[BCMA] Nanaimo Art Gallery presents new exhibition: Black Diamond Dust

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 10, 2014

 



 

William Notman & Son, Nanaimo Coal Mines, Vancouver Island, BC, Photograph,
1903 | McCord Museum VIEW-3654

 

Black Diamond Dust

September 20 to December 13, 2014

Opening at both locations on Friday, September 19

Campus Gallery opening 4:00 - 6:00pm

Downtown Gallery opening 7:00 - 10:00pm

 

Black Diamond Dust is a multi-site art exhibition for Nanaimo Art Gallery,
which considers the sedimentary nature of stories and histories. The title
Black Diamond Dust refers to the coal mining industry upon which Nanaimo was
built; an industry that both formed and fragmented communities through
economic development, racial segregation and labour inequity, and served as
the foundation of global industrialization. 

 

The artists in Black Diamond Dust look toward forgotten or
under-acknowledged histories, while considering both local contexts and the
forms of cultural expression that surround global industrial practices. From
sculpture, to video, to folk song, Stephanie Aitken, Raymond Boisjoly,
Edward Burtynsky, Peter Culley, Devon Knowles, William Notman & Son, Jerry
Pethick, Kerri Reid, Scott Rogers and others will be shown alongside
historical artifacts borrowed from the Nanaimo Museaum and the Nanaimo
archives. In additional the gallery will screen three video works that 

look to past and present miners struggles in other parts of the world: 

.         The Battle of Orgreave by Jeremy Deller and Mike Figgis (UK)

.          To the Light by Yuanchen Liu (China)

.         Dreadful Memories: The Life of Sarah Ogan Gunning by Mimi
Pickering (USA). 

 

 

The material traces of industry, not only continue to produce the built
environment and the objects within it, but also inform the cultural
identities of communities that were built on resource-based economies.
Through art, Black Diamond Dust enters into a creative dialogue with
Nanaimo's industrial past. 

Curated by Jesse Birch

 

 

Black Diamond Dust: Living Histories

In addition to the gallery exhibitions, Black Diamond Dust will include a
number of public events and projects called Living Histories including:

 

Campus: Saturday, September 20, 2:00pm

.         Poetry reading by Peter Culley an art writer, poet, and artist who
lives in the South Wellington area of Nanaimo.


Downtown: Friday, September 26, 1:00pm
Campus: Friday, October 3, 1:00pm

.         Exhibition tours by Nanaimo Art Gallery's Interim
Executive/Artistic Director, and Curator of Black Diamond Dust Jesse Birch.


Campus: Saturday, October 18, 11:00am - 12:00pm (Downtown) 1:00 - 2:00pm

.         A tour of the exhibition with renowned Nanaimo author and
historian Lynne Bowen in dialoque with curator Jesse Birch.

Off-Site projects for Black Diamond Dust:

August 12 to October 15

.         Stephanie Aitken, Scott Rogers, and Peter Culley will be artists
in residence at the Buttertubs Marsh Miners Cottage:

o    Aiken (August 12 to 19),

o    Rogers (September 6 to 19),

o    Culley (October 1 to 15).

Use of the cottage is made possible through a partnership with Nanaimo's
Culture and Heritage department. 

August 15 to December 15

.         Artist Raymond Boisjoly will produce a billboard work visible upon
nearing Nanaimo heading south at Nanoose Bay.

Saturday October 4, 2014, 2:00pm

.         In association with Black Diamond Dust, the Friends of the Morden
Mine will give a free tour of the mine site.

Duration of Black Diamond Dust

.         Artist Devon Knowles will create a sculptural intervention in the
Nanaimo Museum for the duration of the exhibition.

.         Kerri Reid will produce a work that will be on display in the
Sointula Museum on Malcolm Island, BC for the duration of Black Diamond
Dust.

The Gallery Store

.         Nanaimo artist Jesse Gray will make a special edition jewellery
work that will respond to themes in Black Diamond Dust. Available in the
Gallery Store for the duration of the exhibition.

 

For information on programs related to the exhibition, including art-based
activities for children and adults, visit our website at
<http://www.nanaimoartgallery.com> www.nanaimoartgallery.com. 

For more information please call Nanaimo Art Gallery: 250-754-1750 or
250-740-6350

 

Supported by: 

 

The City of Nanaimo, British Columbia Arts Council, Canada Council for the
Arts,  Vancouver Foundation, Province of British Columbia, Vancouver Island
University, Nanaimo Museum, Nanaimo Community Archives, Nanaimo Daily News
Coast Outdoor Advertising, Burritt Bros Carpets, and Coast Bastion Hotel.

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.vvv.com/pipermail/bcma/attachments/20140911/beebb37f/attachment.htm 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 3086 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://lists.vvv.com/pipermail/bcma/attachments/20140911/beebb37f/attachment.jpeg 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 45825 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://lists.vvv.com/pipermail/bcma/attachments/20140911/beebb37f/attachment-0001.jpeg