Hello, and Happy New Year! As we enter 2010 we're preparing for another exciting year of programming, starting with the opening reception for Arthur Renwick, Mask on Thursday, January 28. Renwick's work has been getting a lot of attention, nationally and internationally. In fact, the first instalment of this series was purchased by the National Gallery of Canada in 2008, and was recently shown in Paris, with another show coming up in New York later this year. The Richmond Art Gallery exhibition is presented with the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad and with the support of the City of Richmond and is our contribution to the cultural programming that forms one of the key components to the Olympic celebrations.

As you likely know by now, the Richmond Art Gallery is located in the Richmond O Zone. As a result the Gallery will have special hours - in the late afternoon of Tuesday, February 9, more than 70 torchbearers will carry the Olympic flame through Richmond and into the Richmond O Zone for a special ceremony. The evening features live entertainment on the main stage, fireworks and more. The gates open at 5 pm and the Gallery will stay open until 9 pm that evening (for more information about the Richmond Olympic celebrations please visit www.richmondozone.ca).

From Friday, February 12 through Sunday, February 28, the Gallery will be open Monday to Friday: 10 am to 2 pm and 3 pm to 9 pm. On Weekends the Gallery will be open from Noon to 9 pm. There will be no parking available in the O Zone so we suggest either having someone drop you off or public transit. Arthur Renwick, Mask will continue until April 4 - I look forward to seeing you at the Gallery!
Lynn Beavis.

Arthur Renwick Mask
29 January - 4 April

Presented with Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad

Opening Reception:
Thursday, 28 January, 7 - 9 pm

The Richmond Centre has graciously made parking available in the south parkade (by Sears) for those attending the Renwick exhibition reception. Please note, in order to avoid receiving a ticket, please place your exhibition invitation card on the dashboard of your car. This applies for the evening of January 28, 7-9 pm only.

2010 at the Richmond Art Gallery begins with an exhibition of photographic work by First Nations artist, Arthur Renwick. Originally from Kitimat and now based in Toronto, Renwick's recent work has been garnering a lot of attention nationally and internationally. Mask is a group of portraits of First Nations artist from various disciplines. Renwick spoke at length with each artist about the complex relationship between representation and First Nations people. The results are larger than life-sized portraits of people "pulling face" as they look back through the lens in response to that history.

Arthur Renwick, Carla, 2006, colour photograph

Tony Yin Tak Chu
12 January to 16 March
2nd level of the Gateway Theatre

This local artist's solo exhibition, entitled Wine, Coffee and Black, is on display at the Gateway Theatre from January 12 to March 16, and features a selection of new paper drawings from his Mountain and Rivers series.

Tony Yin Tak Chu, Untitled 32, 2009, mixed media drawing

During the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, the Gallery is hosting a two-week Aboriginal Youth Mentorship Project. The City of Richmond was awarded funding from VANOC for the project which has two components: to commission a permanent artwork by a First Nations artist to be installed in the Richmond Oval and for the selected artist to lead a project for First Nations youth.

The Richmond Art Gallery agreed to host the project during the O Zone celebrations at the Cultural Centre. After the Games the Gallery will receive further funding for subsequent workshops for First Nations youth in 2010. On the recommendation of Public Art Planner, Eric Fiss, Richmond City Council approved the selection of Sonny Assu for the project.

Wanda Koop and Gu Xiong were face to face in an animated discussion at Emily Carr University of Art & Design in November as part of the Gallery's programming. Led by Deborah Koenker who curated Koop's exhibition, Face to Face, Wanda and Gu exchanged ideas relating to the influences of each other's culture on their work. The audience was made up of students, teachers and the general public.

Also during Face to Face, Richmond Art Gallery partnered with the Vancouver Opera in presenting an Evening of Opera with an Asian Twist. Held in the round gallery with Koop's large paintings as a backdrop, guests were treated to a selection songs from the Opera's repertoire suited to the occasion. Afterward, guests were invited to a reception to meet the performers and Wanda Koop who generously gave all the guests copies of her exhibition catalogue. Praise from guests ranged from "fabulous" to "emotional" and "thrilling".

Special acknowledgements and thanks go to Stuart Olson who helped support the event and to Tom Lee for providing the baby grand piano. Thanks also to volunteers and staff who worked to make this a wonderful event.

December 16, 2009 was the last monthly ATC Trading Session at the Gallery. As attendance at the monthly Trading Sessions dropped significantly over the past year, ATC Organizer Kathy Tycholis decided to end this program. Kathy would like to thank all of those who have attended ATCs at the RAG over the past 3 years, and who supported this program throughout its duration.

However, ATCs at the RAG will not disappear entirely. The Facebook group "ATCs at the RAG" is still active, and there is also the possibility of future Trading Sessions and Workshops taking place at the Gallery various times throughout the year. If you are interested in maintaining an Artist Trading Card community in Richmond, please send your feedback and ideas to Kathy at ktycholis@richmond.ca