1. Director’s Meandering Preamble
On Saturday we brought it!
We brought the Wine King from far away Dominion to St. Catharines for the Wine Festival Grande Parade. We brought the Royal Orders of Connoisseurs and Aficionados to life. And we brought national media attention to the Wine Festival. We brought a lot. Thanks to our co-presenter Brock Centre for the Arts, Deb Slade and Sara Palmieri in particular, and our wine sponsors Henry of Pelham and Megalomaniac for aiding in the bringing.
We didn’t, however, bring home the hardware for best float by a non-profit organization. One judge, head held low, was by on Tuesday to apologize on behalf of her peers. She had us pegged head and shoulders above all others in our category and was dumfounded by her colleagues’ selection—a float identical to the one entered by the same organization last year. And the year before that. And likely in every damn parade in south and central Ontario. I won’t bother to name the non-profit organization that aids amputees that was awarded first prize, and though I’m not resentful, let’s say a lost set of keys returned to me in the mail will henceforth be a bitter sweet affair.
We are accumulating evidence that the snubbing of our float may have something to do with the comedic portrayal of alcohol consumption that pretty much characterized our entire endeavour. We have received one actual complaint by telephone. We haven’t articulated a response that would embrace all the nuances of silliness that these complaints encompass, but in the meantime I suggest we raise a toast of good cheer (after 5pm and followed immediately by something to eat) to those who wrestle with daily dilemmas of morality in enigmatic ways most of us are thankfully incapable of comprehending.
I’m happy to report that the travesties committed by members of volunteer judiciary bodies and the recent stirrings of the last vestiges of the local temperance movement do not faze the Niagara Arts community. Despite what would surely have been a devastating blow to the morale of many other organizations, our healthy contingent of volunteer float constructors, performers, and the many other supporters of our good work managed to throw a bright and cheerful post parade party that would be best described as, well, devastating. Perhaps what kept our spirits light was the reaction of the Wine King’s creator, Seth. I’ve included some words here:
“I could not have been more pleased--it surpassed all my expectations. A tremendously high level of skill and care went into the finished product and I was really impressed. The same goes for every aspect of the event. The performers were terrific and NAC's presence, professionalism, and enthusiasm made it a wonderful event for me, a unique opportunity to connect myself to an aspect of the popular culture that has always fascinated me. Thank you.”
There’s reason to celebrate! And now that the wine’s been wiped from the tables, floors, and ceilings, we’re ready to share an exhibit of Seth’s art featuring the Wine King in our Show Room Gallery. Join us for a reception to officially open the exhibit on Friday 16 October (for more on the Wine King exhibit see item 6). It’s an evening brimming with arts activity: including Rob Elliott’s Dennis Tourbin Members’ Gallery opening reception, the James Street Night of Art, and something Rodman Hall provocatively calls Verve.
On a final note, for artists looking for $upport for an upcoming exhibition, (I know you’re out there), NAC is a recommender for Exhibition A$$istance from the Ontario Art$ ¢ouncil. We’re looking for more applicants, the deadline is Friday, call for information or visit our website for details.
overnout,
S.
Stephen Remus,
Director of Operations and Programming
Second Lieutenant (lef-tenant), Royal Order of Connoisseurs
2. OAC Exhibition Assistance
Deadline this Friday 2 October 5pm
The Exhibition Assistance program provides grants of $500 to $1,500 to assist individual artists with costs related to presenting their work in confirmed, upcoming exhibitions. Artists apply to third-party recommender organizations (NAC) located throughout the province. The recommenders are public galleries, artist-run centres and other visual and media arts organizations that administer the Exhibition Assistance program and make grant recommendations to the Ontario Arts Council (OAC).
The program aims to reflect the range of artistic practices in the visual arts, media arts and craft communities and to support excellence, regional activity, linguistic and cultural diversity and Aboriginal and Franco-Ontarian identity.
