Sharing a culture through art: The Rooms launches N.L. art history book
Book a celebration of art community while pondering what future may hold, says curator
The release of Future Possible: An Art History of Newfoundland and Labrador has been a long time coming for Mireille Eagan, contemporary art curator at The Rooms in St. John's. She says it's also been a long time coming for Newfoundland and Labrador.
"There are articles that have been written, encyclopedia articles, there are websites dedicated to Newfoundland and Labrador art history, but this is the first major book," Eagan told CBC Radio's Weekend AM. "It's wonderful to be able to do it."
According to Eagan, Future Possible is the first time an N.L. art history book has been released. It's the spinoff of two exhibitions, launched in 2018 and 2019, that showcased a wide range of visual art created in Newfoundland and Labrador.
"What we wanted to do was look at, what are the stories that we tell ourselves as a province, through visual objects, through words that inform … and also how we share ourselves with the rest of the world. And within that, where are we going?" she said.
Eagan said the book comes at a time of uncertainty, with lower oil prices helping to put the province's economy in a dire position. The book's title is a term coined by comedian and storyteller Andy Jones.
"Future possible, possibly horrible," she explained.
"You always prepare for the worst, and I think the fact that with COVID [and] economic uncertainty, there's a feeling of uncertainty, really. Is there a way to change a story? Is there a way to fail better? Is there a way for us to change the story? There really isn't an answer in the book to that, but it is the question posed: how can we move forward?"
The book features 180 pieces of art, ranging from new and veteran artists across the province. It also features writing from storytellers like Jones and Lisa Moore, who Eagan said help showcase the different forms of art the province has brought to the world.
"This was a real opportunity to bring in prominent, thoughtful voices from diverse backgrounds to look at the stories that inform us as a culture.
"It's impossible to write a comprehensive history. So instead of being encyclopedic, what it asks are 'what are the different stories that can exist and what are the different forms of stories that can exist?"
With the book being the first of its kind in the province, Eagan said she sees now as the best time to release the book as it serves as a celebration of the Newfoundland and Labrador art community while pondering what the future might hold.
"Now we have one of the highest per capita ratios of artists in the country, particularly in Labrador. And that's amazing," she said. "Now is the time that we are able to do something like this, to celebrate how vibrant this community is."
With files from Weekend AM