Retelling Anne
October 9, 2008
For Guelph artist Margaret Flood, that meant removing all the periods from the original book and affixing them to a larger sheet of paper so that it references the size of the original book. While Toronto-based photographer Emily Gove represents social death in her work—something that resonates even more given the recent news that Lucy Maud may have committed suicide.
Focusing on how Montgomery’s stories are about the eclipse of innocence, Owens was attracted to works that dealt with the iconic issues that remove you away from innocence. Grouping them together she’s been able to context them within the framework of Anne of Green Gables.
Hesitant to direct the artists too much, Owens didn’t even require her artists to have read any of Montgomery’s books. She felt that the cultural impact of Anne affects all Canadians at some point regardless of whether they’ve read the books. Some of the artists, like Toronto-based painter Bonnie Lewis, immediately had to read the book and would send Owens updates with how they responded to it.
“I’m taking a lot of liberties with the Anne of Green Gables story, and I think the artists are too. And I think that’s something Lucy Maud would have in particular very much enjoyed.”
Retelling Anne will be on display from Wed October 15 – Thu January 15, 2009 at the University of Guelph’s Macdonald Stewart Arts Centre.
Pages: 1 2
