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Joan Stebbins: Laframboise, and a Lethbridge Love Letter

Though a summer programming slump is now in sleep-inducing effect at many museums and galleries across Canada, the Southern Alberta Art Gallery in Lethbridge keeps going strong. This summer the little-gallery-that-could is featuring a solo show by Quebec artist Marie-Josée Laframboise and a thoughtful group exhibition of Yvonne Lammerich, Jean van Wijk and Nicholas Wade.

In short, it’s the kind of summer program Joan Stebbins has led for over 20 years as the SAAG’s full-time curator. Yet it is also one of her last in that capacity. Since stepping down from the SAAG’s top curating job this winter, Stebbins has been taking a well-deserved rest, coordinating exhibits and projects on a freelance basis and thinking about what comes next. As the Order of Canada member tells Leah Sandals in this recent email exchange, one thing’s for sure: she’ll never retire from loving art—or, for that matter, loving Lethbridge.

Joan Stebbins with Janet Cardiff and George Bures-Miller, Lethbridge, 2006 / photo Luke Stebbins

LS: Why did you bring Marie-Josée Laframboise to the SAAG?

JS: I have been following her work for a number of years. I thought her sculpture would be an interesting adjunct to the architecturally based exhibition (“Common Ground,” with Yvonne Lammerich, Jean van Wijk and Nicholas Wade) that I was planning in the same time slot for our larger gallery space. I knew her net installation would look spectacular in the upper gallery with its clerestory windows and natural light.

LS: What do you think is so interesting about Laframboise’s work? When and how did you first encounter it?

JS: Marie-Josée is basically a landscape artist, but she works three-dimensionally. For her net installation, she studies topographical maps of the region in which she is showing, and then installs her netting to reflect some of that. But, of course, that is just one part of her practice. I first saw her sculpture in 2001 in “Point de chute,” an exhibition Louise Déry curated for Galerie de l’UQAM. In retrospect, it was a brilliant curatorial stroke on her part: she presented five young Montreal artists who have since become rather well known; along with Marie-Josée, there was the work of David Altmejd, Jérôme Fortin, Raphaëlle de Groot and Manuela Lalic.

Marie-Josée Laframboise Points d’inflexion et de rebroussement 2 [Points of Inflection and Reflection 2] 2008 Installation view, Southern Alberta Art Gallery

LS: What does the installation in the SAAG consist of?

JS: In 2003 Marie-Josée participated in a residency and exhibition, “Within/Without,” at Kunstraum Dornbirn in Austria. She was struck by the pale green netting they used there to protect their trees, so she purchased a continuous 40-metre length of the fabric which is 6 metres wide. She completed her first net installation there and has done a number of them since; even one in the space of her then-Montreal dealer Pierre-François Ouellette. SAAG’s exhibition is lit entirely by natural light, therefore light becomes part of the piece; the work changes by the hour. She is using the architecture of the gallery space to contain her net; the combination offers a rare opportunity to the viewer. I like to think of her “casting the net”; that’s very Canadian. She has used only 30 metres of her net for our installation; the remainder is coiled on the floor of the gallery space.

LS: Will the show travel?

JS: SAAG is partnering with the Musée de Joliette on a publication in which Marie-Josée’s installation will be documented, but I don’t think they are including that work in their exhibition next May; in any case, it is totally site-specific, so it wouldn’t be the same work. I’m sure anyone interested in hosting the net installation could contact Marie-Josée. It’s sort of “have net; will travel.”

LS: You recently did a show of Shary Boyle’s work with a substantial catalogue. What convinced you it was time for a publication like that for this artist?

JS: SAAG is interested in documenting exhibitions with a publication. This is often achieved by partnering with another institution. In Shary’s case, it was Conundrum Press in Montreal. The publication was already in the works when we invited Shary to exhibit. Rather than strike out on our own, we were pleased to be able to contribute to a really superb publishing project. The book is amazing and we are proud to be part of it.

Shary Boyle The Clearances 2007 Detail

LS: Since when have you followed Boyle’s practice? What drew you to it in the first place?

JS: I drop by all of the major commercial galleries when I am in Toronto. Aside from the work on display, there is a lot of stuff in the back areas that you can look at and I enjoy talking with the dealers. In an odd way, I think I’ve learned more from this process in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver than by going to institutional exhibitions (which of course I also do). When Jessica Bradley opened her gallery a few years ago, she let me know of a number of young artists that excited her; Shary was one of them; I did a studio visit and she just blew me away. Here’s somebody that spent three years learning to work with porcelain and mastered the art of lace-draping. Her subversive porcelain work is brilliant. But…she also does incredible paintings, drawings, zines, projections and performance. I can’t believe her national profile is so low; but that’s very Canadian too, isn’t it?

LS: You’ve just retired from full-time work at the SAAG. What were some of your favourite moments working as a curator there or elsewhere? (I suspect this Laframboise show might be one of them, but I'm sure there were others…)

JS: I worked at SAAG for 28 years; for me there was value in staying with one institution. I’ve seen a lot of art and done hundreds of studio visits; by the time I invited artists to show, I was totally committed to them and their work. I didn’t really curate in the traditional sense, as I believe in the judgment of the artist and we worked it out together. So, for me, your question is like asking a mother which of her children she likes best. I will say that I am particularly attracted to artists who reflect something back to us about where we are and who we are. We are located in a spectacular part of the country. I have often invited artists to interpret that for us from their own point of view. Marie-Josée Laframboise is one of those.

LS: What's your take on the programs now springing up across the country to train curators of contemporary art? What was your own training like in comparison?

JS: These often emphasize theory; I think practice is the real teacher. I have a degree in studio art and was lucky to have a wonderful mentor at SAAG in Alf Bogusky; it was all very practical, but enormously inspiring. Somewhere in there, I learned that looking at work was of paramount importance; I have looked at work continually across Canada and abroad for many years. New York’s art museums provide a wonderful glimpse into beautifully curated exhibitions that really privilege the work of the artist; that’s always been a model for me.

Shary Boyle A selection of acetate drawings, paper cut-outs and coloured gels used during various live performances 2001–7 Detail / photo David MC Miller

LS: What are you looking forward to doing now that you are no longer committed full time to a gallery? (Curating independently? Travelling? Enjoying life at home?)

JS: I would love to do a show of young painters; it seems to me that painting is rearing its head once again. I think teachers such as Eleanor Bond in Montreal and many others are turning out these really accomplished new artists. It reminds me of when I started curating in the 1980s; wonderful installation artists were coming out of NSCAD, OCA and ACA; I believe it was because of the teaching. Yes, travelling is on the agenda. The Sharjah Biennial is next on my list. My youngest son and family are presently living there. Life at home is a priority; I have a huge cookbook collection that requires curating and a partner that needs a bit of attention, too. I also have my ongoing dinner table of visiting artists.

LS: What have you most enjoyed about working in Southern Alberta? And least?

JS: Well, this does seem to be a very isolated and weird place to work; however, it has its benefits. One is the fantastic natural environment that we encounter every day; the light quality here is amazing, I often sit for hours watching it play out on the landscape. Artists who come here to work tell others about that and soon everyone wants to come! Another benefit is the small but totally supportive arts community; the presence of the University of Lethbridge has played a large role in our success. SAAG has also been blessed with many committed board members who have a vision larger than location. Other than that, what can I say? We have a terrific airport that gets me out and gets me back. Where else in the world would they have your boarding pass ready before you’ve reached the check-in counter! Just one of the benefits of living in this great place. (Don’t tell anybody!) I can’t think of one single “least.”

The Southern Alberta Art Gallery, Lethbridge

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