NEWS LETTER
May to July 2007
From the Director
Happy spring everyone! Here comes another programming season to you. I would like to begin by welcoming some new board members: Sarah Woodward and Michelle LaRiviere. Thanks as well to the hard working volunteers who have continued to support the gallery and help make us a viable part of North Bay’s arts community. We have received a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation for capitol expenses. This money is being used to upgrade the technology in the gallery. We have already purchased the digital projector and surround sound system. I will be upgrading the gallery internet service and go wireless and beefing up our computer. We will soon have much more to offer our members in expression/communication/dissemination and presentation. Some sad news, we have lost our Canada Council for the Arts operating grant and will have to find an alternative source of funding. camerafrontera photography festival is here again. We have 12 venues and 20 artists showcased. Here is a chance to see some great art. So I hope you can get out and take a look at what is out there! June brings Montreal artist Natalie Daoust and her exhibition “Between Four Walls, Berlin” and July brings a two person member’s show 1977 by local artists Bree Stark and Julie Bartkweicz. You will be amazed at this work.
Daniel Elzinga Director
From the Chair
We had our AGM at 100 Georges at the end of March and it was well attended. New faces showed up along with the regular crew and so we were able to add some new members to the Board. Welcome them to the task! We are still looking for more board members and volunteers for committees like the programming committee. In all the meeting was very positive and we had some lively discussion about the direction of the Gallery that continued on past the meeting adjournment. Although we were unsuccessful in our Canada Arts Council grant, we still feel we are in a good position. We will need to do some serious fundraising but it is not beyond our means. Speaking of the Canada Council for the Arts, they celebrated their 50th year of operation. Bev Oda, the minister for Canadian Heritage made a les than 5 minute speech which was hardly acknowledged. Afterwardsthe Government had a reception for 50 artists. Only about 20 to 25 members of parliament showed up for this occasion. This is the priority the Government places on the Arts! Author Yann Martel was so upset he is sending the Prime Minister a book a month for him to read and respond to. Check it out at www.whatisstephenharperreading.ca I wonder what our MP is reading and what Arts functions he attends?
Dan has purchased new AV equipment for the Gallery so we will be able to show more video artists. How about a movie night to see how this really works? New shows all booked, camerafrontera in May, new AV equipment, enthusiastic board, all looks good for another 30 years for the WWG. Look for a Birthday celebration sometime in July.
John Coffman co chair.
Events:
May 4 – May 26: Our second installment of camerafrontera. Gala Reception May 4 at Flux Gallery 7 – 9 pm, tickets $10.00
June 2 – June 30: Montreal Artist Nathalie Daoust. She has created a series of three-dimensional portraits, “Entre Quatre Murs”, opens 30 windows on various imaginary universes illustrating every day life.
http://www.whitewatergallery.com/ndaoust.html
July 7 – July 28: North Bay artists Bree Stark and Julie Bartkewicz
http://www.whitewatergallery.com/breejulie.html
Member of the Month: Arndt Von Holtzendorff
Arndt has been volunteering at the gallery faithfully every Tuesday and Wednesday for over a year. Although you may not see Arndt’s workup on the Gallery wall often he did have a couple of works in a recent member’s show. Youhave probablyseen his artistic ability if you have attended any of the local theatre productions. Arndt graduated from the National Theatre School in Theatre design and has been designing sets for a number of local community theatre groups for many years. Arndt works closely with the director to bring to life in the physical set the vision the director has for the production. The set in this waybecomes another character in the play adding that other dimension around which the actors, director and many others bring the production to life. Arndt has won several awards for his set designs.
Calls for Submissions: Next Deadline September 1 – we are now booking for the 2008 programming season! We have also received a grant which has allowed us to purchase new equipment and are now accepting submissions which include the use of digital and new media technologies. We encourage experimentation and thinking “outside the box”.
To apply for a paid, 4-week exhibition, please include:
To apply for a member's 2-week exhibition, please include:
All of the above, except copies/prints may be submitted in place of slides or a CD of jpeg files. Do not send original work.
Quotable Quote:
From a 1951 Symposium on “What Abstract Art Means to Me” by Williem De Kooning
The first man who began to speak, whoever he was, must have intended it. For surely it is talking that has put “Art” into painting. Nothing is positive about art except that it is a word. Right from there to here all art became literary. We are not yet living in a world where everything is self-evident. It is very interesting to notice that a lot of people who want to take the talking out of painting, for instance, do nothing else but talk about it. That is no contradiction, however. The art in it is the forever mute part you can talk about forever.
From Theories of Modern Art: A Source Book by Artists and Critics, by H. B. Chipp, University of California Press, 1968