Ideas Exchange
KW|AG connects people and ideas through art. Visit this area often for new content and tools that enable the exchange of ideas. Here are some ways that you can connect with us:
Connect with our Virtual Neworks
Continue your experience or discover kw|ag for the first time. Become a fan (Facebook), follow us(Twitter) or comment on our programs and explorations (Blog). Check it out here>
Opportunities for In Person Connections
From artist talks to public tours kw|ag has opportunites for you to connect directly with our artists, docents and staff. Learn more about our free programs here>
[For a full list of Fall 2010 events, click here]
Share your KW|AG Story
Do you have a special KW|AG story that you would like to share with us?
Tell us about a memorable experience that you have had at the Gallery.
Ideas Exchange with Artists and in the Community
- Interviews with Exhibiting Artists - read about their ideas behind the exhibitions
- Artist Statements - some of their thoughts as their creative process unfolds
- Interpretive Videos - watch videos from a selection of our past exhibitions and artist talks
- Links - visit other local art galleries and resources for added inspiration
Interview with Crystal Mowry & Cindy Wayvon, Curators
Being Magnified: Works from KW|AG's Permanent Collection (PDF)
Wild Things: A Bestiary Assembled From KW|AG's Permanent Collection (PDF)
Interviews with Artists
Cora Cluett - In the Offing
Interview with Artist Cora Cluett
by: Tracy Smith, past Communicators Coordinator, KW|AG
Smith: You recently returned to photography after exploring and exhibiting your paintings for the last few years. How did the Apertura photography exhibition come about for you?
Cluett: When I was studying at the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design (NSCAD), I concentrated on photography as part of my Fine Arts training. During that time, my photographic practice expanded to include printing on alternative surfaces, such as glass. When I entered the Masters program at the University of Guelph, my studio practice moved towards painting and more specifically, abstraction.
Since returning to Canada in 2003, after living in Scotland for five years, my studio practice has involved both photography and painting. In the spring of 2006, I had a studio visit with Allan MacKay and we discussed my painting practice as well as some photographs where I had begun to document World War II pillboxes along the Nova Scotian and Scottish coastlines. The idea of an exhibition took seed and I began to work towards this exhibition.
The bunkers that you have photographed as part of the Apertura exhibition are now derelict buildings, full of graffiti and falling to ruin. How have these bunkers become sites of curiosity and exploration for you?
The bunkers were part of the landscape for me growing up in Nova Scotia. My grandmother lived along the cliffs in Sydney Mines, where I spent many summers, and these pillboxes were always in the background. Also, my father was in the navy during WWII so the coastal defense of the pillboxes resonated from that as well. When I moved to Scotland and lived near the North Sea, there was a bunker right at the end of our road which had been converted into a power station. When we would take my daughter to the beach, again, there were these pillboxes as part of the landscape. I guess they have always had a presence in my life. I began to photograph them in the early 1980's and also in the late 1980's when I was a student at NSCAD. The photographs of Scotland that are part of the Apertura exhibit were taken in 2004, and the rest of them have been taken since that time.
How was lighting particularly challenging when photographing these sites?
Lighting is challenging because I need to light the interiors to match the exterior lighting conditions. I use a Digital SLR which allows me to control exposures and I can download the images right away to my laptop in the car and see if I need to go back and re-shoot or if what I have captured has the right resolution, lighting and angles. I have to experiment with the flash unit to properly light the interior of the pillboxes and bounce the flash. I go on day trips and hope that the weather is agreeable.
I decided to shoot with a digital camera rather than film so that I know that I have the image on the spot since the sites are so remote. The digital camera is also more lightweight, so I can strap it on while I climb up the rocks to the bunkers. Also, I initially saw this body of work as being web or screen based, in addition to print.
Your images act as a photographic journey along the coastlines of Halifax and Scotland. What differences did you experience when photographing the bunkers in both countries?
In the UK the pillboxes are in better condition. They tend to be clean on the outside with graffiti only on the inside. In Canada, the bunkers are in worse shape with graffiti on both the outside and the inside. The harsher winters have also taken their toll on the structures. Photographing them was actually quite dangerous as some of them were filled with water, ice and muck.
What is the significance of the title "In The Offing" to your series of photographs?
"The Offing" is a nautical term that refers to that part of the sea that is most distant from the shore, but still remains visible to the human eye. The term is also used to describe an event that is yet-to-come or the distance. For me it conjures up images of soldiers that were manning their posts, sitting in these bunkers. The long periods of waiting and not knowing what was going to happen?would there be an invasion or not? "In The Offing" is a phrase I first heard when I lived in Scotland and it refers to something that is in the distant future but coming towards you, and I found this meaning interesting in relation to how the landscapes are positioned within the opening of the frames of the bunkers themselves.
The photographs contain frames within frames: the edges of the bunker window framed against the interior of the bunker, the interior framed against the edge of the photograph where the frame of the camera ends, and even the edge of your photograph framed against the Gallery walls. What did you find particularly interesting about the way the bunkers frame the landscapes and seascapes beyond?
The idea of a frame within a frame is recurrent in my works. I am drawn to this aesthetic and the juxtaposition of different surface textures: the decay of the walls and how the walls have been changed by human hands through the graffiti. Even the natural landscape through the opening. The ocean view has remained largely unaltered over the past 60 years; yet, with the other locations in the photographs, especially the urban sites, you can see the changes happening to the landscapes with the development of subdivisions, and the encroachment on nature.
How did your perspective change depending on where you stood within the bunker?
