Skip to content

Ancient art at Godrey Dean

The Godfrey Dean Gallery is hosting a show which afford local people to see pieces of ancient art up close. "It's one (a show) with some interesting little items," said Gallery manager Don Stein.

The Godfrey Dean Gallery is hosting a show which afford local people to see pieces of ancient art up close.

"It's one (a show) with some interesting little items," said Gallery manager Don Stein. "It's a really great touring show from the MacKenzie (Art Gallery)."

The show, entitled Captured: A Look at Portraiture, focuses on various artistic interpretations of portrait art.

"The works are from the MacKenzie's permanent collection," said Stein, adding the show encompasses " A very broad range of portraits."

Overall, Stein said the show is one with broad general appeal because people will "recognize it all, will be very familiar with it."

That said Stein said the curator Michelle LaVallee, "added a few very unusual touches we don't think of as portraits."

There is a piece from 1971 by artist Joyce Wieland of a series of lips.

"There's no face in that one at all," said Stein, and it reflects " a really 70s sort of thing."

A particularly interesting piece in the show is an Egyptian sculpture in black basalt stone dated 664-525 BC. It is a piece representing Amass lind-khem-ab-ra.

Stein said while today Prime Ministers and Mayors may have portraits done, in the Egyptian age would have a sculpture done.

A Greco-Roman relief of a man, undated is also in the show.

Stein said the piece is thought to date from 100 AD to 200 BC.

The pieces were collected by Norman MacKenzie who made the initial donation which started the Regina gallery.

Having the ancient pieces in Yorkton is quite special, said Stein, adding it is not often people can see and appreciate 2,000-year-old art in the city.

Stein said that is the great thing about the MacKenzie doing touring shows.

"When else would 2,000 year-old pieces come to my gallery, if not through a tour like this?" he asked.

The Godfrey Dean is also hosting Conservatory by Ruth Chambers in its small gallery space.

"It's super delicate suspended columns of porcelain clay," said Stein. "It's sort of an installation, but it's one big sculpture."

The sculpture is one which allows people to walk within the piece.

Stein said the piece, by the Regina artist, is actually part of a series dealing with clay as a medium.

"It's kind of the next in a series of ceramic shows," he said, noting earlier ones dealt with clay pieces from old wood-fired kilns, and the ceramic vases which encompassed the family history of artist Jeannie Mah.