Arts
Between a rock and an art place
HEIDI ULRICHSEN
Winter 2007 |
Update: Celeste Scopelites has left the Art Gallery of Sudbury and is now working at the public gallery in Peterborough. Celeste Scopelites smiles as she watches visitors to the Art Gallery of Sudbury examine colourful paintings by artist Daphne Odjig.
The Odjig exhibition is of such high calibre, it will be mounted at the National Gallery in Ottawa after it leaves Sudbury. It was put together by guest curator Bonnie Devine, and is a joint project of the Art Gallery of Sudbury and the National Gallery of Canada.
Odjig, who was born on Manitoulin Island in 1919, was instrumental in bringing to public prominence the pictorial style now known as the Woodland School.
Scopelites, the curator of the AGS, said it took two years to make this special retrospective of work by one of the country’s top artists a reality. A colour catalogue of Odjig’s paintings has also been printed in three languages - English, French and Ojibway.
“This is something hard for Sudburians to believe, that we were able to do this (exhibition) from here. It’s exciting. Because of the nature of the building, the gallery is seen as small and quaint.”
She is referring to the 100-year-old Bell mansion on John St. As the director and curator of the gallery for the past five years, Scopelites has poured her heart and soul into making it a place people want to visit. She is responsible for both the day-to-day operation and long-term vision of the gallery.
“There’s lots of challenges for the arts in this community, but I like building things. It’s a time in the gallery when we’re doing new things,” she said.
Scopelites admires people in Sudbury’s artistic community.
“I find many people in this community are self-made individuals and are doing a similar kind of thing. As much as there can be conflicts and challenges, people are very strong and very determined and dedicated to the community.
“At the same time, I find there’s an inferiority complex. My peers in the arts community, whether it’s in theatre or music, have really attained national recognition for their work. But (many) people don’t know what we do or they think if we were good, we wouldn’t be in Sudbury.”
Scopelites can’t remember a time when she didn’t have a passion for art.
She grew up in Milton, which at the time was a small, southern Ontario town. She was always searching for outlets for her creativity.
“I was part of the fringe, always. I was never a cheerleader,” she said. “I went through all of the books on art in our library very early on.
“We didn’t have a very strong art program at our school, but I always found ways to do something that was artistic. I used to hand-draw all the posters for our dances when I was in school.”
Scopelites got a bachelor’s degree in fine art at the University of Guelph, and then headed to Toronto where she studied at the Ontario College of Art and Design.
She became a weaver and sold her work out of a storefront studio in the countryside near Guelph.
“At that time, there was a resurgence and celebration of Canadian craft, and I was part of that movement. I wove clothing, household blankets. I would be commissioned to do various kinds of hangings.”
Scopelites went back to school and got a master’s degree in fine art from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. She started creating sculpture installations and hand drawings instead of focusing on weaving.
“I ran the gallery at Cranbrook for student work. That got me more involved in gallery administration,” she said.
Following graduation, she worked in a not-for-profit gallery in Detroit for three years as the gallery manager.
“I got hooked on what gallery work meant, and how it’s so closely aligned with education.
She was homesick for Canada, so she left the Motor City and took a position at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga before coming north.
Scopelites is determined to lead the Art Gallery of Sudbury into the 21st century.
The gallery was established in 1967 by Laurentian University, and only gained autonomy 10 years ago.
It is run with grants from the City of Greater Sudbury, the Ontario Arts Council and the Canadian Council of the Arts.
A core staff of four people work at the gallery, but that number goes up when summer camps are being operated or if there’s a major exhibition.
In the future, Scopelites hopes to put on more large shows like the Odjig exhibition.
She also hopes to see the day when the gallery no longer occupies the historic mansion.
“The gallery is in a challenging situation because we need to find a new facility. There is too much strain on this historic site. It’s not adequate for the environmental needs of a gallery. We have a challenge meeting humidity controls to keep our collection of artwork.”
Scopelites has been working closely with the City of Greater Sudbury as it explores building a multi-use arts centre. She is not sure the gallery should be located in the same building as other arts organizations because of the space needed for storage, exhibits and programming.
Despite this major challenge, Scopelites remains unfazed. She’s not about to give up and go to work in another community.
“I’m enjoying it. I think we’re just getting to the good part.”
From Nov. 24 to Jan. 13, an exhibition of the work of Mary Ann Barkhouse called Boreal Baroque will be held at the Art Gallery of Sudbury. This exhibition is in partnership with the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa.
During the same time period, visitors will also have a chance to look at the artwork of Sudbury artists. If they want, they can arrange to rent pieces to display in their own homes.
