Exhibition: October 23 to November 10, 2024
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 26, 2 – 5 PM
Curator & Artist Talk via Zoom: Sunday, November 3, 2 PM
Experimental Intervention at Propeller Gallery – ARTORONTO review by Kaya Meziane, Nov. 6, 2024
When I was first invited to curate an exhibition for the Propeller Art Gallery, a myriad of esoteric and intriguing ideas came to me that I felt would certainly excite applicants with cleverness and intellectually stimulating directions. However, my mind kept returning to why I create in the particular way I do – I define myself as an Experimentalist, as I am fearless in exploring new materials and techniques – and how a lot of artists I know feel fear when it comes to branching out to try new things, especially if they have found that often elusive, and certainly seductive, commercial success. I wanted to compel artists to put behind the safety of the known, by challenging them with an intervention. What have we got to lose?
In addition to providing participants with an overview of what I was seeking in submissions, I also listed prompts that were easy to follow to guide them to venture beyond familiar territory to create work they had never previously conceived. Creative transformation is the essence of the exhibition Experimental Intervention.
The show was a challenge to curate. There was not a singular idea nor a central theme to make it easier to choose works and create a cohesive exhibition. Not looking for pat, extremely well-executed submissions I was, instead, seeking reassurance that the artists understood what I was asking them to do: make and submit pieces that were exploratory in materials, technique, or concept. The artists I chose for the show use normal materials such as glass, clay, fibre, metal, found objects, paper, plastic, wood and canvas. They also employ unusual materials such as dog hair, a kitchen faucet, safety pins, food colouring, a handmade musical instrument and algae. Techniques such as stitching, bending, sewing, charring, assembling, pinning and laser engraving morph these simple things into unusual forms. Their willingness to risk failure and embrace the learning curve of novel approaches transforms the resulting works into acts of bold self-expression. The journey of exploratory personal growth these artists have undertaken is as significant as the final artwork themselves, resulting in pieces that inspire deeper meaning and have more emotional impact. The unconventional choices made are not for mere aesthetic appreciation but are intended to foster a dialogue that transcends medium-specific art and enhances viewer engagement. Read more of Leisa Rich’s Curatorial Essay
Exhibiting Artists:
- Derek Berry
- Deepikah RB
- Patricia Bond
- Katia Bulbenko
- Emilija Cooke
- Sharon Dembo
- Chris Domanski
- Susan Farquhar
- Heather Gentleman
- Abby Gowland
- Kay Gregg
- Katarzyna Gryczman
- Susan Halle
- Maria Teresa Hernandez
- Natalja Heybroek
- Colin Hill
- Mary Kroetsch
- Kyungmin Kate Lee
- Lorna Livey
- Susan Low-Beer
- Jacqueline Lyons
- Ahmed Mahran
- Ruth Maude
- Lukas Mouka
- Robin Muccari
- Joseph Muscat
- Pria Muzumdar
- Frances Patella
- Atia Pokorny
- Rami Schandall
- Lois Schklar
- Karin Shaddick
- Sean Sinclair-Day
- Virginia Smith
- Vidhya Srijesh
- Banu Tulumen
- Linda VanWyk
- Ray Vincent
- Andres Vosu
- Donna Weatherall
- Helena Wehrstein
- Kim Wilkie
- Noriko Yamamoto
Curator’s Biography: Leisa Rich
Leisa Rich is an experimental artist who transforms common and alternative materials in unique ways, and utilizes fibre techniques that include free motion stitching — otherwise known as machine embroidery, a method of “painting” using thread on a sewing machine — as well as sewing, 3D printing, laser engraving, AI, and more. Rich transforms these into wall-hung art works, dimensional sculptures, and pseudo-Utopian environments that suspend reality. Her creations are often viewer-interactive, by inviting and encouraging tactile interaction with the public.
Her destiny as a fiber artist began as a child; Leisa had to run her blanket satin through her fingers from one end to the other before she could fall asleep, and she spent years in the hospital due to illness and deafness, dressing her Barbie in clothes her mother made.
Tactile sensations were there even when sound and humans were not.
Rich holds cum laude MFA Fibers, BFA Fibers, and BEd Art degrees. She has exhibited in notable museums, in many galleries, and been featured in interviews. Her work is published in over 25 books and publications. In February 2024, Rich was featured in Volume 9 of New Visionary magazine. Leisa also published a children’s book in 2015, and a series of How-To art books in 2019. Rich has taught art for 49 years in many venues.
In October 2020, in the middle of political upheaval and Covid, Rich virtually purchased a 96-year-old farmhouse on three acres on a rural St. Lawrence River island accessible only by ferry, and moved back to Canada after decades living, teaching, and exhibiting in the U.S. and abroad.
Her work is in the permanent collections of Delta Airlines Inc., Hilton Hotels, Emory Healthcare, The Dallas Museum of Art and more, and in private collections around the world. She is a 2019 recipient of a Distinguished Fellowship: Fulton County Arts Council, Georgia and a finalist in the Design TO-Umbra competition in Toronto, 2022.
