[BCMA] Media Release: The Reach Fall 2012 Exhibitions

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.]

MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release
Media contact:
Scott Marsden
smarsden at thereach.ca<mailto:smarsden at thereach.ca>
604 864-8087 x 122

September 13, 2012

September 27, 2012 - January 6, 2013
Opening Reception - Thursday, September 27 @ 7pm
Fall Exhibitions @ The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford
32388 Veterans Way, Abbotsford, BC

Friday, September 28 @ 11am, Illuminating Peace Exhibition Tour and Pillars of Peace Workshop by Amy Loewan

Friday, September 28 @ 12pm, Curator's Talk by Haema Sivanesan on the heart that has no love/pain/generosity is not a heart

Saturday, September 29 and Sunday, September 30 @ 1pm, Culture Days Public Programming - Illuminating Peace Exhibition Tour and Pillars of Peace Workshop
World Food Day, Tuesday, October 16 @  12pm, Just Food Exhibition Tour by James Kornelsen, Canadian Food Grains Bank and Mennonite Committee on Human Rights and @ 7pm Panel Discussion, Presented by Peace and Development Education, Mennonite Central Committee

Abbotsford, BC.....  The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford is presenting five new exhibitions which open on Thursday, September 27 @ 7 pm.

the heart that has no love/pain/generosity is not a heart was co-created by Vancouver-based artist Jayce Salloum and Afghan-Hazara artist Khadim Ali. Curated by Haema Sivanesan, this multi-faceted installation comprises an archive of photographs, miniature paintings and videos which examine the aftermath of the destruction of the colossal 5th century Buddhas of the Bamiyan Valley in Central Afghanistan in 2001. Illuminating Peace by Edmonton artist Amy Loewan consists of woven banners suspended from the ceiling and complimented by a large-scale illuminated, eight-panel "lantern" made of woven rice paper strips that contain messages of peace. Throughout the exhibition are similar messages in over 30 world languages, both hand written and computer generated, painstakingly woven into the banners. A Community Builder: 100 Years of Freemasonry in Abbotsford takes a closer look at the contributions of individual Freemasons as well as often misunderstood world of Freemasonry. Just Food: Right to Food from a Faith Perspective explores the right to food with art works from 18 artists. Six artists from Canada, including a First Nations artist, and 12 from other countries around the world have each been commissioned to create two pieces of original art specifically for this exhibition. The contemporary art is woven together with text/photo panels and artefacts detailing and illustrating historic and contemporary perspectives on food issues. In the Lobby, we are presenting Not Just A Walk In The Park, an installation by women from the Warm Zone, Women's Resource Society of the Fraser Valley.







In The Great Hall



the heart that has no love/pain/generosity is not a heart

Artists: Jayce Salloum and Khadim Ali

Curated by Haema Sivanesan

the heart that has no love/pain/generosity is not a heart is a multifaceted installation comprising of archival photographs, documents, miniature paintings and videos which examine the aftermath of the destruction of the colossal 5th century Buddhas of the Bamiyan Valley in Central Afghanistan in 2001. Recording the destitution of central Afghanistan today, the exhibition focuses on the situation of the Hazara people, a persecuted Shi'a Muslim minority, UNESCO's efforts to conserve the Buddhist caves, and rebuilding efforts following the stationing of NATO forces in the Bamiyan Valley. This exhibition was co-created by Vancouver-based artist Jayce Salloum and Afghan artist Khadim Ali and was curated by Haema Sivanesan. In April 2008, Jayce Salloum and Khadim Ali travelled from Karachi, Pakistan to Kabul, Afghanistan and then overland into the Bamiyan Valley. The artists travelled independently and to some extent clandestinely. The land is scarred by decades of conflict, ravaged by drought and desperate poverty, troubled by tribal rivalries and a persistent Taliban presence. Of specific interest to the artists were the ruined cave sites of the Buddhas, destroyed by the Taliban in March 2001. The ruins of the Bamiyan Buddhas provided a site from which to examine the situation of the Hazara people, who believe that they are descendants of the sculptors who produced the colossal figures of the Buddhas. This exhibition has been presented across Canada in institutions including; Plug-In ICA Gallery, Confederation Centre Art Gallery and the Institute for Contemporary Culture (ICC) at the Royal Ontario Museum as well as UTS: Gallery, University of Technology Sydney and Canadian Cultural Centre, Paris, France.  Ms. Sivanesan will present a Curator's Talk on Friday, September 28 @ 12pm.



