Upcoming exhibitions in The Great Hall

VISTAS:  Artists on the Canadian Pacific Railway

The Great Hall
October 21, 2010-January 9, 2011

VISTAS features over 130 visual art works and historical photographs from the Glenbow Museum collection and from public and private collections in Canada and the United States. The exhibition is organized by the Glenbow Museum, Calgary and is curated by Roger Boulet who is a specialist in Canadian historical art and photography.

Diana Thorneycroft:  Canada, Myth and History

The Great Hall
January 27-March 27, 2011

Winnipeg artist Diana Thorneycroft is known for creating provocative and controversial photographs that challenge her audience's viewing experience. Her seemingly comical images composed of innocent subjects--dolls and toy figurines--and set against the landscapes of the Group of Seven and their contemporaries reveal, upon a closer examination, a deeper and darker meaning. In the words of Thorneycroft, "Canadian history is full of awkward moments and that is more of a reality than this heroic landscape that the group of Seven portrayed."

Through her dioramic compositions of everyday life and historical events unfolding against the majestic landscapes of the artists associated with the Group of Seven, Thorneycroft explores notions of national pride and cultural ideologies whilst deconstructing mythological narratives. Imbued with national motifs and everyday paraphernalia, her works uncover stories about Canadian life--past and present, real and fictive.

The exhibition is organized by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and is curated by Sharona Adamowicz-Clements, Assistant Curator, McMichael Canadian Art Collection.

T'xwelatse:  Man Turned To Stone

The Great Hall
April 14-June 5, 2011

The story of T'xwelatse explores the Sto:lo world view, the history of colonization in the Fraser Valley and the complex process of repatriation that brought him back to the Sto:lo people.

According to Sto:lo history, the stone holds the life force of their ancestor T'xwelatse, a man who lived in the distant past when the transformer Xa:ls was traveling through the land. T'xwelatse got into trouble for fighting with his wife and Xa:ls turned him to stone. For generations the stone stood outside the longhouses of his descendents, reminding them that they must learn to live together in a good way.

In 1904, the stone carving was donated to the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Seattle, Washington. It had been removed from British Columbia in 1892 when a group of young naturalists, who founded the Burke, discovered it at a dime store museum. The Sto:lo Nation has been seeking the return of T'xwelatse since the early 1990s, after a Sto:lo Nation archaeologist discovered the stone artefact was in Seattle and a Canadian social worker named Herb Joe began the process to bring T'xwelatse back to Canada. It was successfully returned in 2006.

Upcoming exhibitions in The Grotto and South Gallery

Fraser Valley Stage:  A Celebration of 40 Years

South Gallery
October 21, 2010-January 9, 2011

Fraser Valley Stage celebrates 40 years of performances with an exhibition of historical poster, photographs and stage props.

Vintage Toys by Miles Van Yperen

The Grotto
October 21, 2010-January 9, 2011

This exhibition consists of photographic compositions from science fiction magazines and a series of vintage toys.