Tag Archives: art galleries

FLY RECOMMENDS…..

As the art world winds down its year, FLY has found some great shows in Toronto that she recommends you do not miss.

First off is a double show at the Paul Petro Contemporary Art Gallery located at 980 Queen St West in downtown Toronto. First is Shell Sounding Long – Boring Earth running November 15 to December 21st, with the opening reception in Nov 15th 7-10pm. Artists are an earth-based collective concerned with building more-than-human mutualisms and relations among living environments. It’s a collaboration between Patrick Cruz and Laila Fox, and a slippery roster of rocky, watery, animal, vegetal, and bacterial bodies. Details on website, linked below.Running at the same time is Za zay gaa mitig by Michel Dumont. Za zay gaa mitig is Ojibway for “decorated tree”. Pictured below are his forget-me-not mosaic ornaments. The motif is inspired by Métis and Ojibway florals that make up the flora of the Robinson Treaty area. The exhibition will morph into a grouping of allies and familiars come the opening of the galley’s Christmas Spice on November 29.Paul Petro Contemporary Art has been exhibiting Canadian and international artists by invitation since 1993, and has become a stalwart of the Queen Street West arts & culture community. Paul has an extensive curatorial background and takes great care in presenting shows that provoke, intrigue and engage. Details of present and future shows + artists represented: www.paulpetro.com

TORONTO’S BLUE CROW GALLERY ON THE MOVE TO A BRAND NEW SPACE IN APRIL

FLY was saddened to learn of the impending closure of one of Toronto’s finest indie art galleries, BLUE CROW GALLERY,  that is, until the announcement came that they had secured a new location in the same neighbourhood, and the move and re-opening will take place in the spring…yaaay!! FLY reached out to gallery owner, JODI WHEELER, and asked her to fill us in on the exciting new adventures for her gallery….

Jodi, Blue Crow is in the middle of a big move to a new location. What caused this move?  Sadly, we are having to move after our current landlord told us they would be raising our rent nearly double the rent we were paying and it was just not going to be feasible. We tried to negotiate and they were not willing to budge. Our options became move or close. We were lucky to find another storefront close by that would work for our gallery staying in the neighbourhood. This was vital for our art school and clients. Blue Crow has been a leading light in Toronto’s indie gallery scene for seven going on eight years – how was the gallery received by artists and art lovers when you opened?  I’ve been working in Toronto with artists and in galleries for 24 years now so when I started I had lots of artist friends in the community who were extremely supportive and eager to work with me here at Blue Crow. Since opening, the gallery has been lucky to get to work with so many amazing Canadian artists.  I think the artist community was excited to have a new gallery in the city carrying fun contemporary and emerging work in a space that was very inviting.  Our clients love being able to come and shop for local art and crafts at affordable prices. The east end community has loved having Blue Crow in the area and it has been a wonderful addition to Gerrard St.

And how has the gallery grown over the years with artist support, classes on offer, in-home consultations, special events, etc.? Blue Crow has become “a community” and not just a set of walls on which to hang art, hasn’t it?   We’ve grown so much, and the following for our gallery always fills my heart and surprises me how much we are loved by this city and beyond.  What started out as a dream has been brought to reality and wow it has been a ride.  Our art school started out small and now has full classes every day of the week.  Our adult workshops have been a big draw for fellow artists and creatives as well as others just looking to enjoy a fun afternoon creating in the studio.  Even our summer camps have really grown over the years and are now such a special part of our studio program.  The art events we host are always well attended and lots of fun.  Before Covid, these parties were booming and I’m sure with time this will grow again too.  The joy of our gallery really does go beyond just the gorgeous art on our walls. We will try to find our footing in the new smaller space and bring a new energy to our gallery, and I’m sure it will be wonderful in a whole new way.  This community has been so wonderful and their kindness and support has been overwhelming since announcing the move.Your new gallery is pretty close by so thankfully you’ll remain in the neighbourhood – can you share where the new location is, and will you still offer all the classes and workshops?  Yes, of course – 1330 Gerrard St E will be our new location.  We will be setting up there and fixing the space before we fully move over in April.  We’ll still have all the wonderful classes, camps and workshops to offer in the new location.  Registration for our summer art camps is on line now.  It will be different, as change always is, but it will still be filled with the amazing art, talent and our awesome team that you have come to know and we will just bring all that joy into the new gallery.

