Last February I had the good fortune to visit the Austin Museum of Art. The exhibition at the time was a series of work by world-renowned artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, The Würth Museum Collection.
I found myself laughing quietly when another patron at the
gallery questioned, "Is this art?"
What she was referring to was a number of everyday items wrapped in fabric and tied in rope. Christo and Jeanne-Claude are famous for their installation work which includes wrapping or draping monolithic objects with fabric.
Their installations include wrapping the Reichstag in Berlin,
wrapping the sea coast in Little Bay, Australia, as well as
erecting The Gates-7,503 drapes of free-hanging saffron colored
fabric panels-throughout the walkways in Central Park, New York
City.
Their work is astounding. Yet on first sight it can seem
rather odd and hard to decipher.  Art can be like that.
Neutrinos They Are Very Small, an exhibition last fall at the
Art Gallery of Sudbury, was like that. A little hard to
understand on first sight, but when looked at closer, pondered,
and given time to sink in, the exhibition took on a really
interesting perspective.
A group of artists visited the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory,
and their visit prompted each of them to interpret what they
saw in their own unique way.
To some, this work was hard to understand. Some might have
even said, "Is this art?"  The role of an art gallery is
to offer its community the opportunity to visit unique and
sometimes experimental work. It is hoped that by exhibiting
installation pieces, nontraditional work, and other works that
sit outside the mainstream, people will have a chance to think
a little bit, have a discussion and create a dialogue. That is
one role of a gallery.
Of course, an art gallery has other roles to fill. At times
the gallery serves to offer the community a gift of simple
beauty. The current exhibition, simple bliss: The Paintings and
Prints of Mary Pratt, is just that; a gift of simple beauty.
Or is it?  These particular works of art are very easy to appreciate. They are stunningly beautiful renditions of comfortable, everyday items. Pratt's paintings are intricately executed still life renderings. The subject matter visits traditional arrangements of fruit and cake and other familiar objects. Then take a look at her prints made in collaboration with Japanese master print maker, Masato Arikushi. The process to create the prints is truly fascinating.
The familiar and traditional not-withstanding, this exhibit
still gives the viewer a chance to think; a chance to
ponder. 
How did the artist capture the perfect light to create that
magnified wet, juicy, fleshy fruit?  What is she trying to
say with the depiction of her subject matter?  Has Pratt's
role as mother, grandmother, daughter, wife, sister, aunt and
niece influenced her work? You decide. 
Even when art is easy, when art is simple, there is always an opportunity to look further because as we all know everything is not always as it seems. See you at the gallery.
Tamara Gagnon is the special projects co-ordindator for the Art Gallery of Sudbury.