting by Pablo Picasso, entitled Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe, from the artist’s celebrated series after Edouard Manet, is also on loan, and hanging in the modern gallery, adding more depth to the WAG’s post-war collection.

EX H IBITIONS

photo: Serge Gumenyuk

Learn more about key permanent collection pieces with Dr. Stephen Borys at wag.ca/mydailyart

Borys is excited by the opportunities inherent in the connections between the permanent collection and other exhibitions. “I love the adjacencies linking one collection or culture with another; and the fact that kids can walk through the Qaumajuq galleries, looking at modern and contemporary Indigenous art in the INUA and Kwaata-nihtaawakihk exhibitions, and then end up in the middle of 17th-century Europe or Canada in the 1800s,” says Borys. “Grappling with the idea of decolonization within the museum walls, we can use art in positive, provoking, and respectful ways to understand and learn from the past and present, and reconsider the ways we look at different cultures and nations through artistic production. Artists have given us incredible tools to help us understand each other – and you can see that right here on view in the WAG galleries.”

ORRERY JOINS WAG’S PERMANENT COLLECTION

hen you first see Greg Payce’s Orrery on display, it takes close observation to uncover the secrets hidden within. “You have to stand there for a minute before you realize that the piece is moving when you’re in the space,” notes Riva Symko, WAG-Qaumajuq Head of Collections & Exhibitions and Curator of Canadian Art. “The longer you look at it the more you see. So, you start to see the outline of the figures in between the vessels, you start to see the movement.” The work invites observers into a kind of intimacy with itself.

Based on the concept of a rotating model of a solar system, Orrery is defined by its negative spaces as much as it is by the vibrant vessels themselves, with female and male figures appearing in the movement between the ceramics. The vessels rest on a rotating platform, perpetually in motion, evoking themes of body and eroticism while challenging institutional categories of craft and fine art.

On view until March 27, 2022 Gallery 3 Curated by Riva Symko

Payce is known nationally as an innovative ceramicist, pushing the limits of the medium, and the vessels in Orrery are no exception. “In terms of traditional ceramics, they’re these unusual kind of almost pop art colours that I also find exciting,” says Symko. “But then he’ll add the elements that are in Orrery, which are these mechanical elements, and he’ll really experiment with how ceramics can be used in various types of media or intertwined.” Generously donated to WAG-Qaumajuq by the artist, Orrery is a riveting work that offers viewers new revelations with every turn of the wheel. Visit Orrery at WAG-Qaumajuq. Gregory James Payce. Orrery (detail), 2013. Southern Ice porcelain, wood, turntable. Collection of the Winnipeg Art GalleryGift of the artist. photo: Serge Gumenyuk; artist photo: courtesy of the artist

E XHI BI T I ON S

WANDA KOOP: VIEW FROM HERE

he first impressions of the eight enormous works in Wanda Koop’s VIEW from HERE are starkness and intensity. The evocative paintings feature prominent landscapes composed within the bald outline of a face, erasing the comfortable familiarity we have with both landscape and portrait. “With enormous pieces like this, you tend to get lost or overwhelmed, which, I think, is part of the intention,” says curator Riva Symko.

Opening March 2022 Eckhardt Hall

You may recognize VIEW from HERE from when it was last on display. This re-hanging of the iconic Manitoban work in WAG-Qaumajuq feels incredibly timely to Symko. “In the context of climate change, especially with all the disasters we saw over last summer, floods, fires, droughts depending on where you were in the country; seeing ourselves in the landscape more is something we have to start reconciling and considering,” she says. “And here she’s literally done that: the landscape is the face of the figure.”

