>>REVIEW
McDOUGALL CENTRE
Open Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
455 Sixth St. S.W.
Walk through the doors of the McDougall Centre, the so-called legislature of southern Alberta, and you’ll be greeted by a pleasant security guard who seems genuinely confused by the presence of a person who has arrived at the building to look at its art.
Blank looks and intimidating appearance aside, the McDougall Centre has an impressive collection of art hanging on its walls or sitting on its floors (more about that in a moment). The works are from the McDougall Centre collection, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Alberta government and the Glenbow Museum.
What might first grab your attention are two colour photographs by Calgarian George Webber that bookend the centre’s elevator on the first floor. Webber’s 1987 composition of Austin’s Garage in Ranfurly, Alberta echoes some of the best black-and-white work of famed American photographer Walker Evans, who documented the dilapidated state of the southern U.S. for the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s.
Like Evans, Webber has captured in a singular photograph a moment in time that speaks to a society that has methodically abandoned its rural roots to embrace the cities. Austin’s Garage is boarded up and will have no more customers. Yet Webber shrugs off the potential sentimentality of his subject, providing a carefully composed documentary photograph that will have even more meaning as time passes.
The other Webber photo, taken in 1988, is of the town of Chinook, Alberta.
Elsewhere on the first floor are a number of works by R.F.M. "Robert" McInnis. A photographer in the Royal Canadian Air Force and a former reporter, McInnis took up painting in the 1970s. Known for his love of the Prairies, this St. John, New Brunswick-born, Nanton-based painter has spent much of the past 30 years capturing their open – some would say desolate – beauty.
A canvas such as Prairie Town, painted in 1986, demonstrates the work of a skilled artist. This Prairie town, like so many others, is punctuated by the onion-shaped dome of an Orthodox church – recalling a time in the province’s history that just barely lingers on today.
The canvases by McInnis range from a period in the mid-1980s to the present, with a large still life that was painted in 2004. Unfortunately, there’s no nameplate for the painting, which is a problem with a number of works housed at the McDougall Centre.
Upstairs on the three other floors of the building, the visual treats continue with a William Kurelek work entitled Cowherd Enjoying Adventure Thriller. A mixed-media piece depicting a boy reading while his cows wander the fields, it was painted in 1974, just three years before the artist died at the age of 50. Born near Whitford, Alberta, the oldest of seven children, Kurelek gained national attention for his Prairie landscapes and Ukrainian-themed works. This piece points to a happy moment in the troubled painter’s life and is an example of his sense of humour.
Pottery is also a part of the McDougall Centre collection, with a large clay vessel, untitled and by an unknown artist, on display. And there are glass works and sculpture, too – most notably a metal work by Edmonton-based sculptor Allan Reynolds. Entitled Jacko One, this smallish piece is tucked beside a plant that threatens to overwhelm it.
The art at the McDougall Centre is often very good, but unfortunately, it also appears to have been neglected. It would be nice if someone furnished nameplates for all the pieces, rescued the Reynolds sculpture from the plant, and perhaps even provided a title and artist’s name for the clay vessel, which should be given better treatment than what it’s currently receiving.
Don’t let the guard at the front door put you off. This is your art collection and it deserves to be seen. |
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