Art installations ‘pop up’ downtown
MacKenzie gallery’s project brings part of its vast collection outdoors
To Timothy Long, it’s fitting that the alluring painting of a “mysterious woman,” created by a pioneering female artist, should be one of the pop-up art installations outside a downtown Regina club formerly closed to women.
The reproduction of Black and Gold, by artist Marion Long (no relation to Timothy), has been erected on Victoria Avenue outside the Assiniboia Club, a gentleman’sonly club until 1988.
Timothy Long, head curator of the MacKenzie Art Gallery, spoke about the painting Friday as he led a walking tour of the newest additions in the “art{outside}” project. An unveiling of one piece also marked the start of Culture Days, a three-day celebration of the arts in various forms — from teepee building and guitar jams, to storytelling and steamroller printmaking. Running Friday to Sunday, some 40 free events are planned for the city.
The art{outside} installations will remain long after the weekend. Launched last September with seven high-quality reproductions from the MacKenzie’s permanent collection, the works are installed around the downtown. Now five more have been added, with works by Colleen Cutschall, David Garneau, Arthur McKay, Mary Pratt, as well as the Marion Long piece.
The other newest pieces are located on the east side of Victoria Park, 1800 block of Cornwall Street, in Wascana Park next to the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, and on the 2100 block of Lorne Street. Last year’s works will also remain on view for another year.
With some 4,500 works in the MacKenzie’s collection, Long admits the choice about which ones to reproduce for the project was a challenge. In addition to wanting a range of styles and artists, he also looked for those that have “an immediate impact.”
“And then I also thought about the relationship to the sights — and that’s where the real fun happens,” said Long. “Some of the connections you plan; some just happen.”
McKay’s 1961 Effulgent Image is at home on the southeast corner of Victoria Park, on a path between the bar at the Hotel Saskatchewan and the Copper Kettle restaurant — favourite haunts of the Regina Five artist. “They were a group of young artists who really set the community on fire,” added Long. McKay’s tools for the painting were Masonite board and a scraper.
“The results were unanticipated but magic,” said Long.
And on the 1800 block of Cornwall Street, where flags wave in the wind outside the Legion building, a new flag graces a breathtaking blue sky a few feet away. Titled Metis Flag/Flower, the 2009 oil on canvas painting by David Garneau depicts a flowing Metis flag, reminiscent of a lily, that he spotted at Batoche.
The works in the art{outside} pieces are digital copies of the originals. Long said Garneau’s painting was the most difficult to reproduce, requiring some 30 tests to capture its stunning blues.
“It’s a very wonderful image,” said Long.
The art{outside} project is the result of a collaboration between the gallery and the Regina Downtown Business Improvement District.