Reflection:

My partnership experience with PHG as a cataloguer was straightforward as I presumed. In my project outline I commented: “I think this could be interesting as I would be most likely working individually surrounded by the other staff who are focused on their own tasks,” and I was right about this as well! I usually went into the gallery and greeted everyone before quietly picking up where I left off before and working away on my own. As time went on, I noticed that I somehow just adjusted to the dynamic of the office naturally and became part of it as well. What I mean by this is that everyone was always working away at their own desks and only communicated when necessary – fairly efficient. However, this was all the more motivating because the feeling that everyone around me was concentrating made me more concentrated. It also pushed me to be independent by relying on myself so that I wouldn’t break the silent equilibrium if unnecessary. In addition, this actually allowed me to overhear and learn a lot about the planning of Polygon Gallery!!!

A funny and interesting discussion I overheard was the one where they discussed gender signs for the washrooms. They were considering creating a neutral/mixed sign for those who identified themselves different from female and male. It was a struggle because they didn’t want the sign to be so ambiguous that made people would become confused and not know that it was a sign for the washroom but they didn’t know what to use – it’s an ongoing struggle for now haha.

In that sense, I was also right about being an observer that watched from the outside to know more about the inner workings of things rather than participating hands-on, which I was used to.

In addition, from what I have observed, the gallery is really keen on having school visits and students volunteering. I think that is because that gives the gallery more exposure and by being more involved in the community through school programs, there is more validation for getting funding from the city. I don’t think there is anything super wrong with that because it is a win-win situation where the community can get involved while PHG can get necessary funding from the city to continue their activities.

Exactly what I did:

• Catalogue the PHG archive which included: magazine, books, photo journals, artist biography texts, gallery collaboration catalogues.
• The cataloguing consisted of me scanning the barcodes and (mostly) manually typing in the ISBN number, found by flipping through the books, into the online library archive.
• There were times where the barcode, ISBN, as well as the title and author’s name of the books didn’t register though. As a result, I kept track of those as well as ones that processed just fine by putting post-it notes which acted as the divider between them.

The partnership is quite flexible and Diane actually asked me when my partnership was ending because she realized that it’s the end of the term. Although I am technically done with the partnership, I told her that I would help her finish the last shelf left by doing some extra hours.

Thought about the experience: Although maintaining a gallery takes a lot of people and networking, I realize that you don’t need that many workers if you have a solid core team who are individuals that are self motivated and focused on a central goal.

Resume Lines:

Archive Cataloguing Assistant

Presentation House Gallery – September – December, 2016

My main role included organizing, handling the barcode scanner, and manually entering ISBN numbers to the catalogue the archive of PHG. I worked efficiently by having managing my time properly. I was also able to accurate with all the numbers I had to enter onto the computer by being careful and always double checking.

Images that visually illustrate the space I worked in (re-using previously posted photos – but are relevant):

***I FORGOT TO TAKE PHOTOS***

HOPE YOU ALL HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK THROUGH IT, IF NOT I’M SORRY FOR FORGETTING TO TAKE PHOTOS!!!

I promise it’s pretty cool >o< !!!

During my time working at PHG cataloguing their archive, I was exposed to many different books, magazines and picture catalogues. There were so many interesting gems in their collection and I even came by familiar names; VISA Professors – Gu Xiong and Dana Claxton. I really tried to think about how to represent my experience and I thought that it would be appropriate to have the piece resemble something I’ve catalogued. However, that led to the struggle of what kind of book or booklet I should make and what content I should include.

After a bit of thinking and looking at the stuff I collected from the gallery I came upon the auction catalogue PHG made for the Polygon Gallery fundraiser. I thought “bingo!” I could use that as a starting point. I looked through the catalogue once more and thought about how it would work perfectly as the vehicle to represent my idea; creating a visual of my experience of being exposed to so many difference artworks by so many different artists through cataloguing. After that, I thought that maybe I could turn the catalogue into an art piece itself that SEEMED like a simple catalogue till you opened it up to find many different layers from cut outs (using an exacto knife).  I thought that it would illustrate the “unexpected/surprising” aspect that I experienced when I looked through some of the books I was cataloguing.

