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Yorkville Professor Mounts Solo Art Exhibit

As an academic, Amy Bagshaw believes it is crucial for professors to live what they teach.

 

 

“If I am teaching drawing, then I need to be drawing myself.  If I am teaching art history, I need to be engaged in the arts community,” she said.

To that end, Bagshaw, who is Yorkville University’s Bachelor of Interior Design Campus Program Coordinator and a professor mounted a solo visual art exhibition: Reminders.

Running from now until February 3, 2019, at The Campus Gallery in Georgian College, Barrie, ON.  Reminders features large scale drawings and installations on paper and is supported in part by Yorkville University. Bagshaw and her work were recently the subject of a feature article in her hometown paper, the Alliston Herald.

 

 

Bagshaw currently teaches Drawing to Interior Design students and Art, Design, and Architecture history courses at Yorkville University and said that being an artist informs her teaching.

“I have had the privilege of teaching many history- based courses and instead of approaching art history from a historical perspective, I approach teaching art history through an artist’s perspective.  I value the context and perspective of the artist, architect, or designer and how their unique visions are translated into their work.  This helps reiterate how the community of creatives – both now and throughout history – impact our world, world view, biases, challenges, and innovations.”

 

 

Her work in the exhibition considers mark-making in two ways: using pastels on paper and text on over 2000 lists. As an installation, Reminders reacts to the interior space of the gallery and engages with the audience by referencing the sublime in nature. Juxtaposing day to day life as seen in the archived collection of lists with disappearing, abstracted mountainscapes, Reminders deals with themes of memory and ephemera.

“Whether as a professor, an artist, an academic, and as a mother of 2 young boys – I value creativity and self-expression,” Bagshaw said. “These concepts can manifest into being powerful tools that help me, and others, navigate the pressures of contemporary life”.

The exhibition opened on January 11, an event that drew area residents and a number of Bagshaw’s current and former students.

 

 

“The opening was amazing,” Bagshaw said. “We had a great turnout for a cold January night of about 70 people.  I was very excited to share the work and to connect with the arts community in Barrie, ON.  It was a wonderful celebration of The Campus Gallery and its support of installation and conceptual art.”

 

Bagshaw said, following the exhibition she is looking forward to some gestation time to reflect on the current Reminders exhibit, open herself to new inspiration, and to explore new ideas in the studio. In October, she has been invited to speak and give a workshop in Espanola, ON on fibre arts in their annual Fibre Arts Festival.

Follow Amy on Instagram at @amesbagshaw 

 

 

 

Krushnaji Gavas

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