October 7, 1997
Touring Exhibit Celebrates Manitoba Women Artists
Touring Exhibit Celebrates Manitoba Women Artists– – –Exhibition Being Launched During Women's History Month
In celebration of Women's History Month, the provincial government is launching a year-long tour of the works of Manitoba women artists as a means of honouring their contributions to the province's cultural heritage.
The project was announced today by Rosemary Vodrey, minister of culture, heritage and citizenship and minister responsible for the status of women. The tour will begin with an exhibition in the Manitoba Legislative Building that officially opens today and will remain on display until the end of November. In 1998, the exhibit will begin a tour of up to 12 rural communities.
"This touring exhibition is a tribute to the many women artists who have helped create Manitoba's reputation for artistic excellence," Vodrey said. "The collection recognizes the contributions they have made to our society as art creators, mentors and educators, and is a way of enabling more Manitobans to discover their immense talents."
The exhibition, entitled "The Light Within: Manitoba Women in Art, Selections from the Government of Manitoba Art Collection," is a joint initiative of the Manitoba Women's Directorate and Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Citizenship.
The exhibition is being organized and circulated through a collaboration of the Manitoba Association of Community Arts Councils and its Visual Arts Shared Exhibition program and Manitoba Government Services. Manitoba Education and Training is also participating in the project by developing a curriculum education supplement for high schools based on the exhibition.
The 25 works in the exhibition were selected from the Manitoba government art collection, which consists of about 2,000 works of contemporary art and historic portraits. The collection is jointly managed by the departments of Culture, Heritage and Citizenship and Government Services. While many of the pieces for "The Light Within" have been on display in government offices across the province, the collection has been officially displayed only once in the past 20 years.
"This is a chance to not only appreciate the work of these artists, but also to learn about our own culture," Vodrey said. "By viewing the world through their eyes and experiences, we can more fully appreciate the heritage shared by all Manitobans."
Women's History Month is celebrated across Canada as a way of encouraging greater public awareness of the historical contributions of women to our society. October 1997 marks the sixth annual Women's History Month in Manitoba.
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LIST OF ARTISTS AND WORKS ATTACHED.The Light Within: Manitoba Women in Art Selections from the Government of Manitoba Art Collection
FEATURED ARTISTS Julie Atkinson Enter Stage Right Aliana Au Paradise Eleanor Bond Last Dance at the Oasis Shirley Brown The Red Couch Sheila Butler Spiderman Steps Out of the TV K. Coburn-Donnelly Domain General Store Colleen Cutschall Voice in the Blood Betty Dimock The Plumb Line Caroline Dukes Dandelions Helene Dyck Something Blue Linda Fairfield Female Common Merganser Eva Fritsch Interdependent Beth Hiscox Manitoba Summer #9 Louise Jonasson Untitled Alison Newton Vegetable Market Daphne Odjig Western Wall, Jerusalem Fran Partridge Old Boat House, Gimli Sheila Spence Untitled Eva Stubbs Untitled Gaëtanne Sylvester In All Her Majesty Diana Thorneycroft Still Life Staring into the Sun Mary Valentine Backlane No. 1 Esther Warkov Unofficial Dreams of a French Palace Guard Marsha Whiddon Allies Bette Woodland Lunching at Lester Beach