Away from the Gallery, But Close to Art

by Jim Gibson, Visitor Welcome Team Member

Currently working from home, I am doing a MoMA online course on Post-War Abstract Expressionism. Many courses are offered, but what clinched this particular one for me was the inclusion of artists such as Yayoi Kusama. A portion of what I do on a weekly basis at the AGO is acting as a facilitator for the Kusama room, and maintaining the integrity of her art display in INFINITY MIRRORED ROOM - LET'S SURVIVE FOREVER .

Thinking about the Gallery as a whole during this difficult time, I miss staff from all departments. Individuals in Security, Membership, Retail, Human Resources (People) and the caféAGO bring unique characteristics to the AGO experience for staff and the general public.

Not well known to others, but looking at my own department, we have many talented people (a photographer, professional dancer, actor, writer and Gallery school instructor), and I enjoyed working with them all. While away in Vancouver last summer as a family caregiver, my department mailed me a card signed by the whole department…very supportive and outstanding!

Legends of Vancouver: E. Pauline Johnson, McClelland and Stewart, Toronto, 1922, illustrated Edition. Purchase: James Gibson

To provide inspiration and to keep busy, I am in the process of planning a display at the Roedde House Museum in Vancouver for winter 2020. The display will be titled Legend of Vancouver: E. Pauline Johnson ̶ Tekahionwake.

Image rendered by Raymond R. Skye, Artist, Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, Ontario, Canada. The drum, made at the Museum of Vancouver by James Gibson, incorporates raw hide from elk skin and cedar tree wood. The image, created by Six Nations artist Raymond R. Skye, depicts a profile of Pauline Johnson in Indigenous dress, with a view of Chiefswood (her birthplace and childhood home). Purchase: James Gibson.

My Pauline Johnson (1861 ̶ 1913) collection has grown considerably over the years, and comes from sources such as the McMaster Library Archives, Vancouver Public Library, The Museum of Vancouver, and antiquarian book dealers in Toronto, Vancouver, and Victoria. The themes being developed at the Roedde House may include Pauline’s early career and family, her stage and literary accomplishments, and her enduring Canadian legacy. The display will feature historical photographs, early edition books (hardcover, soft-cover with embossing, a suede cover with a painted image of an Indigenous person with full headdress), some contemporary additions provided by Six Nations artist Raymond Skye, as well as reproductions from newspapers contemporary with Pauline Johnson.

Flint and Feather: E. Pauline Johnson ̶ Tekahionwake, The Musson Book Co., Limited, Toronto and London, 1917. Hardcover. Purchase: James Gibson.

The AGO factored into the equation and helped with my show in at least two examples: From the annual Toronto Antiquarian Book Fair at the AGO in November, I have obtained a few publications for my collection, and one vendor sold me a large format paper magazine from the 1890s with a Pauline poem called The Avenger contained within. Before the AGO closed in mid-March, I was dealing with the Gallery's Copyright, Rights and Reproductions team to receive a photographic print of the AGO’s Portrait of Joseph Brant. 1808, by William Berczy. Pauline wrote the Ode to Brant in 1886 to mark the unveiling of the monument honouring Joseph Brant (the Mohawk chief and military officer) after the American Revolutionary War. In closing, I believe that my service at the Art Gallery of Ontario has exposed me to situations regarding display or exhibits that will enhance any current or upcoming endeavours regarding E. Pauline Johnson.

E. Pauline Johnson Commemorative Stamp, Released March 10, 1961. Stamp design by Bernard James Reddie. © 1961 Canada Post Corporation.