PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

Tours

Public Guided tours led by knowledgeable docents continue to be offered on Sundays at 2pm and 3pm. The tours of 1015 people cover both the Permanent Collection and the Special Exhibitions.

Private Guided Docent Tours continued to be popular throughout the year. Some notable groups that joined Dr. Curtis Collins included: The Canada–France Inter-Parliamentary Association, Tax and Trust Legacy Lawyers, The Pemberton Museum, Dempsey Bob’s Family, Art Horizon International, RMOW, The Canadian Institute of Planners, as well as Master Indigenous artists from New Zealand, Hawaii, the continental USA and the Coast of British Columbia.

TNT: Season 3 took place from January 11 until February 22, 2022, and was sponsored by Susan Roop. Artists featured from the Permanent Collection included Levi Nelson, Reece Terris, Andrew Dadson, Sonny Assu, Vikky Alexander, Stephen Waddell, and Russna Kaur.

Through the generous contributions of Alan Bell and Ola Dunin-Bell, the After-School Art program was initiated and combines a tour of one section of the Permanent Collection with an in-studio art-making session. The focus of the tour is to familiarize children (grades K-5) with the collection and discuss the broader context of the art and art-making techniques.

The program continues to run on the first and third Thursday of each month. The themes explored have been:

1. The Dance Screen, James Hart: Animals and Environmental Preservation

1. James Hart: Animals & Environmental Preservation

2. 20th century First Nations Masks: The Supernatural World

2. 20th century First Nations Masks: The Supernatural World

3. Wolves: The Art of Dempsey Bob

3. Wolves: The Art of Dempsey Bob

4. Emily Carr: Fauvism, Style, and Watercolour

5. EJ Hughes: Nostalgia, BC Coastal Landscape, & Realism

4. Emily Carr: Fauvism, Style, and Watercolour

5. EJ Hughes: Nostalgia, BC Costal Landscape, and Realism

6. Shadbolt, Smith, & Tanabe: Colour, Abstract, & Landscape

7. Out of Control: The Concrete Art of Skateboarding

6. Shadbolt, Smith, and Tanabe: Colour, Abstract, and Educational Tours

In the fall of 2022, the AAM welcomed schools from the Sea-to-Sky Corridor, the Sunshine Coast, and the Lower Mainland. The school tour design has been updated to include ideas of cultural difference.

The programming offered to students in grades K-7 focused on the Art of BC Through Storytelling and Transformation. For students in grades 7-12, the program focused on time, place and memory through regional art. Each tour included a studio activity as well as optional pre-activities and post-activities for reflection.

Two unique scavenger hunts were created for young children and are now available to the public as selfguided, supplemental information about the Permanent Collection. In the coming year, two more will be created for older children, who will be learning about the principles of art and design and artistic context and movements demonstrated throughout the collection. The goal of these materials is to encourage children of all ages to examine the details of the collection, noting the animals, natural landscapes, and materials.

In an effort to give kids ownership of their behaviours in the Museum, a Junior Security Training Program has been designed where children can review safety protocols. They will receive an “Audain Art Museum Junior Security” badge once they review and sign-off on the check-list of acceptable behaviours and safety protocols.

Alta + Audain: Fine Dining Art Experience

For the third year in a row, the Museum has teamed up with Alta Bistro to showcase the excellence of British Columbia through visual and culinary arts respectively. This open-air, four-course dinner series beneath the stunning architecture of the 56,000 square foot building designed by Vancouver-based firm Patkau Architects, featured a paired menu with works and themes from the Special Exhibitions, Wolves: The Art of Dempsey Bob, and Out of Control: The Concrete Art of Skateboarding. The Friday night offering took place throughout the summer to sold-out attendances. Nine dedicated docents hosted over 900 guests for tours of the Permanent Collection and the Special Exhibitions.

Wolves: The Art of Dempsey Bob Community Selfie Challenge! Guests were encouraged to take selfies with works in the exhibition for a chance to win gift certificates, catalogues, and memberships. This initiative sparked a week of fun engagement with the exhibition and created entertaining social media content from the public.

On August 14, the final day of the Special Exhibition, Wolves: The Art of Dempsey Bob, the AAM hosted a tasting of Tantalus Wines in conjunction with a tour of Dempsey Bob’s works. Local wine expert and celebrity server, Rich Budd, led a discussion on the Tantalus 2021 Rosé, Riesling and Pinot Noir wines which preceded a tour with Director & Chief Curator, Dr. Curtis Collins and Engagement & Volunteer Manager, Elyse Feaver.

Community Event Featuring Works by Raphaël Zarka

An activation of French artist, Raphaël Zarka’s Paving Space, a series of modular sculptures built out of douglas fir by Van Urban Timber, were installed at the Whistler Racket Club for skateboarders to try out before the sculptures were installed in the upcoming Out of Control: The Concrete Art of Skateboarding exhibition. Unique marks that were created by skateboarders that day became part of the creative process to complete the sculptures. This free, community event featured a pop-up Museum Shop, food & beverage and a DJ. It was an amazing opportunity for individual participants and local skateboard clubs to explore art and enjoy skateboarding.

Opening events for the Out of Control exhibition included a Supporters’ Private Dinner, Founders and VIP Reception, and Members’ Opening with artists in attendance. The Public Opening saw Patrik Andersson and Natalie Porter signing catalogues with exhibiting artists in attendance, and a presentation with Amir Zaki discussing his project Empty Vessel, the California Concrete book, and his new survey monograph, Building + Becoming. In addition to the opening events, an Industry Party was held to familiarize the hospitality and industry workers with the Out of Control exhibition.

A Circle Members’ Event was held on September 30, 2022, featuring a panel discussion with exhibiting artists, Christian Huizenga and Hannah Dubois; Olympian and community activist, Spencer O’Brien; and Out of Control Guest Curator, Patrik Andersson. The discussion was based around the shift in skateboard culture and how athletes and artists are helping to build up communities and promote inclusivity.