GOVERNOR GENERAL’S AWARDS IN VISUAL AND MEDIA ARTS
Where: Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, 1040 Moss St.
When: Oct. 14-March 5
Admission: $13 (adults) and $11 (seniors and students); children five and under free
Note: Public open house from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday is free and open to the public
The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria has at the ready an exhibition of work by eight Governor General’s Award winners in the mediums of visual and media arts — a coup for the Moss Street gallery.
Governor General’s Awards events are rarely held outside of Ontario, where Ottawa’s National Gallery of Canada covers off the awards with an exhibit each year. In a rare move, federal institutions the Canada Council for the Arts and the National Gallery of Canada have entrusted the Art Gallery of Victoria with properly celebrating last year’s honourees. “We’re really lucky to have been approached to host this exhibition,” said Jaimie Isaac, the Victoria gallery’s new chief curator.
“It’s really important for institutions like ours to maintain relationships with places like the Canada Council. Some of the artists who are participating have never been to the gallery or even showcased in Victoria, so it’s going to be a night of firsts. That’s something for all of us to celebrate.”
Exhibit-opening celebrations at the gallery get underway Friday with a free party, followed Saturday by a free open house and by-donation panel discussion. The exhibit runs Friday through March 5. Regular gallery admission rates apply.
Each year, the Governor General’s Awards honour the careers of eight artists in the mediums of visual and media arts. It is one of the most prestigious distinctions for artists in Canada. The 2021 winners include: visual artists Lori Blondeau (Winnipeg), Germaine Arnaktauyok (Yellowknife), and Bonnie Devine (Toronto); sculptor Dempsey Bob (Terrace); media artist Luc Courchesne (Montréal); interdisciplinary artist Cheryl L’Hirondelle (Toronto); and visual artists Lou Lynn (Winlaw, B.C.) and Bryce Kanbara (Hamilton). They join nearly 200 artists and arts professionals who have earned the distinction since 1999.
All eight will be in attendance in Victoria this weekend, Isaac said. She worked closely with each one to ensure that what winds up on display is an apt example of their respective visions. “I really wanted to honour the perspectives of the eight recipients. I was thinking of their whole trajectories, their careers, as this award celebrates their lifetime achievements. It was important to ask them which work they would like to see in the show.”
When she was the Indigenous and Contemporary Arts curator at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, before coming to the Greater Victoria Art Gallery in September 2021, Isaac said she was involved with a similarly-themed exhibition. But what this exhibit with federal implications means to Victoria is unprecedented, as it raises the gallery’s profile across the country. Isaac, who is a member of the Sagkeeng First Nation in Treaty 1 Territory, in Manitoba, believes that can only mean good things going forward, especially for homegrown artists in the area.
Many stand to benefit from the newfound visibility and opportunities which come about as a result.
“In the arts scene right now, this is a pivotal moment with regards to Indigenous art. When the director and CEO of the Canada Council recognizes that, and the nominators who championed the artists come from the art world and the academic world, they are upholding these artists for not only their disciplines but also for what they are speaking about within the work. I think that’s really exciting.”