The actual process of creative response piece was aimed at keeping the parts I found interesting on each page while cutting out the parts I did not need. Through that process, I was able to create a layered effect that gave attention to the highlighted parts of each page all at once even without flipping through.

I thought that this response was also a way for me to help PHG advertise the new Polygon Gallery that they’re building as well.

I came into PHG today and there was a big meeting going on – they were discussing plans about the new Polygon Gallery and just the logistics of everything. Diane made blackberry pie as well and it was so good, like seriously, SO GOOD. I totally pigged out, the pie wasn’t too sweet and there was just a good amount of tartness from the fresh berries, YUMMM (I overheard that she used lard instead of shortening and butter – I was surprised because usually people don’t use lard for baking?)

I also started taking some time to look through some of the books as well and I’ve skimmed through some really interesting ones – One book consists of a bunch names where each person writes the name of the person that was before them. The book explained that the writer writing someone else’s name is the author, but they also become the artwork as another person writes their name – so they are both the art and the author of someone else’s name. I thought that was super interesting when applied to the idea of origin and authorship, and how the names are authentic and original but at the same time not quite in a sense…?

Anyways, I have attached a photo of the office meeting and book with names as well as the pie of course!

I also attached a view from the pier at North Van…because I thought the city line of Vancouver looked nice 🙂

Bus Adventures with Michelle:

I just wanted to share a little story about an incident that happened today while I was on my way to PHG this Monday (Nov 7th).

I got on the Royal Oak 239 Bus at North Van and there was an old man on one of those remote controlled wheelchairs and he was parking his mini vehicle in the bus. I got on and everything was all good but as I sat down in front of the backdoor exit (it was a single part bus) I heard some babble from the front.

The guy in the wheelchair (lets just call him old man A) said to another elderly man (old man B) something along the lines of “…you should go back to where you came from…” in which old man B replied “thats a racist comment! that very phrase of telling me to go back to where I came from! I am Quebecois! You go back to where you came from! I am Canadian!”

This was when I thought to myself “ooooh noooooo GET ME OUTTA HEREEEEE~~~~~”

—BUT!—

Get ready, here comes the plot twist…

Old man A responded “funny thing is, I am of native aboriginal descent so you can shut your mouth -”

(PPPPLOT TWIST *INSERT DROPPED JAW MEME*)

Anyways, at this point they just started bickering and there was a mother with her teen and she tried to diffuse the argument to little avail by repeating “Gentlemen, gentlemen, please! There are children! (her daughter) Please try to respect the other passengers! Gentlemen, gentlemen!”

Funny thing about that is that she also said “today is such a beautiful day! it’s sunny as well too, lets not do this gentlemen,” when it was obviously not sunny – it was raining and the sky was grey … A for effort though?

Thankfully, our bus driver made a witty comment that completely diffused the escalating quarrel by saying

“Guys! Let’s stop arguing, it’s not like we are Republicans and Democrats!”

The joke totally caught everyone off guard and we (including myself) just laughed because it was quite funny.

Upon reflection:

This incident made me think about the power of jokes when it is used effectively. In this case, I think that it was used very effectively as it created a common ground for all of the passengers on the bus. To a degree, it united us as “Canadians” because the joke was one that made fun and differentiated us from Americans (placed us above them to a degree). In order to diffuse a dispute, the Americans were used to be seen as the lesser of us. I guess it could get a little dark if I go into detail about how we, in a sense, bonded through making fun of Americans and established a sense of common ground through an agreement (laughing at the joke) that we are better than them. BUT I WON’T~~~ I am just thankful everything worked out. Phew.

I just think that the situation was funny story with plot twists and thankfully it was ended smartly and swiftly before it flared up. However, I think it also brings up some interesting complexities of social interaction and often-unnoticed subtleties that exist in society… How there is an entitlement to the land and a blurring of what makes one “Canadian”… How disputes can be solved by creating a common ground and how that helps bond everyone together – through the humiliation of another group… (our morals and the situational exceptions for straying from them…)

Anyways, hope this was somewhat interesting/entertaining!

