Past Archive

Liss Platt:  a CONSTANT decade
4 May – 19 August 2017

This exhibition is a “retrospective” of Liss Platt’s Constant photographic series and related videoworks, 2006 - 2016.

Liss Platt brings elements of the everyday, along with personal and autobiographical content, into a conceptual art practice. The particular landscape represented in the Constant series is a place she has been photographing for over ten years. She is interested in the process of sustained looking, particularly at something that is familiar, and what occurs through an accumulation of images. She is also intrigued by the tension between what changes in the scene and what stays the same.

Liss Platt is a mid-career media artist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies and Multimedia at McMaster University. Her works have been shown nationally and internationally.  She is also a co-member of the “Shake-n’-Make” project with Hamilton-based writer and maker Claudia B. Manley. Liss Platt is represented by MKG127 in Toronto.

ARTIST’S TALK & RECEPTION:
at b Contemporary gallery, 226 James St North, Hamilton
Sunday, June 4, 2017 from 2 - 4 pm
Liss Platt’s formal presentation, centred on her Constant series, will begin at 2:30 pm. Join us, meet the artist and enjoy light refreshments.
MMA in the Community Event
NEW! Watch the video of Liss Platt's Talk

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Image:  Liss Platt, Constant: Vertical, 2012, C-Print, edition of 5, 2012. Courtesy of MKG127 in Toronto.

Coyote School
8 June – 19 August 2017
Curator:  Rhéanne Chartrand, Aboriginal Curatorial Resident, MMA

Coyote School presents contemporary works by eight mid-career Indigenous artists who acknowledge the influence of senior Indigenous artists on the development of their own artistic practice.

Joi Arcand
Sonny Assu
Jason Baerg
Jordan Bennett
Christian Chapman
Amy Malbeuf
Meryl McMaster
Bear Witness aka EhrenThomas

Opening Reception: Thursday, June 8, 6 - 8 pm
6:30 - Opening Remarks by Elders and Curator
7:00 - Musical Performance by acclaimed, Indigenous composer and vocal artist Jeremy Dutcher. A classically trained operatic tenor, Dutcher blends his Wolastoq First Nation roots into the music he creates.

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image: Meryl McMaster, Time’s Gravity (detail), 2015, Archival pigment print on watercolour paper, edition 3 of 3, 76.2 cm x 114.3 cm.  Collection of the Doris McCarthy Gallery, University of Toronto Scarborough

John Hansler: a life collecting
18 May – 5 August 2017

John Hansler graduated from McMaster University in 1956 and began collecting art the following year. In 2016, he offered his entire collection of nearly 100 works to the McMaster Museum of Art.  This exhibition presents selections from his generous gift, focusing on his primary interest in post-1950 Canadian art and reflecting his enthusiasm for and support of artists he collected in depth.

Included in the exhibition are works by Walter Bachinski, Paul-Émile Borduas, Ulysee Comtois, David Craven, L.L. FitzGerald, John Hartman, Harold Klunder, J.W.G (Jock) MacDonald, Kazuo Nakamura, Harold Town, and Tony Urquhart.

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photo: Kazuo Nakamura, Central Seven, C. 1961. Oil on canvas. Gift of John Hansler

Ann Kipling and Takao Tanabe
18 May – 5 August 2017

Ann Kipling and Takao Tanabe are senior British Columbia based artists who have made substantial contributions to the visual arts in Canada.

This exhibition presents works by the two artists recently gifted to the McMaster Museum of Art. It includes sixteen Ann Kipling drawings and etchings, donated by Toronto collector Christopher Varley in 2014, and six Takao Tanabe works on paper, donated by the artist in 2015. The latter were included in the retrospective of Tanabe’s work presented at the Museum in 2012.

