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Author: Re-submitted_by_Julia_Merritt, Contributing Editor
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| Do you ever worry that the vision behind the reason for your collecting might overpower the works? That the context imposes itself on the viewer?
The collection does create the context. If you saw some of these same works in another collection that wasn't a unity, but a series of intersting pieces, you wouldn't think of them in the same way. There was a Judith Schwarz piece here, a curator from the AGO saw it and said "It never occurred to me that that was a cross." I see a big smile on your face. Well, I didn't plan it or anything, but it was a wonderful thing, because I saw it that way. There's a piece by Judith Schwarz from the same series in the boardroom at Osler Hoskin, a work of the same quality, yet it carries a different meaning. Have you ever encountered or heard of an artist who was displeased to have their work in this environment? I have never heard that. Many artists are surprised by the number and quality of works and have been delighted by the context. And other artists who have visited speak of being moved or nourished by the collection. Value I imagine the collection has gained in value over the years. Has this affected people's interest in it? The Globe and mail had two articles on me in the arts section, and neither of these mentioned the value of the collection. The Toronto Star had an article in the religious section and the editor insisted upon mentioning money. Why did he insist? It's partly our culture where money establishes the value of something. The readers would have to get a sense of the collection's importance based on it's monetary value in case they didn't know the artists by name. I didn't like that. It's totally irrelevant to what I've done with the collection, my donation of it. It's distracting. Do you find it unusual for a collector to be unconcerned with the monetary value of their collection? I can honestly say that the money angle doesn't mean a thing to me. I have pieces that cost quite a bit and others that cost a great deal less. My appreciation of them doesn't correspond to money. Have you ever sold a work from this collection No. On principle or because you didn't want to part with it? I have given art away but have not sold it. In buying certain works, there is a sense of supporting the artists, encouraging them. If I enjoyed Canadian art, then I ought to support the people who produce it. To sell a work could be a sign of lack of support, an effrontery? It seems there's a personal relationship to the artist as well as to the work. Yes. And as the collection started to grow, it seemed to be taking on significance. To take something out of it was to take away from this whole. By the late eighties, the whole was greater then the sum of parts --- the parts were all contributing to the whole. To take a piece out of it was to weaken or disfigure it or make it less than it was. |
| Virtue
What kind of emotional register or feeling draws you most to a work in terms of, say, anger, sadness, serenity or anxiety? I don't think you will find much anger in this collection. A young artist said to me, "So much of the history of modern art has been rebellion and anger against the previous generation and asserting the self, and I don't see that at all here." That's true. I'm interested in angry art, art with a social period or political content, but it's not exactly what I would put in this environment. A bit like your father leaving the violence of his work outside the door. Someone said it's a dark collection in a certain way. I would say it's a serious collection. There is clearly a great deal of struggle in a quiet way --- death --- but actually, the more you look at it, the message that comes through it all is one of hope. Some say a collection is in itself a work of art. There is a vision here that's brought these pieces together. Do you see this collection as a portrait of yourself? It reflects a great deal about myself. A collection like this is the result of twenty years. I've put a lot of energy, time and all the money that I had into it. It's not just anything on the wall ---this is the best I can do. Is the collection finished? I can see at this moment, this installation has achieved a certain wholeness, if only because we have filled a certain available space. So space is a detriment? In this case, yes. How do you stop collecting? Do you see it as an addiction, wanting just one more piece? I have a certain discipline about it. If for some reason I couldn't buy more art, that wouldn't be a big problem for me. I don't know what people mean by the word addiction. Habit? If you want to use the traditional language of the Greek philosophers and Roman Stoics, you can speak of virtue. Virtue is that fascility that we develop in various areas through repeated actions, with a deeper and more positive sense than habit. As with donating money, for a lot of people collecting art, initially it's difficult but it gets easier. Has the collection been donated to St. Michael's? Everything outside of this office is donated or promised. People have asked: is it difficult to give up the art? I don't give it up, I share it. Things of the spirit are enhanced by being shared. Keeping things so you only have them and no one else makes no sense to me at all. Things shared have more value the more other people enjoy them. ~ |
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| B i o g r a p h y | |
| Julia (aka paintergirl) is a full-time artist presently readying for a move 'home' to the West Coast. She is knee-deep in paint researching/creating works that relate to her current series on global women's issues. | |
| E-Mail: julia@empoweringart.com Web Site: | |
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