Curated by Riva Symko

Many of the works reference specific Manitoban landscapes, giving a very real and personal context to the paintings for a viewer. This connection to place offers a kind of intimacy with the landscapes portrayed in VIEW from HERE. As our comfortable understandings of the world are being challenged, this exhibition offers a chance to re-create our conception of the world, and by extension, our conception of our selves.

l-r: Wanda Koop. Seeway, River, and Deep Bay, from the series View from Here, 2014. Acrylic, India ink on canvas. Private collection, on longterm loan to the Winnipeg Art Gallery; Wanda Koop in her studio, photo: Mikaela Mackenzie / Winnipeg Free Press

EX H IBITIONS

UPCOMING & WAG@THE PARK WAG-Qaumajuq Robert Houle: Red is Beautiful will feature over

90 large installations, paintings and drawings created by the celebrated Canadian artist between 1970 and 2020. Houle’s work blends abstraction, modernism, and conceptualism with First Nations aesthetics and histories. Themes in Red is Beautiful include Sacred Geometry, The Spiritual Legacy of the Ancient Ones, Beyond History Painting, The Aesthetics of Disappearance, Residential School Years, and Sovereignty. This exhibition is a walk through fifty years of what matters to First Nations and Settler relations today with an artist who is always ahead of his time. Opening October 2022.

Winnipeg Free Press: 150 Years. The Winnipeg Free

Press is the oldest newspaper in Western Canada, emerging only two short years after the official founding of the province of Manitoba. This exhibition will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the publication through archival photographs and footage from the Winnipeg Free Press archives and contemporary artwork from the WAG collection that takes its inspiration from the evolving news media landscape. Along with the selection of archival pieces, including an original printing press, this exhibition invites an Artist in Residence to reflect on the rapid changes to news media in the twentieth century. Opening November 2022.

WAG-Qaumajuq is out in the community! Learn more about the special programming and partnerships that make your Gallery more accessible at wag.ca/community

WAG@The Park The Surrealist Impulse: Ivan Eyre & Dalla Husband pairs a selection of Ivan Eyre drawings and

paintings from the Assiniboine Park Conservancy Collection with paintings, prints, and drawings by Dalla Husband from the WAG-Qaumajuq Collection to explore the techniques and influence of Surrealism on the creative practices of both artists. On view now until May 2022.

Walter J. Phillips: Manitoba as Muse celebrates

Phillips’ depiction of Manitoba during the period of his life living on the Canadian prairies. Featuring a selection of his paintings, prints, and drawings referencing Manitoban subject matter, Manitoba as Muse will delight visitors to WAG@The Park with familiar landscape imagery, and botanical foliage. On view now until May 2022.

l-r: Robert Houle. Parfleche #12, Jesus, from the series Parfleches for the Last Supper, 1983. Acrylic, porcupine quill on paper. Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Gift of Mr. Carl T. Grant, Artvest Inc., photo: Serge Gumenyuk; Ivan Eyre, Vertigo, 1979. Acrylic on canvas. Collection of The Pavilion, Assiniboine Park Conservancy; Walter J. Phillips. Grain Elevator at La Salle, Manitoba, 1931. Woodblock on paper, 190/200. Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery.

E XHI BI T I ON S

LECTURES & CONFERENCES

MÉTIS STUDIES SYMPOSIUM May 3–6, 2022 Mawachihitotaak (Let’s Get Together) Métis Studies Symposium will bring together a diverse community of Métis thinkers to share knowledge and engage in conversation together. Hosted at WAG-Qaumajuq, Mawachihitotaak will encourage a range of discussions on Métis priorities and scholarship areas, all while nourishing relationships and celebrating the different forms of Métis knowledge-building. This conference is held in conjunction with the exhibition Kwaata-nihtaawakihk – A Hard Birth, which commemorates the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Province of Manitoba. Learn more about this exhibition on page 12. Learn more at wag.ca

AUVIQSAQTUT: 22ND INUIT STUDIES CONFERENCE June 19–22, 2022 Inspired by this year’s theme, Auviqsaqtut (cutting blocks to make an iglu/working together to build an iglu) the 22nd Inuit Studies Conference evokes themes of collaboration, Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, sharing intergenerational knowledge, and building something together. Elders, knowledgebearers, scholars, community advocates, educators, academics, researchers, artists, postsecondary students, policymakers, and others will gather at Qaumajuq as part of INUA, the inaugural exhibition. The Conference will include cultural activities, workshops, performances, and other creative projects, as well as Inuit artistic vendors from across Inuit Nunangat. A special issue of Inuit Art Quarterly celebrating Qaumajuq will be released at the conference. Learn more at wag.ca

L EA R NING & PR OGR A MS

SPRING PROGRAMS & EVENTS photo: Leif Norman

photo: Leif Norman

Explore the stories behind the art and experiment with artmaking. Programs, tours, and art classes for all age groups with special pricing for WAG-Qaumajuq members.

