Over the past summer the Gallery was enlivened with two interactive and thought-provoking exhibitions: Jay Bundy Johnson's Mary's Room (Conditions for Qualia) and Project Rainbow's The Ruby Glass. The Gallery also ran another fun, successful Summer Art Camp series under the leadership of Nathalie Strul and Suzanna Wright, with 94 children aged 6 - 14 taking part in programs ranging from drawing to book works. Each week the children also had the opportunity to build sculptural objects with exhibiting artist Jay Bundy Johnson.

On September 3 the Gallery also officially launched the catalogue for MARGINALIA: Getting Out of the House (generously supported by a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts). MARGINALIA: Getting Out of the House was the wildly popular exhibition resulting from a four year-long, coast-to-coast correspondence between Margaret Dragu and Pamela Hall, held last autumn at the Richmond Art Gallery. Margaret Dragu (aka Lady Justice) performed with Vancouver band Payday Millionaire in celebration of the 40th anniversary of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's "Give Peace a Chance" bed- in. To get a taste of the fun you can visit justasillylovesong.wordpress.com


As we head into the autumn we look forward to a full program of exhibitions such as Elizabeth Russell's Migration/Immigrant Stories, which explores the odyssey involved in moving from one culture to another. Russell held drawing workshops with participants at the Richmond Multicultural Concerns Society in preparation for this exhibition and will hold an artist's talk and drawing workshop in the gallery on Saturday, September 26 (free to the public, the workshop is by pre- registration). Colleen Brown, Paul Kajander and Kara Uzelman will also present Black Hole is Also Supernova under the curatorship of Vanessa Kwan. Black Hole is Also Supernova explores the current state of art making which, on the one hand, appears to have exhausted the meaning of cultural images and symbols, while on the other hand, still remains capable of producing new meanings.


This fall Kathy Tycholis is back with the School Art Program and we also see the return of the Artists Trading Cards exhibition with workshops, artist talk with Paul Kajander and ATC trading sessions (please see side panel for more information).

The Board of Directors has been working hard on their upcoming fundraising event, Common Threads, taking place on Thursday, November 5 when prominent members of the community will be invited to display their favourite t-shirts and share the stories that make them special. Undoubtedly some t-shirts will come out from the back of the closet and be dusted off after decades in mothballs. From 'tie dye' to political slogans, you are invited to join us and find out the private histories behind very personal shirts.

As you can see, it is going to be another active, fascinating and rewarding autumn season at the Gallery. I look forward to seeing you at the Gallery!

- Lynn Beavis,
Director,
Richmond Art Gallery

Colleen Brown, Paul Kajander, Kara Uzelman
Black Hole is Also Supernova
Curator: Vanessa Kwan
Opening Reception: Thursday September 17, 7 - 9 pm

This exhibition features the work of Colleen Brown, Paul Kajander and Kara Uzelman in a variety of media: video, photography, sculpture, found materials, and text. Their treatment of objects and thematics will be loosely oriented around the trajectory that the title implies: a treatment of objects and cultural product that is both vacuum-like and explosive.
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Elizabeth Russell: Migration/ Immigrant Stories
Opening Reception: Thursday September 17, 7 - 9 pm

Elizabeth Russell's work explores the early transitional stages experienced by migrants and immigrants through the symbolism of everyday objects. Drawings, photographs and paintings portray the complexities of a new beginnings in Canada. The artist used personal recollections and oral stories from Vancouver and Richmond-based immigrants as research for the exhibition.
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Fourth Annual Artist Trading Card Exhibition
Closing Celebration & Trading Session: Friday 30 October, 7-8:30 pm

The Richmond Art Gallery's 4th Annual Artist Trading Card Exhibition is a display of Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) from local, national, and international participants. Everyone is invited to participate, and all techniques and mediums are welcome.
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The Richmond Art Gallery's School Art Program is gearing up for a new school year! View the new workshop offerings for Preschool, Primary and Intermediate Grade students on our website.
http://www.richmondartgallery.org/wor kshops.php

The School Art Program is sponsored by TD Canada Trust.

School Program Coordinator, Kathy Tycholis, will be presenting on the history and techniques of Artist Trading Cards at the Inside_Out Conference this October. The conference is an annual event hosted by the British Columbia Art Teachers' Association and the Canadian Society for Education through Art for art educators in BC. If you are an educator interested in attending, go to the conference website.

Bi-lingual Volunteer Exhibition Guides needed during the 2010 Winter Olympics

• Bilingual
• Interested in art
• Enjoy working with the public

The BC Provincial government tabled its new budget at the beginning of the month. As we all know by now, the BC government has announced some brutal cuts - not only to our sector but to much of the social-profit sector in the province. This is the only provincial government in Canada to be cutting funding to the arts at this time, as they recognize the economic stimulation the arts provide. Despite the Ministry's rerversal on the multi-year grants many organizations are now facing extremely difficult times (one-year and project grants were not restored), and some will be forced to close. The provincial government is planning to cut over 80% of a budget that represents only 1/20th of 1% of the provincial budget - the savings will be miniscule, the social cost huge.
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Thank you to graduating Family Sunday students
Family Sunday is a free once a month drop-in art program for parents and children and is run by a committed group of high school students who, under the direction of a facilitator/instructor, deliver this popular program. Each June the high school seniors who volunteer with the Family Sunday program graduate and leave for university or other life adventures. To the fabulous graduating students, Wallis Chan, Carina Ip, Darren Yaneza, Vaughn Bakker, Twinky Ip, Leon Li and Sayed Hussanini we thank you!
Thank you also to RBC Foundation who recognizes and supports this important program.

ATCs at the RAG Profiled in Print
Artist Trading Cards at the Richmond Art Gallery were highlighted in two recent publications. The monthly newsletter for Opus Framing and Art Supplies and Ontario-based magazine ATC Quarterly.