News

The Sculpture Fund: Amy Nugent, 221A Fellow

March 23, 2018

Amy Nugent is a Vancouver-based cultural worker and resource developer. As the former president of Artspeak’s board, she has been recognized with a 2016 Mayor’s Arts Award from the City of Vancouver. Her own research over the past five years has focused on the history and restitution of sculptors Frances Loring (1887–1968) and Florence Wyle (1881–1968), the current state of Canadian art collections and the limited acquisition funds to support them.  

From March to July, 2018, Nugent will be a 221A fellow. Her project continues to examine the history of artists Frances Loring and Florence Wyle, who were crucial members of Canada’s early 20th century art history. The contributions of these artists has been unfairly eluded in national art history, and as a way to fulfill the final wishes in their last wills and testaments, Nugent’s research will develop The Sculpture Fund, a resource available to collecting institutions, public galleries, museums and schools for the commissioning and acquisition of sculpture work by woman and non-binary artists. A collection at Pollyanna 圖書館 Library will accompany Nugent’s research, and public programs are forthcoming. Future program announcements relating to The Sculpture Fund will be posted at https://polly-anna.ca

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sum of the parts

March 7, 2018

Throughout the Spring season, 221A hosts sum of the parts, a curatorial research project by Jenn Jackson which brings together a selection of films, performances and installations by artists who activate personal histories which are drawn from familial and public record. Artists, Deanna Bowen, Felix Kalmenson, Divya Mehra, Krista Belle Stewart, and Casey Wei, present compelling excavations of the past, by drawing from familial, historic, and archival sources; visualizing narratives of race and class, and their recognition within official records.

Each film and performance provides a framework for a larger narrative of archival complexities—offering a visual key to examine discourses on the commodification and construction of historic record in relation to the business of archival storage, preservation, and dissemination within the public realm. In mining the potential of the private and public archive, these artists interrogate the visual and material nature of historical reference and activate immaterial records. Research associated with sum of the parts will form a new collection at Pollyanna 圖書館 Library.

For the second event in the series, join media analyst Svitlana Matviyenko and curator Jenn Jackson at Pollyanna 圖書館 Library for the screening of artist Felix Kalmenson’s films Neither Country, Nor Graveyard (2017) and A House of Skin (2016), Wednesday, May 16 at 7 pm.

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2017 Year-End Fundraiser Results

January 8, 2018

Thanks to over 80 donors, 221A is pleased to have met 96% of its goal of $1,700 a month towards its Research Fund. The funds will support the organization’s shift towards a Fellowship model, including direct financial support for artists and cultural workers such as upcoming Fellow, Amy Nugent.

221A would like to take the opportunity to thank all of our donors for their trust and commitment to the leadership of artists and in 221A’s organizational approach. We look forward to sharing further programs and services in the coming months.

For inquiries about the Research Fund, donation tax receipts or other inquiries you can contact our office email at hello@221a.ca. To make a contribution and help us close our 4% gap please visit here.

Pollyanna and Semi-Public 半公開 will re-open Tuesday, January 9.