Canada Life Free Sundays @ WAG

>> Nightly, sundown-10pm | FREE

>> Saturdays / Sundays, 2pm Included with Gallery admission FREE for WAG members.

DETAILS & TICKETS AT

.ca/events

photo: Doug Little

Be transported to the North with outdoor projections of contemporary Inuit artwork and imagery, highlighting Qaumajuq, the Inuit art centre.

+SO MUCH MORE!

Drop-in Weekend Tours

Join us on the second Sunday of every month for free admission to WAG-Qaumajuq and more family fun, thanks to Canada Life!

Spring Art Classes @ WAG Studio Registration opens March 8 >> Classes start April 23 Choose from classes for children, teens, and adults in drawing, painting, pottery, digital media, and more. Be inspired this season in our newly renovated studio spaces on the Penthouse level of the WAG!

photo: Doug Little

Qaumajuq Projections

>> March 13, April 10, May 8 | FREE

Spring Break Art Camp >> March 28–April 1 Campers will explore the galleries, create art, play games and spend time outdoors on the WAG rooftop, and stage their own mini exhibition. Come for a day or sign up for a whole week!

LE ARN I N G & PROG RAM S

WAG–QAUMAJUQ MEMBERSHIP

Join Now!

Your support as a member of the WAG fuels dynamic programming that keeps our community connected. Learn more and sign up at wag.ca/member.

Questions? We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch at membership@wag.ca or 204.789.1764

WAG IS OFFERING EXCITING NEW WAYS TO JOIN AS A MEMBER! FRIEND | FREE for ages 25 and under living in Manitoba, or those who belong to and are claimed by an Indigenous Nation. | 26+ – $35 Access WAG-Qaumajuq as many times as you like for 12 months!

FRIEND WITH BENEFITS | $75 | Add your partner, friend, or companion for an extra $35 [$110 total]

Includes early previews, discounts at shopWAG, art classes and Katita Café, early ticket registration, a subscription to myWAG magazine, and more.

Marianne Nicolson. Waterline (Proper) (detail), 2015. Glass, wood, shell inlay, LED light mechanism. Collection of the Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama. Museum purchase. photo: Leif Norman

PARTNER | $175 + a minimum donation of $25 | Add your partner, friend, or companion at no cost

Includes all the above plus one-of-a-kind experiences and invites to special programming, FREE entry and discounts at galleries across North American Reciprocal Museum Association institutions, a subscription to Inuit Art Quarterly, and a tax receipt for your chosen gift level.

PATRON | $175 + a minimum donation of $825 | Add your partner, friend, or companion at no cost

Join the circle of Patrons coming together to build a better WAG-Qaumajuq. This special group of members are ushering in a new era of the WAG, opening up inspiring programming and accessibility for everyone in the community.

ASSOCIATE | Add to your membership – $40 | Students – $10 Expand your understanding of art while making a difference in your community! Enjoy all the benefits of your selected membership plus a wealth of unique, art-filled opportunities.

FREE FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Indigenous Peoples can access free annual membership or daily admission. This policy advances the WAG’s ongoing work to respond to the TRC Calls to Action. Join as a Friend today, or as a paying member to further support WAG-Qaumajuq.

SU PPORT

DONORS ARE MAKING AN IMPACT Qaumajuq was built as a place to share stories and experiences. It’s here to bring joy and wonder, and to create opportunities for us to connect with each other through the power and beauty of art. Your generous support will ensure that can happen. Donations of every amount make a difference. Donors who give $1000 or more annually are invited into a special circle of supporters, with unique access to artists and opportunities to experience WAG-Qaumajuq behind the scenes, starting this spring. Give a gift today at wag.ca/donate

I’ve been taking art classes here for a long time because I really like learning, and learning new things about art too. Thank you. This is such a wonderful place and I really like being here!