So far into the archive cataloguing at PHG I have completed 1/2 of a shelf! (Doesn’t sound like much but it really is a lot!!!) PHG has a lot of old and somewhat rarer pieces such as FILE magazines by General Idea and other pieces they received from countries around the world such as Germany, Japan, and Europe. They are also quite up to date with newer catalogues from VAG. About cataloguing: I basically enter the ISPN into the computer for every single book/catalogue/magazine and if they have a barcode, I would scan that – but I have to type in the ISPN usually because most of them don’t have barcodes. ISPN means the International Standard Book Number and consists of 10-digits (usually)!

Here’s a look at the shelf I’m working on so far (left half is done):

They have recently co-published by Figure.1 and Jonah Samson, a Canadian artist, featuring his collection of photographs from their previous exhibition. The book, “Yes Yes We’re Magicians”, is $35 and it’s a hardcover filled with nice photographs with clean black and whites and varying tones of grey! (I got one for free because I work there #bless#thankful haha)

Here are some links about Jonah Samson (not trying to advertise him but since I’m sharing some yet-to-be-released photos from him I should at least give him some mentioning):

Website: http://www.jonahsamson.net/Jonah_Samson.html

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jonah-Samson-Photography-70843494910/

Here is a preview of the cover and beginning pages of the book with one photograph I snuck in for you all (It’s not available until the Spring but these photo’s are just between us ;D shhhhh)

Also, although they have a lot of funding from the City of North Vancouver Council, they are still fundraising for their new gallery (Polygon Gallery). They are generating funds from annual Gala Fundraisers by holding auctions for artworks from participating artists.

Here is a look at their September Issue (No.4) Auction Catalogue which include a piece from Jonah Samson who they collaborated with for their exhibition book shown earlier! The last photo is of the new Polygon Gallery under construction.

Presentation House Gallery history and mandate:

The Presentation House Gallery is located in North Vancouver and for the past three decades, it has had over 300 exhibitions of photographic art including local and international artists, work from North Van students in the Chester Fields program, and major artists such as Stan Douglas, Ansel Adams and Andy Warhol. Their mandate is to “exhibit and disseminate photography and media art, emphasizing contemporary Canadian work within a context of historical and international art”. They give tours for their exhibitions and they have a publishing program as well as a bookshop that is dedicated to books about photography, film and video. Their exhibitions are free but donations are welcomed. Artwork submissions are also welcomed, however, their exhibitions are not programmed through submissions. Their involvement with the community includes offering public event and art education programs, allowing for people from all walks of life to experience and visit the gallery space. They also organize national and international tours of exhibitions as well as produce publications.

A bit about the building:

The Presentation House Gallery in North Vancouver was built in 1902 and once was a police station and a temporary City Hall until 1976. It is also a building for the North Vancouver Museum as well as the Presentation House Theatre. They are currently working in collaboration with the City of North Vancouver Council to build a new home for the Gallery since the original building is in decline and no longer has sufficient space for the exhibits. The Council has provided strong financial support for the 15 million dollar project, since the space is meant to become a cultural hub and gathering spot for the community as well as the re-building of the Lonsdale Waterfront. This new space is called the Polygon Gallery, designed by the BC firm Patkau Architects, and it will be a 23-thousand square foot facility which will include the following: exhibit space, a café and wine bar, educational space, public event rental space, bookstore and gift shop, retail shops, and a waterfront walkway and public plaza for outdoor events such as performances and movie screenings. This will be great for us as well, thanks to its much more accessible layout as well as diverse space to feature more artworks.

