Looking Back

Rose-Mary "Mike" Roscoe.

It is with sadness that the Richmond Art Gallery acknowledges the passing of long time volunteer and friend of the Gallery, Rose-Mary “Mike” Roscoe. Mike Roscoe along with a group of dedicated individuals were instrumental in forming the volunteer Exhibition Committee of the Richmond Art Gallery in 1980. Working with the Gallery’s first Director, Page Hope-Smith, the committee assisted in hanging exhibitions every two weeks. Mike stayed actively involved with the Exhibition Committee until this year, volunteering over 25 years of her time and talent.

Mike was a great advocate for the arts and her dedication and chutzpah will be sorely missed.

Please visit the Notice for Rose-Mary "Mike" Roscoe.
http://www.legacy.com/Link.asp?Id=LS19802977X

RAG Attendants Return following Summer Closure

The RAG was delighted to announce that Gallery Attendants would return following the summer closure with the launch of the September exhibits.  The Attendants Program was established last year to be the face of the Gallery, assist with customer service and provide feedback to staff about visitor interaction.  Attendants greet visitors, guard the artwork, and promote gallery programs, exhibitions, publications, initiatives and successes.  They are in constant communication with Gallery staff and visitors;  they can properly direct any visitor query.  Introduce yourself the next time you visit the Gallery; ask questions; and most of all, utilize our wonderful RAG Attendants.  Their knowledge of, commitment to and support of the Richmond Art Gallery is both commendable and an asset.  Keep up the good work, Attendants!

Artist Trading Card (ATC) Exhibition

Artist Trading Card activities continue to grow at the Richmond Art Gallery!  October 25th marked the close of our first ATC exhibition which ended with a closing party and lively trading session.  Forty people were in attendance to trade with each other and the exhibition-participants from across Canada and the United States.  See the website for pictures and information about the exhibition http://www.richmondartgallery.org/atc-exhibition.php

Our trading sessions have drawn a diverse mix of traders from practicing artists and art educators to talented high school students and children.  Monthly trading sessions are held at the Gallery on the 4th Wednesday of each month from 5-6:30pm.   For more information about ATC's visit the Gallery's website at http://www.richmondartgallery.org/atc.php

Pro-D Day Workshop for Teachers  

We had a very successful Pro-D Day Workshop for Teachers on Friday, October 20, 2006.

Exhibiting artist June Yun led a morning workshop on the techniques of Chinese Brush Painting and Calligraphy to a group of Elementary and Secondary teachers from various school districts in the Lower Mainland.  RAG School Art Coordinator, Kathy Tycholis, led the afternoon session on incorporating ink paintings into the classroom, for a fun-filled day of viewing, discussing, and making art.

Exhibitions

Mirror Mirror: Self-Portraits
November 8 - December 14
Closing Party & Auction: Thursday, December 14, 6:30 - 8:30pm

For this fundraising exhibition the Richmond Art Gallery has invited its members to submit a small self-portrait to present a larger view of the creative community that supports the Gallery.

The self-portrait has been an important tool for artists since the introduction of the mirror in the 15th century. Artists have been motivated to represent their own visage in diverse styles and media.

The exhibition will close with a silent auction and party on Thursday, December 14, 2006. This will be a festive evening filled with delicious food, wonderful prizes and the ambient musical stylings of DJ 26. An interactive photographic area will give guests the opportunity to have their portrait taken in an artist-designed winter wonderland, complete with fun props for posing. The silent auction will provide patrons with a great opportunity to purchase original artwork by artists from the Lower Mainland.

Permanent Collection Exhibition
December 19, 2006 - January 4, 2007

The Richmond Art Gallery is bringing it's first online exhibition into the Gallery! Phantasmagoria, a teen-curated project was launched on the Gallery's website this spring. To extend that project and introduce visitors to the Gallery's website and online exhibitions, we will be displaying the artwork in the Gallery from December 19 to January 4. Visit the website to learn about the exhibition and come see the works up close in the Gallery during the holiday season.