The floors of the bunkers are really in different states of decay. The gunning placements are raised areas inside and oftentimes I had to stand where I could. Because I sometimes needed a ladder, I also had to try to secure things in the safest place within the bunker. However, I would say that overall, your perspective does change depending on where you stand within the bunker. The surface texture of the interior against the natural landscape also changes depending on the distance of the viewer. From far away, the surface texture is not really highlighted, but up close, your perspective changes dramatically.
You are currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Waterloo. How has your passion for photography influenced some of the program design and amenities in the Fine Arts department since you arrived in June of 2005?
When I joined the faculty, it had been almost ten years since a faculty member had taught photography as part of the undergraduate program. Since that time, I negotiated with the Environmental Studies department to use their dark room. We now have a small working dark room with seven enlargers. I also re-introduced a basic black and white photography course and have seen several students, including fourth year grads, choose photography as part of their final projects, or go on to study photography in graduate school. I find this very rewarding and gratifying.
An Interview with Artist Ann Marie Hadcock
Ann Marie Hadcock leads many of the Gallery's workshops for adults and teens and has been a guest artist for special Curator's Circle events.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background in visual arts.
I have a Fine Arts Diploma from Fanshawe College, an Honours Visual Arts Degree from the University of Western Ontario, and a Masters of Fine Art from the University of Windsor, where I specialized in sculpture-based installation art. I was the 2007 Artist-in-Residence at Homer Watson House where I exhibited my work and taught workshops. I have been involved with KW|AG for the past couple of years teaching adult workshops, the March Break program, and facilitating art activities at Friday Night @ KW|AG. I am looking forward to opening a new studio in downtown Kitchener at Zero to One.
How do you typically approach teaching art to adults?
Adults tend to be more self-conscious about their artistic abilities. I do my best to put my students at ease, make them feel comfortable and relaxed, and create a teaching atmosphere that focuses on the creative process rather than the final product. It is my job as an art instructor to provide a positive working environment that facilitates student ideas. We have open discussions and keep things as easy-going as possible. The last thing that adults desire at the end of a strenuous workday is to feel more stress. Art classes should be seen as a personal time of self-exploration. So instead we focus on fun projects: maybe drawing with your left hand instead of your right or while blind-folded - exercises that encourage you to take more chances with your drawings and art projects.
What do you like about teaching art to adults?
I like meeting people from a wide demographic. I always learn something new and interesting! It is amazing how my own art practice benefits from this interaction. I learn so much by talking to new people and listening to their individual stories and experiences.
What do you hope that adults will get out of an art workshop?
Ultimately, I hope that they will learn more about themselves. Art allows you the precious opportunity of thinking outside of the normalcy of your everyday life and trying something new.
Developing your creativity helps you in everything that you do. Fresh ideas are integral to succeeding no matter what you do in your life. Whether it is art, music or drama - it's about widening your perspective and taking an idea to a different place.
What types of activities have you planned for past Curator's Circle Pub Nights?
Without giving too much away?I can say that I have facilitated collaborative art activities for this group of members. We built something which became part of something larger by the end of the evening. It's about playing and seeing what happens!
You can learn more about Ann Marie at http://www.annmariehadcock.com.
Artist Statements - some of their thoughts as their creative process unfolds
The following statements are by artists that have exhibited their work at KW|AG during 2009.
"My relatives had to take raw material and shape it to their lives, or let the material shape them to its life. Today, I shape the material and it shapes me. I explore different materials to embody my beliefs, ideas and inspiration."
- Shirley Moorhouse, ANTHEM: Perspectives on Home and Native Land exhibition at KW|AG, Jan-Mar 2009"?I think my investigations are much more aligned to artists that somehow involve the audience emotionally and in a physical way? I have always been a hybrid artist, connecting with literature and theatre sometimes more than the traditional arts, so divisions don't make sense with me. The division to me is much more about art that is interested in transporting or involving the audience and art that isn't."
- Janet Cardiff in conversation with Anthony Easton, Jacket Magazine, October 2006. Janet Cardiff's Whispering Room is on view at KW|AG, Mar 28-May 9, 2009.
Have you heard or read any artist statements that challenge, expand, or radically shift your thoughts on art? Submit your favourite artist statement to mail@kwag.on.ca and let us know why.
The following is a list of videos from the Gallery's past exhibitions and artist talks which are accessible in the Gallery's community viewing lounge. We will be updating this section to offer a selection of online videos in the near future.
| Date | Artists | Exhibition |
| Fall 2008 | Will Gorlitz | nowhere if not here |
| April 2008 | Students from the Waterloo Region | Expressions 33 |
| Winter 2008 | Alex Cameron Geoffrey James Kelly Richardson Jennifer Stead | Changing Weather Field Notes Forest Park Meander 100' |
| Summer 2007 | (CAFKA produced - never aired) | Woodlot: The 3rd KW|AG Biennial |
| Late Spring 2007 | All artists | The Grand National 2007: Fantasy |
| Spring 2007 | All artists | Expressions 32 |
| Winter 2007 | Sara Graham and Monica Tap | River Grand Chronicles 2007 |
| Fall 2006 | Christine Davis | Gravity and Grace |
| Fall 2006 | Paul Dignan Melissa Doherty Soheila Esfahani Noriko Maeda Paul Roorda | Studio Alert: Illuminating the Source |
| Late Spring 2006 | All artists | The Grand National 2006: Wild Life |
| Spring 2006 | All artists | Expressions 31 |
| Spring 2004 | All artists | Expressions 29 |
Visit other local art galleries, arts organizations and visual arts resources for added inspiration.
2010 Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery 
Ph: 519-579-5860 | Fax: 519-578-0740 | mail@kwag.on.ca