Tree Takes a Parting Bow

It is tempting to muse on the metaphor of a parting bough, but likely the reader wants some quick information about Tree Literal and Figurative at the Chinese Cultural Centre Museum (Columbia and Pender) closing on Saturday, 05 April. The last day to see Connie Sabo's installation, Information and Impression, will be Saturday, 29 April; not to be missed.


During the exhibition, The Tree branched out to students from Britania Secondary and Lord Strathcona Elementary Schools who visited the On-Tak Gallery: tour facilitated by Pauline Doyle and art workshops with Phyllis Schwartz and Alison Keenan. Photography students from Britiannia spent two days in the classroom making Lumen prints. Students from Lord Strathcona Elementary spent three days drawing trees using untraditional mark making tools.

In our parting bow, we express our gratitude fir our extended and well received exhibition There are many people to thank: Toni Zhang McAfee, the Gallery Manager at the CCCM, Chu Yin Tak who connected the BestB4 Collective with the CCCM, Bryan Melvin for photodocumentation and many people who visited the exhibition. Copies of the exhibition catalogue are still available at the reception desk for $13, and after the exhibition closes, available from Blurb at a much higher cost.

Drawings made with mark making tools (Students from Lord Strathcona Elementary School)

Lumen Prints made from organic found materials near the CCCM (Students from Britannia Secondary School)

Out of the Mouth of Babes

As part of our BestB4 Residency at the Chinese Cultural Centre Museum (Vancouver) during the run of the  exhibition. Tree: Literal and Figurative, Pauline Doyle, Alison Keenan and Phyllis Schwartz welcomed students from Britannia Secondary School and Lord Strathcona Elementary School into the gallery and museum classrooms. Student from both schools were quickly engaged with the art work in the gallery and responded with perceptive and knowledgeable observations.

When standing in front of Anna Ruth's inverted graphite drawings of trees, they speculated on why the tree was installed with roots at the top of the drawing and leaves on the ground: perhaps forests were being destroyed or the artists wanted us to take a more careful look at the entire tree. Looking at Edward Peck's three large scale  photographs, their comments indicated that they had an instant understanding of the raw industries that make up the economy of British Columbia; they quickly made the connections between raw materials being converted into building materials, pulp and paper.

Pauline Doyle leads a discussion about Edward Peck's photographs

Students discussing Anna Ruth's inverted tree drawings

Artist Talk and Exhibition Catalogue Launch

Artists' Talk and  Exhibition Catalog Launch:

The Tree: Landscape, Culture and Identity

Join exhibiting artists in a conversation about their art making process and current exhibition at the Chinese Cultural Centre Museum.

Exhibiting artists include Ellen Bang, Chu Yin Tak, Pauline Doyle, Alison Keenan, Edward Peck, Anna Ruth, Connie Sabo, Phyllis Schwartz

Saturday January 25, 2014  2-4pm (Free and open to the public)

Exhibition through 18 February (Tuesdays FREE)

Chinese Cultural Centre Museum

555 Columbia Street, Vancouver, BC 

604.658.8880, 604.658.8883

cccmuseum@gmail.com

www.cccvan.com

Opening Soon — The Tree: Literal and Figurative

The tree evokes myriad myths and memories. In an exhibition curated by Alison Keenan and Phyllis Schwartz, eight mid-career international artists re-examine the mythologies and metaphorical elements of the tree.

Eight artists working in eight different media include the paintings of Alison Keenan, experimental photography by Phyllis Schwartz, drawings by Anna Ruth and Tony Chu Yin Tak, large scale photography by Edward Peck, ceramics by Pauline Doyle, felt sculpture by Ellen Bang and installation work by Connie Sabo.

11 January – 16 February 2014

Opening Reception: 11 January 2014 (2 – 4 pm FREE event)

Artist Talk and Book Launch: 25 January 2014 (2 – 4pm)

Curated by Alison Keenan and Phyllis Schwartz

Exhibiting Artists: Alison Keenan, Anna Ruth, Connie Sabo, Edward Peck, Ellen Bang, Pauline Doyle, Phyllis Schwartz, Tony Chu Yin Tak

Chinese Cultural Centre Museum, 555 Columbia Street, Vancouver, B.C. Canada (Tuesday – Sunday, 11 am – 5 pm, closed on Mondays and Holidays)

Mezzanine Gallery Exhibition

The winter exhibition of In Camera: the working dancer, a collaborative exhibition of painting, photography and sculpture by Alison Keenan and myself, opened Thursday, 22 November at the Mezzanine Gallery in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. The exhibition ran through 18 February 2013, and if you attended we would like to thank you. This exhibition was the result of the a season Alison Keenan and Phyllis Schwartz spent documenting five Ballet BC choreographic workshops during 2011-2012. Our work was in response to our observations of the working dancers confronting their own artistic boundaries. We are so appreciative of Artistic Director, Emily Molnar, and Ballet BC dancers and collaborators, Connie Sabo, exhibition coordinator for Emily Carr University Alumni Society and Stamatis Charalambidis at Bill’s Glass. Further information about our work can be found on our respective websites.
Phyllis Schwartz
Alison Keenan