The StFX Art Gallery: A Campus Gem

I was lucky to have an interview over email with Andrea Terry, director and curator of the StFX art gallery and professor in the StFX art department. I must admit that during my time at StFX, I’ve never visited the art gallery. However, after asking Dr. Terry some questions about the gallery and receiving some very detailed answers describing the gallery and why students should take advantage of it, I think I’ll find the time in my schedule to give this wonderful place a visit, and I think you should too.

SB: Can you give me a brief history of the art gallery?

AT: The gallery was established in 1976. First, it hosted exhibitions on the fourth floor of Bloomfield Centre, and then it moved down to its current space on the first floor.

The StFX Art Gallery hosted fifty-seven exhibitions in its first decade of operations, featuring local and Nova Scotian artists. It also brought in touring shows from the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. Moreover, over the past few decades, the gallery has cultivated a sizable permanent collection of approximately 3,500 artworks, acquired largely through donation. The collection features art and objects that represent the cultures and histories of northeastern Nova Scotia. Notably, a sizable portion of the collection is stored in the former CIBC bank vault at the back of the Bloomfield Gallery with a large, heavy door, levers, and two combination locks that take me – on average – 15 minutes … to open!

In September 2020, the StFX Art Gallery opened its newest exhibition space in 2002 Mulroney Hall, complete with 11’ high walls, climate control, and an amazing lighting system to show off the art exhibited to its best advantage, so the gallery continues to grow and expand, which is quite exciting!

SB: What do you enjoy most about being a curator at the STFX art gallery, and can you tell me a bit about previous art galleries you may have worked at?

AT: I received my PhD in Art History (2010) and taught art history courses at universities across Canada. In 2014, while teaching at Lakehead University, I started doing some independent curatorial projects with artists based in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and eventually I became the Acting Curator of the Thunder Bay Art Gallery. Being the Director / Curator of the StFX Art Gallery lets me do two of my favourite things: working with artists and working with students. I recognized early on in life that I had some artistic abilities, but I keenly appreciated and wanted to support those who had more skills than myself, so being able to support, promote, and celebrate artists and their practices is extremely important to me. I also appreciate working with students, both in the classroom and in the gallery. I’ve been fortunate to have excellent student staff workers at the gallery who have designed exhibition posters, edited artist interview videos, and managed the gallery’s social media. Basically, my approach when working with student staffers is to tell them what I’d like – in terms of an exhibition poster – and let

them run with the project. It’s amazing to see what they produce, as my graphic design skills are somewhat/extremely limited.

SB: Do you have a favourite piece or exhibition?

AT: Right now, I’m extremely grateful to be able to host the national touring exhibition COLOUR WITH A “U” featuring 33 art quilts by artists from across Canada. It’s a beautiful and captivating exhibition—there’s a wealth of colours, textures, and sights to be experienced, and it’s on in 103 Bloomfield until February 27, 2020. Visitors can make 30-minute appointments to visit on the gallery’s website.

In 2002 Mulroney Hall, I’ve organized a New Acquisitions exhibition, showcasing the latest additions to the gallery’s permanent collection. A number of works are by accomplished Indigenous artists, such as Cree painter and printmaker Allan Sapp (1928 - 2015) and Tsimshian carver, painter and printmaker Roy Henry Vickers (b. 1946), to name a few. I’m looking forward to having people see these new works and learn how and why the permanent collection continues to grow.

SB: Why should students visit the art gallery?

AT: That’s a great question, one I’ve given a great deal of thought. It’s a great place to take a break, to go and see, learn, and experience new things. It offers a space for people to take a breath, to escape their daily routines, to do something different. An art gallery visit can offer similar benefits – in my opinion – to a yoga or meditation class in that encountering art on exhibition typically encourages one to be fully present, to flex mental muscles, to appreciate that which is around you.

For me, it’s such a pleasure to walk through the gallery from time to time and see people, students, visitors captivated by different pieces. The gallery landscape constantly shifts and evolves; each visitor notices something different – oftentimes people ask me such thoughtful, insightful questions that I have to mull over my answer, or they’ll point out things about an artwork that I would have never noticed myself. These exchanges are extremely rewarding, and I am incredibly grateful take part in them.

SB: Can you tell me more about upcoming exhibitions?

AT: From May to August 2021, the StFX Art Gallery is pleased to host, in partnership with the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame, the exhibition Sports Illustrated: The Nova Scotia Edition. This exhibition features the original artworks of Chronicle Herald editorial cartoonist Bruce MacKinnon, more specifically his sports cartoons. I understand that Bruce grew up here in Antigonish and that his cartoons have garnered international attention, so it promises to be an excellent exhibition.

SB: Finally, do you have a favourite piece of artwork in general? I personally really like Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi and Portrait of Madame X by John Singer Sargent.

AT: That’s a tough question for someone in my position to answer because there are so many that come to mind right away.

One artwork that I find particularly captivating is on display at the gallery now as part of Colour with a “U” – Linda Finley’s 36 Million Stories: The Fabric of US. This art quilt is a small patchwork quilt framed within a ship’s wheel, embellished with sculptural fabric elements, more specifically meticulously crafted heads of various individuals that make up the array people living in the land now known as Canada. The detail of the various figures is astonishing. One of my favourites is a woman with pink curled hair and a nose ring, because I had a nose ring when I was an undergrad, so that particular form resonates with me. Once I point that head out to visitors and explain why I first noticed it, visitors point to other figures that strike a chord or evoke a memory for them.

It’s a truly remarkable work, and I’m going to be doing an artist video interview with Linda this week and posting the interview to the gallery’s website and social media pages in 1-2 weeks’ time, so everyone can learn more about her practice.

To view the work, go to https://www.instagram.com/p/CHi_LiXHRzP/