Are you looking to increase the number of artists you showcase, and if so, how do artists submit their work for consideration?  It will take us some time to find out how we fit things into the new gallery the way we like and then we will open back up to new artists.  We’re going to expand our online platform, too, with more work on our website once we have the new location.  Our gallery accepts artist applications for review through our website.  At this time, we are busy moving and won’t be reviewing any new work until after the summer.  This year, sadly, we will not be hosting our annual summer group show that features 107 Canadian artists each year.  We’ll try to host it next year once we’re settled in, so keep following for that news in future. (Pictured below, the fabulous Blue Crow team….)Thanks everyone for all of your love and support and we hope you will fly down the street in the spring and check out the new nest…I mean gallery :>) Jodi Wheeler, Blue Crow Gallery

Lean more about the gallery and its artists: https://www.bluecrowgallery.com/
And follow Jodi and the team on social media: https://www.instagram.com/bluecrowgallery

So, Jodi, good luck with the move and the grand opening on Gerrard in April. FLY will be there to report on all the festivities!

ART TORONTO TAKES PLACE THIS WEEKEND @ METRO TORONTO CONVENTION CENTRE

FLY attended the opening night of the annual ART TORONTO, featuring Canadian and int’l galleries and artists, and found lots of exciting contemporary artworks exhibited, as well as discovering some new galleries and arts initiatives. The show runs until end of day Sunday Oct.30 – click on their website for details and tickets: https://arttoronto.ca/home/The first booth FLY visited was the Art Gallery of Hamilton (above & below) with their striking display and lots of information and merchandise. The ladies were welcoming and eager to share their knowledge of the gallery’s current, past and future shows. www.artgalleryofhamilton.comImmediately to the left, you’ll find an aisle displaying books and materials available from the arts bookstores and I found these two lovely people representing The Power Plant which is currently celebrating 35yrs – check out the line-up of FREE exhibition tours and other events happening through to December: www.thepowerplant.org

Love the cool kids of Floating Point Gallery! They have been very active on social media promoting their participation in this year’s Art Toronto. It’s good to see galleries being active on the ‘net, supporting their artists and activities. Bravo, team Floating Point. https://floatingpointgallery.com/
And speaking of cool…FLY walked into lead sponsor Infiniti‘s booth to view a unique hanging installation by world-renowned conceptual artist Michael Murphy. The Next Contemporary gallery offered several paintings and sculptures but these two (below) particularly caught FLY’s eyes. The gallery is located on Dupont Street so go visit after the weekend’s show. www.thenextcontemporary.com 
Meet Monica Reyes, Director of the Monica Reyes Gallery in Vancouver. The elegance of the lady is reflected in the art she exhibits…the booth displayed a wide range of contemporary works including the backlit colourful panels that would illuminate any wall or room. www.monicareyesgallery.comThe booth that really blew FLY away was www.RochemontProjects.com exhibition of Ghana-based artists with these stunning HUGE canvases depicting “Material Memories” (see description below), curated by Ashley McKenzie-Barnes. You cannot walk past this large booth without stopping…the images are haunting, engaging and intriguing. FLY wasn’t too sure about the squished gold Jaguar in the middle of the lounge but being a devoted Jag lover, she had to stop and stare….Who doesn’t love a cute Barbie? How about this sexy cowgirl Barbie (below) by Maggie Hall? Check out her pop-art at: www.lovemaggiehall.comFLY enjoyed chatting with reps from 2 arts magazines: Border Crossings and C-Mag, both of which support Canadian contemporary artists and galleries. Check them out yourselves. www.bordercrossingsmag.com  and  www.cmagazine.com So many fabulous works on show – here’s just a sample…including those fabulous painted bowling pin Elvises (or is it Elvai?) Rocky LaRock shares his N.W. Pacific coast cultural imagery with these jaw-dropping carvings…his profile is below.  FLY then ran into Napoleon…....and viewing Napoleon at the same time was an enthusiastic art lover, Glen, who introduced FLY to his colleagues from the Portrait Gallery of Canada (based in Ottawa), a newly formed organization looking to promote portrait photography or paintings of everyday Canadians – every face tells a story and there are millions of faces/stories out there waiting to be gathered and shared. Here’s Glen (below R) with artist Max Dean (L) who was participating in the pick-a-hat, pose-for-a-photo and create-your-own-portrait initiative. What fun!It was lovely to meet Portrait Gallery of Canada’s Exec. Director Robert Steven (C), along with Board Member Christine Sadler (L) and artist Darlene Cole (R).FLY is looking forward to supporting the endeavours of www.portraitcanada.ca

