Work of art, a gallery
A work of art that under discussion is one that was is known as the An Index of Saskatchewan Fauna and Other Curiosities. The exhibition was done or was curated by Caitlin Mullan. The project was coordinated by Jennifer Matotek, who is the director or the Curator of the Dunlop Art Gallery. Apart from Matotek, the exhibition was also directed by John Smell, who is the Manager, Public Programmes in the Royal Saskatchewan Museum. I visited the museum on December 6, 2014. The art was quite appealing to the eye, and I was attracted to it. The caption of the exhibit read Caitlin Mullan, An Index of Saskatchewan Fauna and Other Curiosities, 2014, hand-silkscreened booklet, edition of 100 Photo courtesy of the artist. There were varied things on the picture. All of the elements that comprised of the image were all hand drawn pictures. Each and every picture had a piece of information to convey. It felt as if the artist had a unique message that he wanted to share out. Everything was meticulously done.
There was also a note that indicated that the project was jointly organized by two teams. The teams included the Royal Saskatchewan Museum and another team from Regina Public Library Dunlop Art. The exhibit, therefore, featured materials from collections of both the organizations. There was also a note from the Minister of Parks Culture and Sport. He said that the two institutions are always very vibrant and, as a result, they will help to improve the quality of life. The materials that were used in the film were used to show the cultures of the institutions and that of the nations as a whole.
When I looked at the caption and the exhibit and all its elements, I agreed to it. The aim of the exhibition was to show the rich culture of the two institutions. I believe this is fully shown. In the exhibit, there were pictures of books and different kinds of animals. There was also a bird. All these animals are used to communicate a particular information. The books have also been used to convey a piece of information. The intended message is fully expressed. The artist who painted it also said that the goal was to create an experience for the two libraries.
The overall impression of the exhibition is good. The work of Mullan creates a positive impression on me. The impression however did not come immediately. At first I did not understand the piece. I just took it just like any ordinary works of art that are placed in the museums. At first, I had just been passing through it while staring at others. I had not taken a keen interest on any single one. When I saw the message from the Minister, I became interested and looked at it keenly. The background objects that were used were ideal. They complemented the paint that was used. The animals that were in the exhibition were used appropriately. This piece of art can, therefore, be said to be unique in its way. Another thing that led to the uniqueness of the art piece might have been because it was a work of two major libraries. This part managed to intrigue me.
A medium that has been to convey a message is by the use of pictures. The images used are still pictures. In some occasion, images used motion pictures. Motion pictures are used when artist wants to give an accurate information. In this work, Mullan used still pictures. There are pictures of animals like hyena, hedgehog, hyena, mole, and some other animals. There is also an image of a bird. In the left corner, there are books. The images have been used by the artist to convey the message that he had.
Some pieces of work catches my attention while others do not. For a piece of work to attract my attention, and then it must have something unique to it. I have seen so many pieces of art and therefore I always know how well composed works of art looks like. A piece of work where the elements are only jumbled up without proper reason does not appeal to me. Whenever an artist is using a piece of information, then he or she must know why they have used that element. Without proper reason, it might, therefore, be difficult to understand.
In this particular work, the aim of the curator is easily seen. The curator wanted to show the diverse culture of the two institutions. The work constituted of pieces of work from the two libraries just like it was mentioned. By using the books, he wanted to show that the core purpose of the institution. These organizations were dealing with knowledge and information conservation. The animals used are almost becoming extinct. He was sending information to the society to look at the rare species that are becoming extinct as time goes.
The exhibit is successful in achieving its goal. The elements within the work are fully juxtaposed with the environment. It might have been because of this reason that the Minister for Culture was attracted and decided to view it. The goal of making up a wake-up call on the members of the society is prosperous. There are people who were a lot at the same place the day that I went on there. These people get acquainted with the way in which the conditions of the society are going down. Animal species are becoming extinct.
In the exhibition, I did not see any other piece of art that stood out. The rest of the parts were just normal, and they did not move me. The space that was available suited the exhibit very well. The gallery had enough room for the display and for the people to walk through. The gallery was spacious enough.
Bibliography
Akimbo - Akimbo Home. "Akimbo - Exhibitions - Fall 2014 Programming." Accessed December 8, 2014. http://www.akimbo.ca/akimbos/?id=72855.
Prairie Dog. "Best of Regina 2014." Accessed December 8, 2014. www.prairiedogmag.com/galleries/.
Dunlop Art Gallery. "Dunlop Art Gallery Exhibitions :: Current Exhibitions." Accessed December 8, 2014. http://www.dunlopartgallery.org/exhibitions/index.html.
www.leaderpost.com. "events." Accessed December 8, 2014. http://www.leaderpost.com/entertainment/events/10288457/story.html.
Gerin, Annie, and James S. McLean. Public Art in Canada: Critical Perspectives. 2009.
Kunard, Andrea, and Carol Payne. The Cultural Work of Photography in Canada. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2011.
Welcome to Saskatchewan Library Trustees' Association. "New artist-curated project at Regina Public Library and the Royal Saskatchewan Museum « Saskatchewan Library Trustees' Association." Accessed December 8, 2014. http://slta.ca/news-events/item/?n=360.
