Nine life-size reproductions of paintings from the Windsor Art Gallery collection have been strategically placed throughout the city center.
Article content
Did you notice a painting that suddenly appeared in downtown Windsor? You are encouraged to do a double take.
Commercial
This ad has not been uploaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Nine weather-resistant life-size reproductions of important works from the Windsor Art Gallery’s collection have been published in strategic locations throughout the city center as part of the gallery’s Look Again. Foreign initiative.
“We put them on quiet to see if anyone would notice,” said Jennifer Matotek, CEO of AGW.
The locations were chosen based on their proximity to downtown Windsor landmarks. For example, a painting is found near the Paul Martin Building. Another is in view of the Windsor International Transit Terminal.
“We wanted to choose places that are well used by the people of the center, but that are also iconic,” Matotek explained.
The aim is to enhance the cultural vibrancy of the city center, while creating a new display context for traditional art.
Commercial
This ad has not been uploaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
“What happens when you take a reproduction and put it somewhere else?” Matotek asked. “More and more research shows that the more opportunities and access to reproductions that are given to people, the more interest arouses in people when they see the original pieces.”
The AGW obtained the permit for the project from the city council about a year ago. Construction works and assemblies were completed last week.
The City of Windsor waived municipal fees for the project and funding came from private donors such as the Barry and Stephanie Zekelman Foundation.
Each reproduction and its publication have been designed to be impervious to the elements and will remain in place for a full year.
The nine works currently on display are:
Commercial
This ad has not been uploaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
- “Yan Mortuary Poles” by Emily Carr
- “Trees and Snow (aka Winter Landscape)” by Lawren Stewart Harris
- “Sisters of rural Quebec” by Prudence Heward
- “North American Color” by Alex Janvier
- “Portrait of Alice and Louise Cummings” by James Kerr-Lawson
- “Untitled Self-Portrait of the Artist as Shaman” by Norval Morrisseau
- “Nobody in Particular # 3, Series 1” by Evan Penny
- “Still Life with Flowers (aka Roses in a Green Ginger Jar)” by Mary Hiester Reid
- “The City of Windsor” by Seth Arca Whipple
The list was decided by AGW staff and is intended to be representative of the gallery’s collection.
“We really wanted to make sure we had a good combination,” Matotek said. “There is everything from local treasures, like the work of Seth Whipple, to works by indigenous artists, like Norval Morrisseau and Alex Janvier.”
Commercial
This ad has not been uploaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
“We also wanted to make sure we had a good representation of female artists … like Emily Carr. You can’t do something like this without a Group of Seven painting.”
-
Windsor Art Gallery reopens to the public
-
Community quilt adorns Windsor City Hall
-
Windsor art gallery showcases photos of Burtynsky
On December 2, at 7 pm, the AGW will host a virtual discussion on “creative place creation,” with references to public art and Look Again! initiative.
In early 2022, AGW plans to work with a Montreal-based interactive media studio to develop a digital experience in connection with Look Again! parts.
Matotek said AGW hopes to eventually expand the initiative in future years to include other Windsor neighborhoods, and perhaps even areas of the county.
“I want people to appreciate these reproductions, I want people to enjoy them,” said Matotek. “But I also hope it generates some curiosity about the art in person.”
For more information visit www.agw.ca .
Reference-windsorstar.com