The WAAC Curatorial Collective includes Dixie Allen, Maria Antoniv, Susan Farquhar, Adriana Lee, Joanne Nelson and Elva Palo. The Collective as jurors were impressed and challenged by the wide interpretation of the theme: Capturing and layering of fleeting moments in time as they unfold in our response to changing rhythms of the urban and natural world. Three jury rounds, and a final four-hour zoom session to make the hard final decisions gave 51 artworks by 45 artists: so much excellent work in conjunction with limited viewing space.

Curatorial Mentoring Program Summary by Heather Gentleman

The Echoes exhibition is a culmination of a series of meetings of the collective starting in 2021. Meeting for 2 hours once a month online, the curatorial program took members through the process of developing an idea for a show through an exploration of their own work as well as artists and exhibitions which inspired them and why. With the understanding of curation as an extension of a personal expression of interest, members drew ideas from their inspirations and together, through group activity, created an idea that became Echoes. From there, we delved into how to write a synopsis, proposal and submission guidelines. Efforts were put forth to research and implement an art submission program, which resulted in EntryThingy and posters and promotions were designed. Members used a variety of platforms to promote an exhibition that resulted in not only a national reach, but also international reach. Members reached out to the community and the committee members themselves who generously donated and put together a prize program. We then looked at how to create a numbered rubric of criteria to jury work online which worked extremely well since members could not meet in person. The committee looked at the final choices and decided how each piece would work in accordance to the flow and cohesiveness of the show that resulted in the final selection. Members then decided who would be prize recipients. The installation took into consideration how works related not only to each other but to the space itself, including fitting the Ruth Upjohn Gallery into a black out room to show video and fluorescent work. This beautiful exhibition is a culmination of hard work, thoughtfulness and commitment of the Curatorial committee.

Jurors’ Statement

“The object of art is not to reproduce reality, but to create a reality of the same intensity.”—Alberto Giacometti

The artists who submitted their passionate creations to the ECHOES juried exhibition expressed artistic reality with intensity. We are excited and honoured that you chose to present your artistic vision in ECHOES: Capturing and layering of fleeting moments in time as they unfold in our response to changing rhythms of the urban and natural world. Each work selected for ECHOES portrays a unique perspective and demonstrates exceptional execution in relation to the following criteria: conceptual interpretation of theme, skill and execution, originality, impact and presentation. The selection process was particularly challenging because of the robust response by 180 artists to our ECHOES call for submission. As a result, from the 417 works offered, we bring forward 51 artworks by 45 artists. We sincerely hope that the artworks not included in ECHOES will find another excellent locale where they can shine, and we encourage you to continue your exploration of artistic expression.

Congratulations and thank you to all artists who submitted works. The selected artwork showcases originality, elevated technical skills and artistic voice.

Awards

First Place (Women’s Art Association of Canada One-year membership and a two-week solo exhibition in the Ruth Upjohn Gallery donated by The Women’s Art Association of Canada)
“Standing at the Edge of a Promise”, Digital mixed media collage, Alex Hernandez

Second Place ($500 donated by ECHOES Juried Exhibition)
“Women at the Well”, Oil on canvas, Heather Roy

Honourable Mention 1 ($50 Gift Certificate to dine at Yamato Japanese Restaurant donated by Ulla Djelweh)
“AR Madonna”, Augmented reality composition in watercolour, Libby Hague

Honourable Mention 2 ($50 Gift Cert Laywine’s donated by Ulla Djelweh)
“Canonical Time (Portal) and Canonical Time (Hence), Diptych”, Two-colour screen print on Hahnemule paper with collage, J. Lynn Campbell

Juror’s Choice Award ($350 donated by Dixie Allen)
“Downtown” HD video film by Tori Foster
A composite of slit-scan images of Toronto’s subway platforms
Running Time: 14 minutes 9 seconds

Juror’s Statement: This impactful video captures action only as it crosses a two-dimensional plane of space. Time is represented left to right and static elements are repeated in thin vertical Slivers, using a horizontal streaking effect. The highly innovative artistic expression fully encapsulates the ECHOES theme of Capturing and layering of fleeting moments in time as they unfold in our response to changing rhythms of the urban and natural world

Viewer’s Choice ($100 Donated by Ulla Djelweh)
TBA on March 30