Outreach Exhibitions

Gateway Theatre Outreach Exhibits

November 21, 2006 - January 15, 2007
Alice Parmlee Rich, Feathers as Landscapes

Alice Rich's portraits of feathers honour and explore the nature of connectivity. These paintings are representations of feathers as they relate to and merge into the landscape scenes of which they are a part. The field of view attracts us to consider and reflect upon the singularity of the feather detail versus the environment as a whole.
Alice Parmlee Rich Press Release
Alice Parmlee Rich Biography

January 16 - March 19, 2007
Valerie Metz, Grave Matters

Through a series of Photoshop-altered colour photographs, Valerie Metz proves that "gravesites are living histories." With an avid interest in archaeology, evolution and urban development, Metz explores cultural change and historical truisms in a series that began with recording the graves of well known artists, musicians and writers.

Richmond City Hall Meeting Place Exhibits

January 9 - March 12, 2007
Michael Abraham, Not Bound by Realism

Michael Abraham's artwork explores human nature in all of its complex majesty. His formally composed paintings convey an awareness of the struggles of life balanced by an expressionistic depiction of awe and wonder. The artist aims to communicate hope, tolerance, and an awareness to an unfolding journey that is both personal and universal.

Publications

RAG Publications: Creative Holiday Gifts Made Easy

Wondering what holiday gift might ignite creativity and show how much you care?  Art Access offers a wide variety of publications, catalogues and brochures that are sure to intrigue, inspire and excite.  Visit the Art Access office in the Richmond Art Gallery and peruse the Gallery Copies of available publications for purchase.  Once you decide on the catalogue(s) you wish to take, the Cultural Centre Front Desk Attendant can process your sale with cash, cheque, debit, Visa, MasterCard, or American Express.  They have inventory of all RAG Publications including our newest addition, Painted Lives & Shifting Landscapes, looking at the work of art rental and sales artist Richard Tetrault.

http://www.richmondartgallery.org/publications.php

Painted Lives & Shifting Landscapes:
The Paintings, Prints & Murals of Richard Tetrault
by Richard Tetrault

Painted Lives & Shifting Landscapes showcases the artwork of Vancouver painter, printmaker and muralist Richard Tetrault. Tetrault's work explores universal themes of the figure and the urban landscape. From Berlin to Bangkok to Vancouver, his artwork revisits these themes over thirty years. His imagery is at its most direct in street drawings and paintings, more symbolic in monoprints and studio work, and most iconic in woodcuts and linocuts. While Tetrault's studio work reflects the urban setting, his murals are a direct attempt to influence the physical texture of the street. Numerous mural projects and collaborations bring the artist face-to-face with the edginess and the creative spirit of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

Commentary by Pamela Fairfield, Jim Green, Michael Harris, and Patrick Montgomery.

"one of Vancouver's most important living artists" -- Patrick Montgomery, Evergreen Cultural Centre

"Tetrault's murals don't replicate grim reality. Mind you, neither do they sanitize. Let us say, instead, these portraits of the city are both true and transformative." -- Vancouver Sun

"Tetrault's abilities as artist, mentor and friend bring the creative centres of the mural painters...to the bold and dignified exterior of the canvas." -- Pamela Fairfield, Curator, Interurban Gallery

School Art Program

Our very popular  Art Course for Elementary Teachers is preparing for a new session from January 16 - March 13, 2007.  If you're an educator, join us for 9 sessions of hands-on art activities you can take back to the classroom!  Designed for teachers of Grades K-7, this fun course is a must for those wanting to incorporate more art activities into their classes. 

Generously co-sponsored by the Richmond School District, Richmond teachers are reimbursed 50% of the course fee by the RSD. 

For more information on the course or how to register, visit the Gallery's website: http://www.richmondartgallery.org/artcourseforteachers.php

For Seniors, Adults and Kids

RAG Cultural Tours

East Side Culture Crawl
The eastside culture crawl is an annual 3-day November show and sale that involves artists who live on the East Side of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in an area bounded by Main Street, 1st Avenue, Commercial Drive, and the Waterfront. Saturday, November 25, 11am to 5pm. Tour cost: $38/person or $72/both tours (over 10% savings).

Thank you

Thank you - Sponsors, Donors and Partners!

The Richmond Art Gallery thanks Sue Mancini and United Carpet on Bridgeport Road in Richmond for their donation of carpet squares to our School Art Program.  The Gallery's floors were recently refinished to a beautiful polished concrete and we needed mats for the students to sit on when they come to visit for a tour and workshop. Thank you United Carpet for your support!