In a normal year, the Godfrey Dean Art Gallery would be putting out a call for entries for their Landscape and Memory show, an annual showcase of the work of local artists. This is not a normal year, of course, but just because the gallery is closed doesn’t mean they can’t showcase art. They have moved it online, and local artists will have their work featured on the gallery’s Facebook page.
Don Stein, Executive Director of the Godfrey Dean Art Gallery, said it was the idea of Kelly Litzenberger, gallery manager, who was ahead of the curve in proposing doing an online art show. Stein said that while there are a number of art galleries making virtual shows and tours in the wake of COVID-19 – including the Slate Gallery in Regina and the Art Galleries of North Battleford, which put up a “Drive By Art” call for entries the day after the Godfrey Dean’s call for Landscape and Memory entries - the Godfrey Dean was putting together their online show first.
The gallery had a strong response off the bat, with the first entry coming a mere 15 minutes after the call to entries was posted. They are now posting a different entry daily, and Stein said they have had a strong response already.
“The response was terrific, we’ve got over 40 entries now.”
Going online has meant that work can connect to people, and Stein can see this becoming a permanent part of their programming in the future, as it’s a great way to get local artists into the public eye.
“You get that connection to the local community. You get that chance to show your work, which is really important for an artist to find an audience. Because of our approach of posting fresh work every day, there’s a reason to keep coming back to look at it. I know a lot of the artists who had their work posted are thrilled, because maybe they’ve been shy about posting it, or it’s not the kind of work they can frame and hang on a wall... They’ve sent in one or two pieces, and there has been this response, and people are loving their work.”
It also means that some work which would be difficult to exhibit in a gallery setting can be shown. The first entry, painted on saws, can be difficult to display in the gallery, Stein said, but are easy to display online. Another example is edible art, with someone making art out of bread and vegetables.
“It turned out fantastic, so he photographed it and we encouraged him to send it in. Sure enough, you would have no idea that it wasn’t a really funky painting when you look at it.”
One of the advantages of doing an online show can be found for photographers and digital artists, who don’t have to create prints to enter.
“In spite of our best efforts, the physical world still presents a barrier to those people who don’t create physical objects. So this opens up the opportunity to celebrate and connect to an audience.”
Stein can see the online part of the gallery being an addition to their programming, and he said a potential application is including a big screen at the art gallery to showcase the digital work. Once the world is back to normal, Stein sees them as complimenting each other.
“At the end of the day, we’re an art gallery, and the art gallery experience is something that you can’t reproduce digitally. Being there and experiencing a painting, or a sculpture or a beautiful object, you just can’t replicate that. But I think what this is showing is that a gallery in turn can’t replicate the immediacy, the vibrance and the luminous quality of the digital stuff. It’s really turning up some possibilities.”
Stein said that the arts are what are keeping people going as they are in quarantine. Activities like reading, watching film and television, touring virtual galleries and doing art projects with your family are proof of the importance of art in our lives. Whether creating art or consuming it, Stein said that this is a reminder of how arts and culture are important for our mental health and wellbeing.
“What would you be doing at home if there were no artists? I think of this as a good time for artists to shine... That creativity we are inviting everybody to take part in, that is what nourishes you when you take away all of the distractions of our daily lives.”
Check it out at facebook.com/godfreydeanartgallery.