Before leaving the show, FLY had to buzz around the aisles to find one of her favourite Toronto galleries – the Sandra Ainsley Gallery and she was not disappointed. Sandra herself was there and gave FLY a tour of the stunning art glass sculptures on display. You MUST visit her gallery in person to see the magnificent works from her represented artists. https://sandraainsleygallery.com/  Below are the latest pieces from South Australian Clare Belfrage Sandra showed FLY the innovative glass panels from renowned glassmaker Dale Chihuly – turned off the panels look one way then flipping a switch to illuminate, they look completely different colours. WOW! FLY also got to meet the charming Susan Edgerley who created this delicate glass floating sculpture – looks like clouds – and when you brush the wires or individual pieces, it jingles melodically.Thanks so much for the mini-tour, Sandra!So much more to dazzle and inspire at the show so please visit Art Toronto this weekend. Big THANK YOU to Michael Usling and his team for the media pass. Good luck with the weekend.

Tickets online or at the door – check the website for daily events and activities, as well as for tickets: https://arttoronto.ca/home/

 

 

FLY VISITS COLLECTIVE 131 GALLERY TO SAY HI TO ARTIST MARK J. GLEBERZON

If you’re strolling through the mall under Holt Renfrew on Bloor Street W, Toronto, do drop in to say hello to the artists whose work is on show at the Collective 131 gallery opposite the lower level Holts entrance. One of them will be there to guide you through the collection and perhaps introduce you to new works that would look perfect in your home or office. Mark  Gleberzon (pictured above) was at the helm the day FLY dropped in and he was hard at work completing more small works for his upcoming US shows. Mark loves creating unique artworks from beautiful Barbie and Marilyn photos, as well as other pop art subjects. Other artists include Morgan Jones, Vanessa Drew, Amey Lai, Todd Monk, Kari Serrao, Adrienne Jackson and J&J Photo Art. There’s a stunning, impactful portrait of Biggy Smalls for the hippest of art collectors….as well as fun works for the comic book hero in all of us!There are works for all contemporary art lovers….…and FLY was intrigued with the soft, fluffy toques and greeting cards for those lacking in wall space!FLY gives Collective 131 Gallery 4 wings up! You can find the artists at 50 Bloor St West, lower level.

TORONTO’S GALLERIES ARE RE-OPENING AND HOSTING SOCIALLY-DISTANCED SHOWS

Finally….galleries are open for business here in Toronto. From large public galleries to small indie showrooms and outdoor art exhibitions, painters, sculptors and photographers now have venues in which to exhibit their art and FLY will be visiting them throughout the coming months to bring you stories from the walls.Throughout the pandemic, artists of all genres have struggled to navigate the many online platforms that put their work in front of art-lovers, dealing with the challenges of spatial perception, true colours & textures and that all important one-on-one experience with potential buyers and collectors. Facebook, Instagram, event Tik-Tok have hosted “virtual galleries” but without targeted marketing and promotions just to get people to click on to artists’ sites, it’s been a battle esp. for those who are technically challenged.

FLY hopes to continue to support upcoming gallery re-openings, indie artist shows and special events in Toronto and surrounding cities.