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This exhibition focuses on selected books from donations acquired by McMaster University Library from Professor Pierre Conlon (1924-2014) between 2007 and 2011. The collection consists of nearly two hundred 18th century books and includes important and rare editions of works by philosophers such as Voltaire, Rousseau and Montesquieu. The books were collected by Conlon over a period of 40 years and used to compile his monumental bibliography of the entire French Enlightenment: Le Siècle des Lumières (32 volumes) preceded by Prélude au Siècle des Lumières (6 volumes).  The bibliography includes works by French authors beginning in 1680 to the onset of the French Revolution. The exhibition is a tribute to Pierre Conlon’s extraordinary scholarship and his contribution to McMaster University.

It is complemented by selected works of art from the Museum’s collection, including works by:
Jean-Victor Bertin (French, 1767-1842)
Francois Boucher (French, 1703-1770)
Pierre Drevet (French, 1663 - 1738)
William Hogarth (English, 1697-1764)
Jiri Ladocha (Canadian b. Czechoslovakia, born 1942)
George Romney (English, 1734-1802)
Tony Scherman (Canadian, born 1951)
Jean-Joseph Taillasson (French, 1745-1809)

RECEPTION: Thursday, January 12, 6 – 8 pm
GUEST SPEAKER Dr. William Hanley on the exceptional career and influence of Dr. Pierre Conlon: Thursday, January 26, 6 – 8 pm
TOUR and Bookmaking Activity - Telling our stories: February 11, 1 – 3 pm
Guided Tour followed by an accordian bookmaking activity for Hamilton Winterfest . FREE
Contact Nicole Knibb to register: knibbn@mcmaster.ca or 905-525-9140 x.27576.

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A selection of recent works by Hamilton-based artist Paul Cvetich alongside woodblock prints from McMaster Museum of Art’s collection by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (Japanese 1797 – 1861).

Paul Cvetich is a graduate of the MFA program at the University of Guelph and completed his Hons BA in Art and Art History at McMaster University in Hamilton. He has previously exhibited work in Hamilton, Toronto, Waterloo and St. Thomas. In 1990 he completed the Day of Mourning Memorial, a public commission installed at the City Hall in Hamilton, Ontario.

Kuniyoshi was one of the last great masters of the Japanese ukiyo-e style of woodblock prints and painting.

RECEPTION: Thursday, January 12, 6 – 8 pm
ARTIST TALK by Paul Cvetich at Mills Hardware: Thursday, January 19, 7:30 pm
(doors open at 7pm) Mills Hardware is located at 95 King St E, Hamilton. This event is presented as part of the Hamilton Arts Council’s Echo Artist Talk series.

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Artist Talks: April 6, 5:30 - 6:30 pm
Reception and awards: April 8, 2:30 - 4:30 pm

The McMaster Museum of Art proudly presents Equinox, the annual Studio Art exhibition, representing twenty-seven emerging artists from McMaster’s Honours Bachelor of Fine Arts program. An equinox occurs when the sun crosses the equator, making both day and night equal in length. This event therefore signifies not only an end, but a beginning for these artists as they embark on the next chapter of their careers. From material exploration to conceptually-driven processes, this culminating exhibition will showcase this diverse and ambitious group’s evolution as they celebrate a period of change.

See installation views and event photos here.

ARTISTS:
Jaslin Bhangoo
Gillian Bochenek
Laura Brandreth
Angela Busse
Justine Ciaramella
Mischa Dabrowski
Kristina Durka
Parker Flood
Stephanie Grant
Rachel Hillock
Wing Lau
Camelia McLeod
Meaghan M^cMurrich
Dana Milton
Jonathan Mitchell
Hilary Rosa
Hannah Sampson
Maria Simmons
Jasmyne Smith
Whyishnave Suthagar
Jennifer Tewnion
Riley Vanderzee
Tess Visser
Alexandra Walker
Cassandra Whall
Serim Ye
Qianyu Zhou

UNAPOLOGETIC: Acts of Survivance
January 12 – March 25, 2017

Curator: Rhéanne Chartrand
An exhibition of selected works of critical acclaim from the 1980s by eleven renowned, foundational contemporary Indigenous artists:
Carl Beam, Bob Boyer, Robert Houle, Gerald McMaster, Shelley Niro, Ron Noganosh, Jane Ash Poitras, Edward Poitras, Pierre Sioui, Jeff Thomas and Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun.
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New! Read the Exhibition Guide pdf