the heart that has no love/pain/generosity is not a heart is supported by the Vancouver Foundation. The Vancouver Foundation helps build more vibrant and resilient communities in BC. They do this by harnessing the gifts of energy, ideas, time and money from caring citizens to make meaningful and lasting impacts. They are Canada's largest community foundation and they've been investing in communities since 1943. To find out more please visit: www.vancouverfoundation.ca<http://www.vancouverfoundation.ca>.





Illuminating Peace by Amy Loewan
Illuminating Peace by Edmonton artist Amy Loewan consists of woven banners suspended from the ceiling and complimented by a large-scale illuminated, eight-panel "lantern" made of woven rice paper strips that contain messages of peace. Throughout the exhibition viewers will find similar messages in over 30 world languages, both hand written and computer generated, painstakingly woven into the banners. On these strips are the values that the artist sees as vital to world peace: compassion, kindness, tolerance, respect, understanding, patience, gentleness and forgiveness. Amy's objective is to transform the gallery space into a sanctuary for contemplation. In her contemporary work during the last decade, Amy has been primarily focused on examining the idea of peace using weaving and calligraphy. Her exploration into innovative ways to use traditional art materials - rice paper and ink - promises to invite viewers into another dimension of her vision for a compassionate, caring world. Illuminating Peace has been presented across Canada in numerous art galleries including the Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Art Gallery of Mississauga and the Yukon Arts Centre.



A Community Builder: 100 Years of Freemasonry in Abbotsford
In 1912 the village of Abbotsford had only just begun to reap the benefits of being home to a thriving lumber industry, prairies of fertile soil and a stop on three railway lines. The trains brought the families who arrived to settle on land that had been cleared by the Abbotsford Lumber Company. As they arrived, newcomers began to establish the connections that would make the community; among them were Freemasons, members of now distant lodges. During the early months of 1912 the men held casual meetings, finally coming to the decision that Abbotsford would benefit from the institution of a Masonic Lodge. They drew up a petition for a Charter for the formation of a lodge of the Ancient Free & Accepted Masons and incorporated a company to build a suitable lodge.
On May 18, 1912 local Masons welcomed Grand Lodge Officers and visiting Brethren and laid the cornerstone of the Abbotsford lodge. On October 15, 1912 members of the Grand Lodge assembled again, this time to constitute Abbottsford Lodge No. 70 and install its officers. The spelling of the constituted name was as it appeared on the Great Northern Railway station, with the extraneous "t".
Among the newly installed officers were the Anglican minister, the town's only doctor, members of the Board of Trade who oversaw operations of the village until it was formally incorporated in 1924, businessmen and labourers. These and the many others who have belonged to the Lodge recognized the benefits of Freemasonry: coming together for the sake of mutual intellectual, social and moral improvement; recognition of the duties of citizenship; and the opportunity to contribute to community.
A Community Builder: 100 Years of Freemasonry in Abbotsford takes a closer look at the contributions of individual Freemasons as well as often misunderstood world of Freemasonry.
In The Grotto and South Gallery

Just Food: Right to Food from a Faith Perspective
Curated by Ray Dirks
Organized by the Mennonite Committee on Human Rights, Winnipeg
Just Food: Right to Food from a Faith Perspective explores the right to food with art works from 18 artists. Six artists from Canada, including a First Nations artist, and 12 from other countries around the world have each been commissioned to create two pieces of original art specifically for this exhibition. The artists have been divided into six groups of three - one Canadian and two international in each group. Each group was asked to be inspired by a different set of texts - six human rights declarative texts each paired with a different passage from the Old Testament. The contemporary art is woven together with text/photo panels and artefacts detailing and illustrating historic and contemporary perspectives on food issues.



-30-



For more information, please contact Scott Marsden at 604 864-8087 x 122






Karina Chow
Director of Development
t 604 864 8087 ext 123
f 604 864 8048
c 604 308 9582

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

[cid:image001.gif at 01CD9722.408913E0]<http://www.thereach.ca/>


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