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photo: Cinic Studio

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photo: JP Media Works

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—Doris, studio class participant

I am excited for people to see a new side of Inuit art, a side that breaks the mold that has been created by non-Inuit for decades, and a side that Inuit have known intimately since day one. Our artwork has always been contemporary and groundbreaking, and I am excited for the public to experience how Inuit see ourselves, expressed through the work of so many talented artists.

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—Kablusiak, INUA co-curator, and member of Indigenous Advisory Circle, Winnipeg Art Gallery

I feel a sense of pride. We have so many diverse cultures amongst ourselves, and being Indigenous, it’s so wonderful to see our artwork, the traditions that have been handed down, and the things that we have done being brought to life for everyone to see.

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photo: JP Media Works

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—Jay, WAG-Qaumajuq visitor

Artworks contain the voices of their makers, and the stories of the communities from which they originated. They spark conversation, imagination, and transformation. Proper care of the art in our collection - both cultural care and physical care - is our utmost priority. It is through the generous support of our donors that we can ensure the WAG-Qaumajuq collection will be enjoyed for generations to come!

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—Riva Symko, WAG-Qaumajuq Head of Collections & Exhibitions and Curator of Canadian Art SUPPORT

Entry is included in your Gallery admission price: Adults $18 • Seniors $15 FREE for youth under 18 and WAG members wag.ca/bloom Balthasar van der Ast. Untitiled (Still Life of Apples, Grapes and Peaches in a WanLi Porcelain Bowl, a Bouquet of Tulips, Roses, Irises, Lily-of-theValley and other Flowers in a Wan-Li Porcelain Vase, both on a Stone Ledge covered with Flowers, Shells, Cherries, Redcurrants, Wild Strawberries and Various Insects) (detail), 1625. Oil on oak panel. Collection of Murray and Cara Sinclair, on loan to the Winnipeg Art Gallery. photo: Serge Gumenyuk

ASSOCIATES

“THE FLOWER THAT FOLLOWS THE SUN DOES SO EVEN ON CLOUDY DAYS” — Robert Leighton After a cancellation in 2021 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Art in Bloom is back at the Winnipeg Art Gallery and for the first time, Qaumajuq. This festival of spring, art, and creativity is a lush feast for the senses and a welcoming community event presented by the Associates of the WAG. “As we come out of the dark days of winter, and out from under the gloomy weight of Covid restrictions, we return to the place that is bright and lit, awash in the colour and fragrance of thousands of beautiful flowers,” says Andrea Cibinel, Art in Bloom Co-Chair. “This event reminds us all that art and nature can always be relied upon to lift our spirits and bring us the sense of hope inherent with the changing of seasons.” Art in Bloom pairs creative interpreters with inspiring art to create rich displays of floral designs, made possible with the support of Petals West. Professional and non-professional florists will interpret 15th to 21st-century artworks highlighting the Gallery’s outstanding art collection, bringing in the scents and colours of spring. For the first time, the event will take inspiration from the new Inuit art centre, Qaumajuq. The Inuktitut word Qaumajuq means ‘it is bright, it is lit’ and we can’t wait to see what inspiration this brings to the fresh florals that will fill the galleries. Art in Bloom Co-Chair Esme Scarlett is calling all art and floral lovers! “The Associates of the WAG invite you to join us as we welcome Spring into the Gallery with inventive floral interpretations of incredible artwork!” Floral Philanthropy will re-purpose flowers used in interpretations for delivery to healthcare centres, hospitals, and personal care homes, spreading wellness across the city through a partnership with Cancercare Manitoba Foundation.

