 | Sunday, June 06, 2021 | |  | Sunday, June 06, 2021 | | Hi, art lovers! | | | It’s no match for a real live grad exhibition. Some worldly pleasures, like prosecco and soggy Ritz crackers, can only be truly relished in person. Still, I’d invite you to check out Class of 2021, a sort of digital exhibition we produced this past week. It celebrates some of the outstanding photographic work coming out of art programs across Canada, and in compiling interviews for the project, I was struck by the adaptability of all the folks involved. In a roundabout way, remote classes freed several of them to explore ideas and techniques they’d never have had the chance to otherwise. Have a look, and once you do, let us know if you’d like to see us do something similar next year, even if we’ve (fingers crossed) put the lockdown era behind us.
I should mention that the Class of 2021 piece features a mere 13 students and that we asked faculty to select each one. There is, obviously, heaps more talent to discover, and most schools have virtual grad shows of their own. Links to several are scattered throughout the article, but I’ll resurface them here. Scroll through these sites, and consider the rest of your Sunday accounted for: Yukon School of Visual Arts; Mount Allison University; Alberta University of the Arts; NSCAD University (which is also showcasing grad work on Instagram); Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland (Carrying Wait), OCAD University (GradEx), Simon Fraser University (Supercharged), University of Victoria (The End), Ryerson University (Maximum Exposure), Sheridan College (Gradwork), Emily Carr University of Art + Design (The Show). | | | | | And because we promised you eye candy ... | | |  | @nalakwsis/Instagram | Perhaps you’ve already been arrested by this powerful image. It’s part of a series that appeared on Instagram last week, created in response to the horrific discovery at the former site of Kamloops Indian Residential School. The creator is Nalakwsis, a two-spirit Cree artist based in Whapmagoostui, Que. From their caption: “215 waspishooyans to wrap babies.” | | | | |  | @_________moises/Instagram | | This time last year, artists converged on Toronto’s Graffiti Alley for Paint the City Black. And as of today (June 6), you can buy a photo book that documents that moment. All proceeds benefit the Nia Centre for the Arts. (Moises Frank did this mural of Zianna Oliphant for Paint the City Black.) | | | | |  | Shary Boyle | | You’re looking at White Elephant, a nine-foot animatronic sculpture by Shary Boyle. Commissioned by CAFKA Biennial, the piece confronts Canada’s history of white supremacy and colonialism, and while details on how and when to view the work are TBA, there are related readings available here and on Instagram. | | | | |  | CBC Arts | | | | | This is your reminder to finally look at the tab you opened five minutes ago. Explore work by 13 emerging artists from schools around the country. | | | | |  | | Solana Cain | | | | | Award-winning artist and curator Anique Jordan is this month’s Black Light columnist, and in this essay, she reflects on an extraordinary moment in public art. In Toronto, many powerful projects have been led by Black creators who reject a return to the pre-pandemic “normal.” As Anique writes, these artists have a radical vision for transformation. | | | | |  | Inside Out | | | | | There’s a new documentary about that project, and it closed the Inside Out film festival yesterday. Read about how it was made. | | | | |  | @fat.bird.weaving/Instagram | | June is National Indigenous History Month and Pride, and to celebrate, two-spirit Mi'kmaw artist Sarah Hannon created this stunning CBC gem. Read more about the design and hear why Sarah began beading. As Sarah told us, “It was one of the smartest choices I've ever made. It's put me in connection with Indigenous people all over the world." | | | | | Share this newsletter | | or subscribe if this was
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I’m Leah Collins, senior writer at CBC Arts. Until next time! | | | | | |
