[BCMA] Media Release: Thorneycroft's "Canadiana" Contrasts Spackman's "Consumables" @ The Reach January 27-March 27, 2011

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media release
for immediate release
media contact:
Kat Wahamaa
kwahamaa at thereach.ca<mailto:kwahamaa at thereach.ca>
604-864-8087 x 124

Canada, Myth and History
Group of Seven Awkward Moments Series by Diana Thorneycroft
Found Wanting by Betty Spackman
Everything But the Light by Carly Bates
Our Communities: Our Stories - A Day In Town

The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford
32388 Veterans Way
January 27- March 27, 2011
Opening Reception - Thursday January 27,  7-9pm

January 7, 2011, Abbotsford, BC.....The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford presents four new exhibitions: Canada, Myth and History, Group of Seven Awkward Moments Series, an exhibition by Winnipeg photographer Diana Thorneycroft;  Fort Langley artist, Betty Spackman's, Found Wanting; Carly Bates', Everything But the Light and The Reach historical exhibit Our Communities: Our Stories - A Day In Town.  The exhibitions run from January 27 to March 27, 2011, with the opening reception January 27 from 7 to 9pm.

Diana Thorneycroft: Canada, Myth and History, Group of Seven Awkward Moments Series
In Canada, Myth and History, Winnipeg artist Diana Thorneycroft takes historical Canadian landscapes by the Group of Seven, Tom Thomson and Emily Carr and combines them with complex dioramas she has constructed using dolls, toys, and other found objects. Thorneycroft then records her "awkward" compositions of miniature models and distorted background landscapes through the camera lens. The resulting photographs convey a clichéd representation of the unique Canadian experience.

The Awkward Moments are images of everyday contemporary life and historical events familiar to many Canadians. They represent historical figures, celebrated personalities, pop culture characters, and the public absorbed in social activities (such as fishing, camping, and skating) that tell the stories of Canada. This exhibition was curated by Sharona Adamowicz-Clements for the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario.

Betty Spackman: Found Wanting
Found Wanting is the first major Canadian exhibition by the Fort Langley, BC based installation artist Betty Spackman. In this exhibition, Spackman tackles the multilayered and troubling questions that surround today's large-scale factory farms while shedding some light on where our food comes from and the journey it took to get to our kitchen table.

In Found Wanting, Spackman wrestles with the dilemma we have as consumers between the objects we consume and the stories connected to them. To illustrate this point she has methodically collected and cleaned the bones of those domesticated animals we readily consume as meat - often without thinking about them as animals. In so doing, she forces the viewer to reconcile and acknowledge the origin of the meat products we consume.

Carly Bates: Everything but the Light
Carly Bates' paintings interpret light in multiple layers and explore its capacity for warmth and energy and how light triggers personal memories. The paintings contain an atmospheric feel to them that attempt to invoke a sense of familiarity and comfort of experience but also suggest uncertainty of the present and future. These paintings offer the viewer an opportunity to interpret light in multiple layers and reveal a variety of emotional responses and feelings.

Our Communities: Our Stories - A Day In Town
A Day in Town looks back at historic downtown Abbotsford; the businesses, services and shopkeepers that made it the heart of the community.  Artefacts, photos and stories will recall the places to shop stop and participate.

The exhibitions open January 27 with a reception, including wine and hors d'oeuvres, from 7 to 9pm with opening remarks at 7:30pm.  On Saturday, January 29, Diana Thorneycroft gives an artist talk at 1pm.  A panel discussion on the Found Wanting exhibition follows at 2:30pm. Panelists include the artist Betty Spackman;  David J. Goa, Director Chester Ronning Centre, University of Alberta;  Dr. Victoria Bowe, veterinarian  and Sara Norman, chef and organic farmer.  Admission to these events and the exhibitions is free.  The Reach is located at 32388 Veterans Way, Abbotsford. For more information please contact The Reach at  604-864-8087 x111 or email info at thereach.ca or visit thereach.ca

-30-



Kat Wahamaa
Cultural Programs Manager
t 604 864 8087 x 124
f 604 864 8048

The Reach
Gallery Museum Abbotsford
32388 Veterans Way
Abbotsford, BC V2T 0B3
thereach.ca<http://www.thereach.ca/>

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"Art is long, life is short, judgement difficult, opportunity transient." Goethe


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