Original collections on display at Art Gallery

Krysta Telenko said she is proud of what art treasures lay in the storerooms of the Art Gallery of Sudbury.

That is why the curator has brought 91 pieces out of the vaults from a collection of 2,000 original art pieces, as part of the Sudbury Selections exhibition.

“It is so nice to get them out for the public to see,” Telenko said. “The Art Gallery is a great resource for people and it is right in all our backyards.”

The gallery, located at 251 John St., has been bringing out works from storage since 2003.

As part of a fundraising effort for the gallery, Sudburians were invited to donate $100 per piece to have their favourite stored paintings or other art displayed until Jan. 3.

Works on display include paintings from the gallery’s collection of Group of Seven landscape artists, including Tom Thomson, A.Y. Jackson and Franklin Carmichael.

“We have 20 pieces in the gallery collection from all of the Group of Seven except for Lauren Harris,” she noted. “We also have works from several of their contemporaries, such as Charles Goldhammer.”

The untitled Carmichael watercolour on canvas, depicting La Cloche landscape, has never been seen before by the Sudbury public, Telenko said. It was sponsored by Colleen Gordon-Boyce and David Boyce.

Another work by Norval Morrisseau, demonstrates the Woodland School of Painting by First Nations artists, the curator noted. It is on the second floor of the art gallery.

“On the first floor of the gallery, there are a lot of landscape pieces. They are very popular with the public. On the second floor there are more abstract creations,” Telenko said.

Works by Quebec artists are also located there, she said. “I expect they will be popular with our large francophone community here.”

The next exhibition, running from Jan. 9 to Feb. 28, includes the paintings of Ivan Wheale. According to Karen Tait-Peacock, director of the gallery, Wheale is internationally recognized and is a local artist. He is originally from England, but has resided in Sudbury, and now on Manitoulin Island.

“His retrospective exhibition of a 50-year career will include works, never on public display, loaned from several commercial and public galleries, as well as from private and corporate collections in Canada and the United States,” she said in a press release.

From March 4 to 28, the Art Gallery of Sudbury will host the annual Northern Ontario Arts Association Exhibit — an exhibit of up and coming artists in the annual secondary school exhibit — in both the upstairs and downstairs galleries.
The Art Gallery of Sudbury also has a shop where art from local artists can be bought, just in time for Christmas, said Sharon Preen, gallery shop administrator.

New this year are works by Ruth Reed (transparent watercolour), Gwen Cerette (textiles), Francis Light (wood turner), and Garth Wrensch (photography).

Membership at the Art Gallery of Sudbury is $40 for families, $25 for adults and $15 for seniors (65 and older) and students. Otherwise, daily admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students and seniors, and free for children under 12 years.

Memberships include free admission to other participating institutions, such as McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, north of Toronto, the Ottawa Art Gallery, the McMaster Museum of Art in Hamilton, and the Tom Thomson Art Gallery in Owen Sound. A number of galleries also give a 10 per cent discount in their shops.

There are also many art classes for adults and children. The gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

For more information, phone 675-4871 or visit www.artsudbury.ca