Exhibit Preview:
The PEPERMUNT SHOW and SILAS AUCTION
Thursday, December 5
The Arthouse Inc.
Sometimes the best things are kept a secret. On the other hand, writing requires investigations into things worth being secretive about. Hence, a meeting with Milo Dlouhy – one of the proprietors of The Estate Gallery and a general collector of art, art projects and ambitious dreams – can be a real conundrum.
Dlouhy and Angela Inglis initiated The Estate Gallery and Publishing House in 1999, inviting artists and gallery-goers to exhibitions, tours of the Estate collection and other happenings. The gallery’s most recent endeavour joins hands and hearts with another of Calgary’s enigmatic artist-run spaces, The Sugar Gallery, which is operated by Lisa Brawn. Together they are proposing the formation of an Art Salon, Tea Room and Museum of Oddities.
The collaborative venture between the two galleries, however, has a sense of mystery about it, which rests upon what Dlouhy is willing to reveal, a few things left to the last minute, and, of course, several secrets. But what the Sugar-Estate vision offers is a place for people to convene with each other and with art. Under the premise that a warm, welcoming and eclectic atmosphere fosters a good art community, Sugar-Estate have ambitions to attract artists and collectors as well as people who might otherwise shy away from art galleries.
In order to facilitate and finance the grand designs for their Art Salon, Tea Room and Museum of Oddities, Sugar-Estate are hosting The Pepermunt Show and Silas Auction – an event that brings 17 (and counting) artists together under a thematic milieu of art, beauty and general oddness. Stars of the show include past collaborators Ken Doren and Shauna Kennedy, and new partnerships with Anne Marie Nakagawa and Amy Gogarty.
Pepermunt also affords an opportunity to meet the makers, with recent work by Inglis, Brawn and Dlouhy themselves. For Inglis, the show will be her first Calgary exhibition in several years, and a chance to unveil some new work. For insights into the artwork, hot gossip and bidding tips, Silas Kaufman will offer tours of the auction at intervals throughout the evening. Adding to the tried-and-true silent auction formula, Sugar-Estate have included a special offer – attendees bearing old, used or broken art will receive a coupon for 10 per cent off fresh, new art (for one night only, while supplies last).
The next show could be imagined as slightly less pepermunt-y, displaying all of the decrepit, cast-off art from the special offer. However, we can only guess what will come after The Pepermunt Show – Dlouhy launches into a great idea, something upcoming, and then halts before spilling the beans. One thing he does reveal is that both Sugar and Estate will continue to function in their known locations. The Sugarmobile trailer rides again in fair weather, serving up coffee and art on the road, and the Estate will function as a museum branch, publishing, archiving, developing wonderful ideas and collaborating with other artists.
As it happens, Calgary does not currently boast an art salon or a museum of oddities, so this could be a great addition to our cultural community. The Sugar-Estate collaboration "really isn’t news – it’s dreams," Dlouhy insists, but the trick is to gather the resources and find a creative network of interested people to help.
"Helping spread the word is like being a good neighbour," Dlouhy says of the upcoming possibilities to network, collaborate and experiment between artists and other cultural producers.
With a solid partnership between the two galleries, Sugar-Estate have investigated a few different spaces in character houses and shop-fronts, and decided to make the Art House Inc. in Kensington their temporary home. This choice seems advantageous for two reasons: its proximity to the city centre, and the prospect of new relationships and new interest. |
