Holiday Reading: Eighties Retro
“I, Vancouver” by Arthur Perry, Canadian Art, Winter 1984
Holidays are always busy, but if we’re lucky they’re often a time to reflect on the past through photographs, stories and shared memories. This year, the holidays have inspired Canadian Art to assemble a special reading online package from its extensive archives. The focus, as the nightclub DJs of today might say, is “eighties retro”: work from 25 years ago that remains nostalgic for some and excitingly new for others. Whatever your age or perspective, there’s some gems of old photographs and quotations you won’t want to miss.
“I, Vancouver” by Arthur Perry
Canadian Art, Winter 1984
Before photoconceptualism hit it big, Vancouver was known for its particularly lively downtown art scene. This article by critic Arthur Perry offers vibrant images of I, Braineater as well as reminiscences of the Montgomery Café, the then-focal point of Vancouver’s artists, critics and bohemian contingent.
“Tales from the Cameron” by Hans Werner
Canadian Art, Winter 1985
In this article, writer Hans Werner looks at the storied stages of the Cameron House, an artist-adopted pub and hostel that continues to play a key part in Toronto’s art culture. Highlights include a photo spread of 80s regulars like actor Graham Greene, playwright Michael Hollingsworth and artist Pauline Choi lined up against the Cameron’s colourful graffiti murals.
“Roots, Rejections and Rewards in Calgary” by Nancy Tousley
Canadian Art, Fall 1986
The subtitle for this story is “Now as ever, artists in the Stampede City find what fails to kill them makes them stronger.” Harsh words for a more art-focused art city today, but it’s what locals John Will, Chris Cran, Caroll Moppett, Mary Scott, Ron Moppett and John Hall then had to say about the city. Portraits of these key Calgary art figures round out an extensive look at the founding of art culture in a pioneer metropolis.
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