For guidelines click here
3. In the Dennis Tourbin Members’ Gallery
Every Thing within Reach of Whispers
A collection of new work by Chad MacDonald
Wednesday 16 September - Friday 2 October
Working under the pseudonym DEAD WEIGHT, my work is inspired by the colourful lifestyle of graffiti and skateboarding, nature, music, creation, and destruction.
www.facebook.com/deadw8
- artist’s statement
4. DTMG Double Bill
Twenty-four Clocks…Twenty-four Photos by Perry Wakulich
And Henley Images by Mark ‘Tex’ Thomas
On display in the Dennis Tourbin Members’ Gallery
from Saturday 3 October - Thursday 15 October
Opening Reception Saturday 3 October 2-5pm
Twenty-four Clocks…Twenty-four Photos
This new series of artwork is based on time and the passage of time. I have been an art teacher at the St Catharines Collegiate for the last twenty years. The Collegiate is the second oldest high school in Ontario and recently underwent extensive renovations. These renovations included the replacement of the old clocks with the new digital ones. The new clocks perform the same function as the old ones and time still remains an inevitable part of everyone’s lives. Peter Legault was a little surprised when I requested twenty-four of the old style clocks. They have inspired my most recent body of work entitled, Twenty-four Clocks…Twenty-four Photos. Taking these clocks to locations all across Ontario and utilizing models including my ‘Mah’, I strived to tap into people’s personal interpretations of these images. This series will continue to grow and evolve over time (no pun intended). I am known to most as a sculptor, drawer, painter –kind-of-guy, but I will have you know that I was taught by the well-recognized and accomplished Canadian photographer, Suzy Lake. The only reason I mention this is she is a great instructor and a great inspiration.
Congratulations to Mark ‘Tex’ Thomas, a talented closet painter, on his first exhibition. I know you will enjoy his unique fresh style.
- Perry Wakulich
Henley Images
In a previous life I was a commercial painter. I used to like the way layers of different coloured paint appeared when I was cleaning ancient wooden surfaces. That may explain why I use left over house paint and rough plywood for all my artwork. Of course, that may be brain damage associated with industrial fumes rather than aesthetic vision.
I enjoy painting rowing scenes around Henley Island partly because I’ve been a long-time coach and partly because the area itself is beautiful and under-appreciated.
- Mark ‘Tex’ Thomas
5. Art City
Friday 2 October
On the first Friday night of each month, from May through October, Downtown St. Catharines becomes Art City. From 6 to 9 pm each evening, downtown galleries, restaurants and merchants will be enlivened through art by hosting an exhibition or performance on their premises.
Art City is a celebration of original artwork, installations, exhibitions, and performances presented through a partnership of the Niagara Artists Centre, the St. Catharines & Area Arts Council and the St. Catharines Downtown Association.
On display at NAC for Art City see the next item
6. The Wine King Float and Dominion
On display in the Show Room
Wednesday 30 September – end of November
Opening Reception Friday October at 8pm
This year's Niagara Wine Festival Parade had twice the royalty. Since 1952, the Grape King has ruled over the festival, but in 2009 the Wine King of Dominion City joined the parade on a float of his own. The Grape King needn't worry about a battle for supremacy, however, the Wine King character and the community of Dominion are fictional creations of renowned Canadian cartoonist Seth.
The Niagara Artists Centre and its artist members teamed up with Seth and RENDER* to create a parade float from far away Dominion City, the mythical place where Seth's stories take place. The float featured the Wine King, a rotund wine lover about ten feet high, and a gathering of cartoon grape minions.
The float is now parked and on display in The Show Room of the Niagara Artists Centre. Exhibited with it is a scale model of Dominion City as well as historic images of the grandest days of the Grape & Wine Festival Parade. "The three things are a good fit," says NAC Director Stephen Remus. "Dominion is a throwback to the hay days of fifty years ago. A sense of those times that escapes nostalgia is pervasive in Seth's world. I think the Wine King offers us an opportunity to celebrate the history of our parade without being sentimental".
Born in Clinton, Ontario, Seth began work as a cartoonist in the mid 1980s. After over twenty years of artistic output, he's created a number of graphic novels and strips (including Clyde Fans, Wimbledon Green, and George Sprott), had his work featured three times on the cover of The New Yorker, contributed a twenty-five issue serial for the New York Times Magazine, and exhibited his Dominion City at the Art Gallery of Ontario. The exhibition component of the exhibit at NAC is being toured by RENDER and was curated by Andrew Hunter.
The Wine King Float and Dominion City will be on view in NAC's newly renovated Show Room from Wednesday 30 September until the end November. There will be an opening reception for the exhibition on Friday 16 October starting at 8pm.
*A program established in 2006 to shift the University of Waterloo Art Gallery’s focus to innovation. render.uwaterloo.ca