RECEPTION: Thursday, January 12, 6 – 8 pm
CURATOR'S TOUR: Tuesday, January 31 at 12:30
CURATOR’S TALK: Thursday, February 2 at 7 pm  Video Recording
PANEL DISCUSSION: Thursday, February 9, 7-9 pm with Richard William Hill and Gerald McMaster. Audio Recording

Image: Edward Poitras, Small Matters (detail), 1985. Nails, wire, paper, instasign. 75.5 x 176 x 5 cm. The Mendel Art Gallery Collection at Remai Modern. Purchased 1989. © Remai Modern 

This exhibition explores the development and trajectories of Expressionism from the early 19th century to the present.

Drawn from the extensive collection of the McMaster Museum of Art, the exhibition comprises almost 100 paintings, drawings, prints, books, camera work and video—from formative historical works of the 19th century, hallmarks of the modern age, to contemporary works that include Canadian artists who underscore the continuing relevance and challenges in today’s society.

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EVENTS

Thursday, September 22 at 6 pm
Curator’s Talk by Ihor Holubizky, McMaster Museum of Art's Senior Curator

Wednesday, September 28th
Performance & Talk by Düsseldorf Artist Mischa Kuball
12 noon:  Mischa Kuball presents a performative sculpture with his recent Public Preposition book in front of the Museum
2 pm:  Mischa Kuball’s Artist Talk in the Museum

Saturday, October 1 at 1 pm
Tour & Linocut Printmaking Workshop
Free Culture Days event.  Registration required. Contact: Nicole Knibb at knibbn@mcmaster.ca

Thursday, November 10th, 6 – 8 pm
Art Historian’s Talk by Robert Belton
Dr. Belton, Professor at UBC, will speak about Expressionism. His essay “Expressionism’s Paralanguage” is included in the Living Building Thinking publication.

An exhibition publication will be available.
Living Building Thinking is organized and circulated with the generous support of the Museums Assistance Program, Canadian Heritage.

Image: Chaim Soutine, Portrait of the Painter Richard X, ca.1916-17. Gift of Herman Levy. Collection of McMaster Museum of Art, McMaster University

SUZY LAKE: Performing an Archive
5 May – 20 August 2016

Presenting a new body of work by Suzy Lake, 2016 winner of both the Scotiabank Photography Award and a Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts. This work arises from Lake's research into her family re-settlement from Germany to Detroit at the turn of the 20th century.  A then-and-now, to open up aspects of the émigré experience and urban change.

This exhibition is presented in partnership with the Art Gallery of Windsor and is accompanied by a bookwork produced by Dazibao photography centre, Montreal.

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Image: Suzy Lake, 322 Beaubien 1910-13  (detail)

JOSEPH HARTMAN: HAMILTON
5 May – 20 August 2016

Selected photographs by Hamilton-based artist Joseph Hartman from his series Hamilton. Begun in 2007 and spanning seven years, the photos capture factories, residential areas and landscapes. Hartman is a McMaster alumnus and apprenticed with famous Canadian photographer, Edward Burtynsky.

As part of McMaster Museum of Art's 'MMA in the Community' initiative, The Museum will also presents a complementary body of work by Joseph Hartman at TBA Artspace at the Carnegie Gallery in Dundas, during Summer 2016.

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Image: Joseph Hartman, Leeds Street, Hamilton, 2012

The Museum rededicates and renovates its stairwell space for a long-term installation of Canadian artist Susan Detwiler's 2005 performance object Seed Pack with related documentation.  The work was previously shown at the McMaster Museum of Art in 2008 as part of Detwiler's solo exhibition Feral.

In Detwiler's video work Seedwalk, she wore this customized backpack full of birdseed on a walk through the woods, leaving a trail of seed behind her.

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