TH E ASSOCIATES

PLAN YOUR NEXT EVENT WITH WAG-QAUMAJUQ AND WOW! CATERING With two iconic buildings connected on all four levels, WAG-Qaumajuq is an inspiring venue for conferences, receptions, live performances, and weddings of all sizes. Our creative approach will ensure your next event stands out, and our exceptional in-house catering by WOW! Catering will further elevate your guests’ experience. WAG-Qaumajuq can accommodate everything—from small meetings to large gatherings—in style. Be among the first to host an event in the light-filled spaces of Qaumajuq. The entrance hall, Ilavut, accommodates 200 for a standing reception, 60 for a sit-down dinner, and features the Visible Vault, the heart of Qaumajuq. In the main WAG building, Eckhardt Hall is one of Winnipeg’s signature event spaces, with soaring ceilings and the backdrop of Manitoba Tyndall Stone. The Skylight Gallery illuminates intimate events with stunning art on view. The seasonal Rooftop Sculpture Garden boasts incredible views in the city, where guests can take in fresh air and entertainment, easily moving outdoors from the adjacent Penthouse Foyer. Ideal for meetings, screenings, lectures, and live concert or theatrical performances, the Muriel Richardson Auditorium features state-of-the-art acoustics, while Ilipvik is equipped with smart technology to connect you to colleagues and classrooms all over the world. Another versatile and private meeting space is the Niizhwaaso Collaborative Research Centre, with views of the Visible Vault and Outdoor Plaza. Adjoining spaces allow for post-event receptions and intermissions immersed in captivating artwork. Getting married? The unique spaces of WAG-Qaumajuq provide an elegant backdrop for any ceremony, reception, cocktail party, or welcome dinner. With the classic colour palate and incredible artwork, you can design an event unlike any other. Plan your menu: WAG-Qaumajuq is a fully equipped event facility with onsite catering through WOW! Catering. To learn more about food and beverage options, contact Sheila Kristinnson, Food + Beverage Manager at wowcateringwag@ wowhospitality.com Learn more: Take a tour of Qaumajuq, the new Inuit art centre at WAG. Book a site visit with our Rentals Coordinator to find the perfect space for your next event, contact Doren Roberts at droberts@wag.ca

Dine with us daily at Katita café, steps away from the Visible Vault, or take your coffee and snacks to go. Open 11am–4pm. QAUM A JUQ

above: Germaine Arnaktauyok. Uluit 31/100, 2003, Etching + Aquatint; Germaine Arnaktauyok. Night and Day 21/75, 2006, Etching + Aqautint back cover: Germaine Arnaktauyok. When Houses (Iglus) Were Alive 51/300, 1996, Lithograph

GERMAINE ARNAKTAUYOK AT GALLERY SHOP This April the Gallery Shop at WAG-Qaumajuq is pleased to present a showcase of works from prolific Inuit artist Germaine Arnaktauyok. Germaine Arnaktauyok has been creating art since she was a child; over the course of her life, she has been a drawer, a painter, a printmaker, and an animator. Her work is distinctive and focused on portraying elements of her Inuit culture. Arnaktauyok’s deep understanding of colour, value, and culture creates an unforgettable body of work. Her art is dreamy and her technique is precise—a combination that creates a unique style. Her most recent work, an animation entitled Arctic Song and produced in partnership with the National Film Board, will debut at WAG-Qaumajuq later this spring. See current hours at wag.ca and shop online at shop.wag.ca for shipping across Canada. @shopwag

In conjunction with the debut, the Gallery Shop has prepared a diverse selection of works, including prints and books illustrated by Arnaktauyok. Her children’s books Those That Cause Fear, Takannaaluk, and Inuit Spirit: A Colouring Book will be available in the shop, as well as My Name is Arnaktauyok, where the artist tells the story of her life through words and art. The Gallery Shop is thrilled to be able to share this incredible work with the Winnipeg community. Visit us in-store to learn more.

Germaine Arnaktauyok’s books

SH OP WAG

COMING JUNE 2022:

A special issue of the Inuit Art Quarterly on WAG-Qaumajuq, guest-edited by Dr. Heather Igloliorte

Subscribe today! WAG SPECIAL OFFER

1 year in Canada only $25 + tax inuitartfoundation.org/WAG T HE ASSOCI AT E S

Germaine Arnaktauyok is in the Gallery Shop. page 24 page 6

Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Winnipeg Art Gallery 300 Memorial Boulevard Winnipeg, MB R3C 1V1

TO PLAY IN THE FACE OF CERTAIN DEFEAT

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