Adopt a Painting
February 16th, 2024, to March 16th, 2024
project room gallery
Article written by Paul Crawford
-
The Penticton Art Gallery's Adopt a Painting Program is a pivotal force in the recent growth of our Permanent Collection. Despite the majority of artworks in our collection being acquired through donations, this initiative has emerged as a dynamic catalyst for securing significant pieces through crowdsourced fundraising efforts. Our selection process undergoes a comprehensive evaluation to ensure that each acquisition not only enhances the depth of our collection but also strategically addresses gaps, thereby enriching the overall significance of our gallery holdings.
Our initial success in this endeavor materialized with the acquisition of a pivotal canvas from 1965 by the late Brian Fisher (1939-2012), titled "Labyrinth." Sourced from the Francine Seders Collection and acquired through the Greg Kucera Gallery in Seattle, Washington, this purchase not only added a major work to our collection but also paved the way for a substantial donation of additional pieces by Brian Fisher. This has not only augmented our representation of the artist but also significantly enhanced our contemporary art holdings.
Continuing this momentum, we seized an extraordinary opportunity last summer when presented with a remarkable collection by the late Noll Colin Derriksan (Toussowasket) (1940-2020). With financial support from Nancy Schmidt, honoring her mother, Verna Schreiber (McLean) (1935-2023), we acquired fifteen paintings and prints from an American collection. Subsequently, we've received five more essential prints, solidifying our position as the largest public repository of this significant Indigenous artist's work.
Our latest success stems from the aftermath of last summer's exhibition featuring the art of Shizuye Takashima (1928-2005). The estate of Sharon Irvine (1943–2022) from Thunder Bay reached out to us, expressing interest in us acquiring a major canvas by the artist. Sharon, a beloved high school English teacher, held a deep connection with Takashima's work. As an educator, she often incorporated Joy Kogawa's novel "Obasan" and Shizuye Takashima's book, "A Child in Prison Camp," into her teachings to delve into the Japanese Canadians' internment experience. This painting held great significance for Sharon and resonates on multiple levels with overarching goals and will significantly enrich our collection and provide an important educational tool moving forward.
Shortly after we were approached about the Takashima acquisition, we had the opportunity to purchase for our collection a piece by Jesse Faunt (ca. 1886-1971), entitled "Daisies" painted in 1940. Painted in the aftermath of the First World War, and in the throes of the Second, this painting unfortunately and currently has significant meaning and we are honoured to have the opportunity to add it to our every growing collection, particularly of Female British Columbian artists.
Shizuye Takashima (1928 - 2005)
Warrior, 1963
Oil on linen 46” x 36”
About Shizuke Takashima:
Shizuye Takashima, was born on June 12, 1928, in Vancouver, British Columbia, faced early health challenges as the youngest of six children to Senji and Teru Fujiwara Takashima. Known as 'Shichan,' her life took a drastic turn in 1941 when her family, among 22,000 other Japanese Canadians, was forcibly relocated to internment camps during World War II. Three years at the Orchard Internment Camp in New Denver, BC, followed, marking a chapter now memorialized at the Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre.
Post-war, Shizuye moved to Hamilton, Ontario, balancing roles as a domestic servant and pursuing art studies at Central Tech in Toronto. Deepening her passion, she furthered her education at the Ontario College of Art, establishing herself as one of the leading Nisei painters in Canada by the late1950s. Nisei, (Japanese for “secondgeneration”) refers to the son or daughter of Japanese immigrants who was born and raised in Canada.
Despite the passage of time, memories of Orchard Camp lingered for Shizuye. Thirty years later, she channeled those experiences into her award-winning book, "A Child in Prison Camp" (1971), a pioneering work on the forced removal of Japanese Canadians. The book faced controversy but left an enduring impact, garnering awards, international recognition, and even a musical adaptation in Tokyo. In the 1980s, Shizuye supported the Redress movement and illustrated Adele Wiseman's "Kenji and the Cricket" (1988). She taught at the Ontario College of Art from 1976 to 1994, continuing her global studies and integrating spiritual practices into her art.
After her retirement, Shizuye returned to Vancouver's west coast, passing away in 2005. Her legacy lives on through her books many of which are still in print, her illustrations, and an expanding list of retrospective exhibitions. Additionally, her work is prominently featured in the public collections of many significant institutions including the National Gallery of Canada, Burnaby Art Galley, Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre and the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Jesse Faunt (1886 - 1971)
Daisies, 1940
Oil on canvas
Note: This piece was exhibited as part of the Vancouver Art Gallery's 9th Annual B.C. Artists Exhibition September 20 - October 13, 1940 and was mentioned in a review of the exhibition in the Vancouver Sun.
About Jesse Faunt:
Jesse Faunt was born in Doncaster, England circa 1886. She was a pupil at the Doncaster School of Art before arriving in B.C., and then attended the Vancouver School of Art and the shortlived B.C. College of Arts, as well as studying at the University of Chicago.
She was listed as an Active Member in the 1925 B.C. Art League List of Members.
She won a First Honourable Mention at the B.C. Artists annual exhibition in 1937. She "conducted a series of lectures on art in Jamaica, B.W.I., 1917 and 1918". She was later Head of the Art Department at Point Grey Junior High School, Vancouver, B.C.
She donated artwork to an FCA fundraising exhibition for the Canadian Red Cross at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1942.
In 1945 Faunt was selected to be the first Docent at the Vancouver Art Gallery, after a short competition for the job. Two other contenders for the position were the wives of Charles H. Scott and Jack Shadbolt, and both men resigned from the VAG's Education Committee in protest of Faunt's selection. Scott later wrote the gallery asking them to rescind his request for resignation from the Committee, although "without altering my stand over the recent Docent appointment ..." (letter to Ross Lort Nov. 15 1946). Shadbolt's letter of protest against Faunt's appointment claimed that he had no faith in either the selection committee, or in the ability of Faunt "to fulfil the position with even ordinary adequacy." (letter to Ross Lort, Nov. 9 1946). Faunt proved to be an excellent Docent, and wrote a lengthy report after the first year of holding the position, detailing the program's successes. She was on a list titled "Leading Vancouver Artists," provided to the Labour Arts Guild on April 10, 1946 by the Vancouver Art Gallery to assist in the Guild's call for entries to the second annual B.C. At Work exhibition.
She was a founding member of the West Vancouver Sketch Club in 1947, and continued as a member until her death. She donated a sum of money to the Sketch Club in appreciation of the Club's efforts over the years, and at a membership meeting in spring 1961 it was decided to use the money to create the Jessie Faunt pin, to be awarded annually to a Sketch Club member (or members) who had "showed valuable outstanding service beyond requirements of regular membership". The pin was still being awarded in 2003. Jesse Faunt died in Victoria, B.C. in 1971 at the age of eighty-five.
