Just got a fun couple of pics by email from Urban Repair Squad, a sustainable-transport intervention group that was most recently included in Actions, a major survey of urban-activisty art at the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal. In the past, URS has done stuff like paint their own official-looking bike lanes and replace subway info about bicycles to more friendly formats. It appears URS was also busy this weekend on a more symbolic front. It changed the "welcome to Toronto" symbol carved in greenery along the city's multilane Gardiner Expressway to include a nod to pedestrians and cyclists.
Before:
After: 
Though the garden-billboard was restored to its original state today by city staff, the symbols were up for a good 48 hours. Says the squad: ""This is an Easter present from the Urban Repair Squad to the City of Toronto and all its residents.
Happy Easter!"
Monday, April 13, 2009
Garden Graffiti: The Urban Repair Squad Strikes Again
Saturday, April 11, 2009
At the Galleries: Harbourfront
Toronto's waterfront was recently named among the worst in the world, apparently. I would beg to differ. Though it needs a lot of improvement, the galleries down there are always worth checking out. Today the National Post published my to-see picks for the nabe. Read on here.
Image of a (nice looking) part of Toronto's waterfront from the City of Toronto
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Holy Canadian Arts News, Batman!
The past couple of days seem to have yielded a bumper crop of Canadian art headlines. Here ye be:
The Ontario government gives a surprise $43 mil to some cultural institutions. The Art Gallery of Ontario and the Royal Ontario Museum get the biggest boosts -- does this mean the AGO will be rehiring the folks they just laid off? That the ROM will drop its $22 admission fee? I'm watching, but doubtful.
The head of the National Gallery says they'll be running a public consultation on what to do with the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, which recently lost its leaky, if purpose-built, facility to government uses.
Palestinian leaders object to an upcoming, much-much-promoted exhibition of the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Royal Ontario Museum
The Art Gallery of Windsor puts out a call for funds, then rejected by Windsor City Council
Vancouver artist Liz Magor wins the $30,000 Audain prize for prominent BC artists. Deservedly, I say.
The Alberta government does away with the 8.5 mil lottery funds granting pool The Wild Rose Foundation
The Hope colour processor at the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design is retired for inkjet -- a nice look at the significance of these now-commonplace shifts
Image of the Dead Sea Scrolls from CBC.ca
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
When Being A Critic Means Making Your Education Public
Right now I'm repeating a phrase to myself that I was told by Mexican curator and critic Cuauhtémoc Medina: "Being a critic means making your education in public."
Being a critic means making your education in public. Being a critic means making your education in public.
I'm repeating this to myself because, well, something I blogged last year, and later regretted blogging about--because blogging is a form of professional writing, and I was treating it at the time as private--has been quoted in an Eye Weekly feature by Chandler Levack that's up online today and out in print tomorrow.
Ah well. The main piece of Levack's implication that I'd like to correct for the (seemingly undying) Internet record is this:
My policy is to refuse reviewing work by people I have a personal like or dislike of. Why? Because personal feelings of like or dislike either way will bias me in reviewing their work, and ultimately create a disservice to a reader who wants a relatively objective point of view about the work.
Also, for this reason, since becoming a full-time freelancer, I've cultivated professional rather than personal relationships with artists and curators.
Being a critic means making your education in public. Being a critic means making your education in public.
Yay! Today, I guess I'm a critic.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Weekend Links: AGO Layoffs, Montreal Curator Smackdown and More
Some newsy links from over the weekend:
The Art Gallery of Ontario announces layoffs just before their Massive Party fundraiser. Classy. The CBC says layoffs number 70, the Toronto Star says only 23. Union to respond today, apparently.
Montreal Curator Smackdown! The National Post reports that Quebec uber-curator Louise Dery does not approve of the celeb-oriented Yoko Ono/John Lennon exhibition just opened at the Montreal Museum of Fine Art. The show was led by MMFA head Natalie Bondil.
Hey guess what? After years of being lumped in with tourism, parks and recreation, Alberta culture actually has a separate ministry. FFWD has an interview with the new minister.
I'm late on this news, but AGYU curator Michael Maranda released a "Waging Culture" report last week that confirms artists barely make a living. Gabby Moser has some comments on whether day jobs might actually be a good thing. The Star offers report highlights.
Toronto city government hasn't let the recession cut their arts spending; they've increased it by 2%. The Star reports.
The Images Festival kicked off in Toronto this week -- Jason Anderson reviewed one piece for Artforum.com. Local media reports here here here and here.
Murray Whyte at the Star talks new native art as a related show, Remix, opens at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Image of "Imagine Peace" bed-in redo in Montreal from the National Post
Friday, April 3, 2009
Q&A: Melanie Authier
Melanie Authier is a rising Canadian painting talent who's managed to make a go of it, even in this poor economy. Today the National Post runs my interview with her on zebras, process and the picturesque. Read on here for the full details, and here on her website for more images.
Image of Melanie Authier's Channelize 2009 from her website
Thursday, April 2, 2009
GG Awards show in Review @ Canadianart.ca
The GGs are one of Canada's biggest publicly funded arts awards. But does the related exhibition measure up to the prestige? Not so much, as I reveal in a review published today at Canadianart.ca. What think you?
Image of our 2009 GG award winners from Canadianart.ca
