It’s an age-old question: “What is art?” Instead of trying to answer that question, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia is hoping more people will start asking it. The AGNS is on a quest to attract a younger demographic to the gallery. Housed across a city block, in a robust sandstone and concrete building on Hollis Street in downtown Halifax, the gallery’s location is an unintended but poetic nod to its contents. The AGNS is a block from the historic waterfront and Province House, but steps from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and the bumping bar scene of Argyle Street.
For the gallery, it’s time to bring those young beatniks and bar-goers up the street and into the world of contemporary art and design. Bessy Nikolaou is the chair of the Young Patrons’ Circle, a volunteer-based organization formed in 2010 with a mission to entice youth into entering and enjoying the ‘art’ world. “What we’ve realized is that at the AGNS is that our patrons are becoming older and older,” says Nikolaou, “and we’d love to engage a younger demographic with the gallery with the beautiful art that’s within this gallery, simply because it’s an important institution.”
The fundraiser and event devised is called ArtRising, but Nikolaou says it’s really more of a mentality or experience, as well as an evening of education and introduction to art. “It’s all about elevating and lifting and raising art to a different level, different demographic and not just people who think that art is just for a niche group,” she says.
The proceeds from ticket sales and donations will go to the acquisition of more contemporary, Canadian art for the AGNS. The goal is to raise $30,000 which will be matched by the Canadian Council for the Arts. The ArtRising event in 2012 hit the mark and Nikolaou says she expects this one will too.
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The AGNS plays a fundamental role in supporting and promoting Canadian artists, especially those from the Maritimes. It is often the host gallery for the prestigious Sobey Art Award – a major honor given to a contemporary artist under the age of 40 in Canada each year. “We’re a provincial art museum. So we are the seed of the art community in some ways and we take that role very seriously,” says Sarah Fillmore, chief curator at the AGNS.
Fillmore emphasizes how crucial young people and minds are to the future of the gallery, adding that the volunteers working on the Youth Patrons Circle bring a necessary sense of perspective to events and conversations about art. “What they do through this event is create a buzz around contemporary art. So it’s not just that the art is exciting,” she says. “But it’s also that being part of that experience is a kind of fundamental part of life. That is a really rich and invigorating part of the gallery.”
Fillmore says there is no reason to be intimidated or perplexed at the idea of attending an ‘art gallery’ event, adding they are never what you expect them to be. It is for that reason that Nikolaou and her team are bringing artists in for the ArtRising event, so they can engage in informal conversations about the art pieces and inspire more dialogue.
“The public assumes that contemporary art is confusing,” says Nikolaou, admitting she was once someone who claimed to ‘not understand art’. “But we believe that when you can meet the artist and dig into their brain and understand their mind and what went into the art work, it just creates a connection that until you have it and you experience it, you just can’t explain.”
The event is on April 5th, 2013. Visit the ArtRising or Art Gallery of Nova Scotia website for more details.
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