U of L gallery showcasing ‘recent’ art acquisitions

By Steffanie Costigan - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on October 3, 2023.

University of Lethbridge is showcasing some of its art collection of more than 15,000 works on campus in the art gallery.
Art gallery assistant curator and preparator David Smith said the exhibit is being open to the public and described the 10 years’ worth of art the university is showcasing in a recent interview.
“This is an exhibition that’s on now. It has been open for the summer, and up until October 14, is a selection of works that have been recently acquired by the University of Lethbridge art gallery.
We’re using the term ‘recent’ very loosely to incorporate things from the last 10 years that we haven’t yet had the chance to celebrate,” said Smith.
Admission is free. The exhibition is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, with Thursday being the exception it’s open that day until 6 p.m., and on Saturday the gallery is open as well.
Smith said a lot of the art pieces have been donations to the University of Lethbridge.
“In the last 10 years, we’ve received some really amazing gifts, including the bequest from Marmie Hess for whom we renamed this physical gallery space. And some of those donations have received a lot of publicity and attention.
But we’ve also received a lot of really great things in the last 10 years, from smaller gifts, often directly from artists or collectors.”
Smith added some of the pieces displayed in the art gallery in the university have not been viewed in the last 10 years.
“None of the works in this exhibition have had a chance to be shown in the last 10 years.”
In the following month the university will have new works put up for viewing. Smith said students will have an opportunity to showcase their work for class.
“The next exhibition here is not a show from the university’s permanent collection. We don’t know exactly how it’s going to look yet because there will be students creating work here as part of a class.”
Smith noted the special pieces that are on display in the gallery, in particular a piece done by a former U of L student mentioned often in the guestbook by visitors.
“They’re all very special pieces. I think. I particularly like the pieces that have come from the artists that are U of L alumni like Joseph Anderson, the big 12-foot-long underwater aquatic watercolour, or Karen Brownlee watercolours of the grain elevators is beautiful.”
Joseph Anderson’s watercolor piece is the longest work on paper the university has in its large collection.
“We have watercolour painting, painting on canvas works on paper drawings, prints, bronze sculptures, a bit of everything… we do both contemporary art shows and then also exhibitions and work from the university’s collection. So it’ll be one of those two types.”

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