This is the PHG now:

This is what the new Polygon Gallery will look like:

For more images of the Polygon Gallery click here:

http://11793f24g1u01dudro46yewj.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/PHG_ArchImagesContactSheet.pdf

Current update:

PHG is currently having an exhibition called Screens and Thresholds, which will runs from October 7th to December 4th of this year. It is a collaborative exhibition curated by Raymond Boisjoly that features five artists (Scott Benesiinaabandan, Tricia Livingston, Mike MacDonald, Karthik Pandian, Postcommodity, Krista Belle Stewart) with works that examine the “anxieties and possibilities in visualizing cultural knowledge”, and its fluid transfer of knowledge. Gallery hours are Wednesday to Sunday from 12 to 5 pm.

Here is a downloadable information/summary page I made for PHG:

phg-handout-info

As I mentioned in my previous post, our meeting lasted for a brief, but pleasant, 5 minutes so since I travelled all the way to North Van, I took the opportunity to check out the exhibition they had set up. It is a really simple and clean exhibition with a huge poster installation on the whole wall at the back of the gallery as well as photography work, a video and sculpture display, and a room with full-projections of the slaughtering and butchering of a grown sheep. (It was extremely graphic.)

They also had a exhibition brochure that I feel is a bit more personable since the descriptions were created from the collaboration of the artists and curator and included more in-depth comments:

For the brochure without the hand modelling click here:

http://3svrcu1ovyit1v3vc71yyuw0b49.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Exhibition-Brochure.pdf

Here are some images I took of a few of the works (I did not include the videos because I believe they are much more powerful and meaningful when seen in person – especially the sheep one since it was depicting a practice in such a raw, ruthless, and gory way):

The first official appointment was set for October 17th but Diane got really sick so it was cancelled but I didn’t find out in time so I still ended up going. Diane was not there and no one else really knew enough to teach me how to catalogue so I was left to my own devices. They did have the computer this time which was great and from then on I just figured things out as I went along scanning and organizing their books. I think this experience was good for training me to adapt to different situations and finding ways to work things out. I think this is an important skill to hone because dealing with unexpected situations happens often in the “real” art world as I imagine. I managed to finish cataloguing a section of the shelf of books they had (they have so many books and magazines). After that day, I think I might have gotten the sickness from the office and got really sick and couldn’t work on Thursday. (Thankfully, the partnership is forgiving as there are no deadlines or rush needed!) Looking forward to the coming week!

My partnership with the Presentation House Gallery (PHG) will consist of me cataloguing and organizing their archives. I have no prior experience with cataloguing archives but I believe it to be a very straightforward task.

My first meeting with the PHG Gallery Manager , Diane Evans, was on October 12th, where I warmly welcomed. Our meeting lasted around 5 minutes since she could not find the computer for cataloging and the team was still so busy with fine-tuning the set up of their new exhibition,  Screens and Thresholds.  It’s totally understandable because I imagine the setting up of installations to be quite chaotic as it reaches the deadline. I went to check out the exhibition as well so it was still worth the trip!

Screens and Thresholds Exhibition: http://presentationhousegallery.org/exhibition/screens-and-thresholds/

We discuss briefly and her main tasks for me include the following:

• Catalogue the archives
• Organize the books after everything has been catalogued and scanned
• Work at the gallery on Mondays and Thursdays from 2 – 5 pm weekly (around 6 hours per week)

There is no tight schedule set since cataloguing is a straightforward task that can be done over a longer period of time. There is no set expectation beside the completion of my task. This is very interesting to me because I am used to having some type of deadline or “push” to be in place but there is none of that for this partnership. I was told it was best to go with the flow of the workspace and in a sense I am experiencing the “go right into it rather than having a plan” type of job. I think this could be interesting as I would be most likely working individually surrounded by the other staff who are focused on their own tasks. In a sense, I need to instil an internal deadline and motivation into myself for this task which is a good challenge for me as I am usually reliant on external motivation rather than pushing myself with internal motivation. Our main mode of communication and exchanging feedback would be through VIA weekly or bi-weekly emails.

My main goal for this would be to catalogue their whole archive by the end of the partnership and do it well myself without relying too much on their help – to be more independent and well versed in my own tasks.