FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 14, 2014, KLEINBURG ON – Renowned contemporary artist, Bonnie Devine—who has exhibited in Canada, the United States, and Europe—has signed on to take part in the Art Mentorship Project, an initiative launched in 2013 by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and York Region Arts Council (YRAC). The Project’s first term saw well-known watercolourist David McEown paired with recent Nipissing BFA graduate, Ben Barak.
Devine, a member of the Serpent River First Nation of Northern Ontario (Ojibwa/Anishinaabe), is an installation artist, curator, writer, and educator. Her work is rooted in sculpture and site-specific installation, but also includes video, drawing, and painting. An associate professor at OCAD University in Toronto, Devine is recognized as one of the country’s most versatile contemporary artists.
Her work appeared in the exhibition Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation 3 which was on display at the McMichael from March 9 to June 1, 2013. During that time, Devine also created an installation on the gallery grounds entitled Toronto Braid: for the Mississaugas that commemorated the contributions of First Nations people during the War of 1812.
“The McMichael is thrilled to announce Bonnie Devine’s participation in the Art Mentorship Project,” said Anna Stanisz, Assistant Curator, Education and Programs. “For an artist at the outset of his or her career to apprentice under someone of Ms. Devine’s experience and renown is a rare and exciting opportunity.”
The Art Mentorship Project is designed to offer professional development to emerging local artists who have been practicing or exhibiting their work for less than three years, allowing them to fine-tune their skills through technical assistance, theoretical discussions, critiques, and exhibition preparation over a four-month period. The mentor and apprentice meet at the McMichael over three two-day sessions and collaborate on a piece or body of work that will be displayed at the gallery from January to March 2015.
Both artists will also take part in a public discussion in conjunction with Culture Days and Doors Open Vaughan on September 27, 2014.
Applications will be accepted until March 15, 2014 and the short list will be released on April 1, 2014. Download the Call for Applications at mcmichael.com/artmentorshipproject.cfm.
About the McMichael Canadian Art Collection
The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is an agency of the Government of Ontario and acknowledges the support of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. It is the foremost venue in the country showcasing the Group of Seven and their contemporaries. In addition to touring exhibitions, its permanent collection consists of almost 6,000 artworks by Canadian artists, including paintings by the Group of Seven and their contemporaries, as well as First Nations, Métis and Inuit artists. The gallery is located on 100 acres of northern landscape and hiking trails at 10365 Islington Avenue, Kleinburg, north of Major Mackenzie Drive in the City of Vaughan.
For more information: www.mcmichael.com.
About the York Region Arts Council
Incorporated in 2008, the York Region Arts Council (YRAC) is a nonprofit charitable umbrella organization serving the regional arts and culture community. YRAC is committed to fostering a vibrant regional arts and culture sector and supporting the arts, culture and heritage in York Region in all their forms-literary, visual, performing, media and heritage-in an inclusive manner. As the regional liaison and central information resource for arts, culture and heritage, YRAC delivers value to its stakeholders and the regional arts, culture and heritage community as a whole, through marketing, communication, education, consultation and networking facilitation and coordination.
Media Contacts:
Wendy Campbell
Manager, Media Relations and Online Presence
905.893.1121 ext. 2201
wcampbell@mcmichael.com
Rachel Weiner
Communications Coordinator
905.893.1121 ext. 2210
rweiner@mcmichael.com