Welcome to The Debbie Show: Receptionist putting on exhibit at Confederation Centre

Debbie Muttart has been a friendly presence behind the reception desk at the Confederation Centre Art Gallery in Charlottetown for almost 25 years, but now she's stepping into the spotlight.

Muttart, who has seen about 400 exhibits come through the gallery over the years, was "flabbergasted" and "flattered" when she was asked to pick her favourite pieces for a new gallery exhibit called The Debbie Show: View from the Desk.

"I know every one of them by heart," Muttart told CBC Radio: Mainstreet P.E.I. host Matt Rainnie of the artworks in the exhibit. "It's going to be a good one, I think!"  

She's known for encouraging anyone walking by or peeking in the door to come in and have a look around — stressing art galleries are for everyone, from young children to elderly patrons. 

She loves to chat with them about what pieces are their favourites and why, and educate them on the history of the pieces, which she researches enthusiastically.

"There's tons of people from all over the world come here and ask me questions — like I'm a fountain!" Muttart said. 

She has learned not only about history and styles of art, but has had the privilege of getting to know many artists from around the world in person and through their work.

Focus on nature

And The Debbie Show is eclectic.

It includes an entire wall of portraits of dogs — 47 to be exact — by Canadian photographer Shari Hatt, one of the first shows "that really stuck with me," said Muttart. She's a big fan of dogs, she said, and always has a hound she's adopted from the local pound.

Another of her favourites is a painting of the Yankee Gale of 1851, a famous storm in the Gulf of St. Lawrence along P.E.I.'s North Shore that wrecked dozens of ships, many of them fishing schooners from New England working in the area. At least 160 crew members died, and many of them are buried in the cemetery by the Cape Tryon lighthouse in French River.

"All the Americans lost their lives, and all the Prince Edward Islanders went out to try to save them, and they lost all their lives — it just meant a lot, cause I'm from up that way," Muttart said. 

She also picked some Group of Seven paintings — "I just like the colour, when they're up in the range where the mountains are."

Muttart dedicates her show to the memory of her father, Ronnie MacLean Sr., who taught her to love nature.

"I learned to fish, hunt — and we loved animals," she said. "My father meant so much to me, very much. He's been passed now quite a few years. And I just loved him." 

Into the vault

For the display, Muttart worked with co-curators Jill McRae and Andrew Cairns to choose some of her favourites from the gallery's own collection.

McRae says the idea for The Debbie Show came up during a weekly meeting when staff talked about how they enjoy working in the gallery because they get to overhear Muttart's enthusiastic interactions with gallery patrons.

They pitched the idea to Debbie, who loved it. Then began the process of choosing from thousands of works in the centre's collection.

"I very much agree with Debbie's taste, so the pieces that she's chosen I love," said McRae. 

"We have a good collection of sort of older pieces, as well as some new stuff that we haven't shown before," she said, noting Muttart went down into the centre's art vault, something she doesn't normally get to do. 

'Eye for colour'

Co-curator Cairns helped bring Muttart's choices together in cohesive groupings. 

"She's got a real eye for colour," Cairns said. "A lot of the pieces, they're different but they still have a 'Debbie' touch — as she was saying, she really loves nature and animals." 

Muttart emphasized to the curators that she wanted the show to be welcoming.

"I feel the pieces really reflect that — make you feel good in the gallery!" Cairns said. 

'I know what I like'

Many of Muttart's choices are female artists including Lindee Climo and Aganetha Dyck.

"I like strong women in art," Muttart said. 

There's a sculpture by Island artist Sarah Saunders, "such a delicate person, yet she's a strong artist and I like that," Muttart said. 

"My life is a very, very good life," she said, adding working at the centre is her dream job. "I've learned so much!" She said she plans to work at the gallery "until they take me out feet first, probably." 

The Debbie Show can be viewed at the gallery in the Confederation Centre of the Arts until April 12. Admission is free. 

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