A Studio Quivering in Readiness highlights B.C. artists at Burnaby Art Gallery to November 24
Works by Gordon Smith, Bill Reid, Roy Kiyooka, Toni Onley, and eight others are displayed in new exhibition, all donated by late collector Harry Locke
Burnaby Art Gallery presents A Studio Quivering in Readiness to November 24
LATE BURNABY RESIDENT Harry Locke was a gifted piano player and worked as an English teacher at Carson Graham Secondary School in North Vancouver—all while avidly collecting works by some of the biggest names in B.C. art. From 1974 to 1980, he served as an elected member of the Burnaby Art Gallery Association Board.
Though Locke passed away in 2018, his lifelong love and appreciation for the arts prevails at the Burnaby Art Gallery. This fall, his donation of several local artworks is now the backbone of A Studio Quivering in Readiness, a new exhibition that highlights some of B.C.’s most significant artists: Gordon Adaskin, Todd Baker, Wayne Eastcott, Max Ernst, Miriam Haworth, Brian Fisher, Roy Kiyooka, Toni Onley, Bill Reid, Lin Chien-Shih, Gordon Smith, and Jack Wise.
At the show, guests have the chance to see Reid’s 1973 silkscreen print Haida Dogfish on display, which references the powerful Dogfish Woman of Haida mythology. It is said that the being, part human and part dogfish (a small shark species), represents a transformation between human and non-human realms. Born in Victoria in 1920 to a Haida mother and American father, Reid was an acclaimed master carver, goldsmith, broadcaster, and community activist whose works blend Indigenous traditions with a unique modernist aesthetic. His work can be seen at a variety of other local galleries and art spaces, including the UBC Museum of Anthropology, which is home to his monumental 1980 yellow-cedar carving The Raven and the First Men.
Another silkscreen print featured at the exhibition is Smith’s 1965 work Untitled. Smith, whose namesake Gordon Smith Gallery of Canadian Art houses works by some of the country’s most talented artists, was best known for his modernist West Coast landscapes; but Untitled offers a different perspective into the creative’s mind, with vibrant blue, green, and orange tones creating a geometric optical illusion of sorts.
Accompanying the works in A Studio Quivering in Readiness are a series of archival letters between Locke and the artists, which provide a glimpse into the deep connections and support systems that helped some of the province’s most notable creatives flourish.
The full exhibition is available for viewing during the Burnaby Art Gallery’s regular opening hours, which are 10 am to 4 pm from Tuesdays through Fridays and 12 pm to 5 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Admission is by donation.
Emily Lyth is a Vancouver-based writer and editor who graduated from Langara College’s Journalism program. Her decade of dance training and passion for all things food-related are the foundation of her love for telling arts, culture, and community stories.
Related Articles
Presenting the Anishinaabe artist with the award at today’s ceremony, Scott Watson described her as “one of not just Canada’s, but her generation’s most important artists”
Toronto-based artists Parastoo Anoushahpour, Faraz Anoushahpour, and Ryan Ferko collaborate on a multi-channel video installation
Headlined by Polaris Music Prize–winning Colombian Canadian artist Lido Pimienta, program spans film, visual arts, dance, literary, and music events
Works by Gordon Smith, Bill Reid, Roy Kiyooka, Toni Onley, and eight others are displayed in new exhibition, all donated by late collector Harry Locke
Artists Parastoo Anoushahpour, Faraz Anoushahpour, and Ryan Ferko use video installation to honour French filmmaker who died in 1970 by helicopter crash in Iran
Annual art auction at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver to feature works by 90 different artists, spanning Dana Claxton, Douglas Coupland, Andy Dixon, and beyond
Free three-day festival offers visitors an insider’s look into the practices of more than 300 artists across North Vancouver and West Vancouver
Solo interdisciplinary exhibition depicts 1970s and ’80s farmworker movements with stop-motion animation, black-and-white drawings, hand-stitched quilts, and poetry
Five shortlisted artists vying for the $25,000 prize announced
Unforeseen price escalation prompts gallery to issue an update on the project’s progress
Major works by local and international artists—including Beau Dick, Teresita Fernández, Geoffrey Farmer, and Ron Terada—have been added to the gallery’s permanent collection
Artists Amai Campbell-Kamangirira, Willie Lewis, and Marion Jacobs will expand on their works in the exhibition with curator Damara Jacobs-Petersen
Multimedia performance produced by Liquidation World under creative direction of Katayoon Yousefbigloo features a Resort clothing collection designed by artists
q̓emxwéqsem (to tie a knot at the end of your thread) is a new exhibition at Craft Council of B.C. until September 26
Copresentation with Surrey Art Gallery and Powell Street Festival unpacks Tsang’s Hastings Park and Tansy Point exhibitions, the basis for his new catalogue
The self-guided stroll at Spanish Banks’ tidal flats begins at a site-responsive installation, and comes with an eight-page zine
Group exhibition spans paintings, drawings, ceramic sculptures, and more
In a sanctuary of arresting self-portraits at the Polygon Gallery, photography artist Martine Gutierrez plays with identity as she transforms into figures like Mary, Cleopatra, and Lady Godiva
Exhibit created by MONOVA: Museum and Archives of North Vancouver explores life and legacy of late Tsleil-Waututh actor, author, musician, poet, activist, environmentalist, and First Nations advocate
From flamenco dance to zine-making, there are hands-on sessions for people of all artistic levels
Collection presented by the Craft Council of BC draws inspiration from court-lady tomb figures made during the Tang Dynasty in China
Esther Rausenberg reflects on the festival’s origins as it diversifies its outdoor arts-workshop programming with concerts, a beer garden, and more
Filipina-Australian artist Bhenji Ra’s first solo exhibition in Canada, made in collaboration with a Tausug elder, documents a process of ancestral learning
The artist will carve a story pole at the entrance to SLCC’s Great Hall
The Erickson family and the Arthur Erickson Foundation announce AE100, 12 months of films, exhibits, lectures, and more, launching July 7
Guests get an exclusive tour of Tom Thomson: North Star exhibition followed by an al fresco dinner on-site by Fairmont Chateau Whistler
Opening at East Van’s Outsiders and Others gallery on July 6, exhibit features sculptures crafted to look like timeworn found objects
A kickoff party, film screening, architecture lecture, and concert are all part of the annual celebration of West Coast Modernism
The largest retrospective of the iconic Canadian artist’s works to date features 133 paintings
Selections from the gallery’s permanent collection and loaned artworks explore the concept of the future through dystopian and utopian ideals