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| Arthur Erickson at the inauguration of the VAG 15 October 1983 - my photograph |
I ask people on the street and even friends the following questions:
1. Who heads the Vancouver Art Gallery? – nobody seems to know
2. Who heads the Maritime Museum? Nobody knows and few have gone there in the last 10 years.
3. Where is the Morris and Helen Belkin Gallery? No answer.
4. Who heads the Museum of Anthropology? No answer.
5. When was the last time you went to the Contemporary Art Gallery? Few have gone.
6. What and where is MOV? Few know the answer.
7. Where is the Bill Reid Gallery? Most are not aware that there is one.
8. Who is the Musical Director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra? About 2% know the answer.
9. What is the Turning Point Ensemble (they have been around 20 years)? Few know or know that it is based in the lovely basement hall of the Simon Fraser Downtown Campus.
10. Where is the Telus Theatre? Nobody seems to know that it is within the Chan Centre.
I tell all the people who do not know the above answers that it is not their fault. It is the fault of the institutions.
Years ago the head of the Maritime Museum, Jim Delgado (and American) would have lunchtime meetings with the American head of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Brooks Joyner (now deceased). They would discuss joint shows. I believe Americans know how to promote art institutions.
I think that with the demise of good Vancouver journalism, the culture content of CBC Radio is down as they must report the city and lower mainland news. We need to know about that bridge traffic. Culturally CBC Radio has Ideas, Reclaimed and The Debaters (they get away with lots because it is comedy. They discuss stuff that does not make it anywhere else).
When Vancouver had the CBC Radio Orchestra I would go to many of the concerts at Studio One. The sound was so good that I asked the man in charge, George Laverock (married to Jane Coop) to tell me about it. He said that there was not better sound studio in all of Canada and that it only competed with one in LA. I asked the the architect Paul Merrick (who designed the CBC and won a Governor General's Award for it). In a long email he explained the why. Now Studio One is used for Storage. Add to that, my favourite Merrick-designed skylights have been removed.
The Densification of Paul Merrick's CBC
Furthermore Vancouver has become a tokenone-beautiful-building-place - The Marine Building. But what of what at one time was the most beautiful Mondrian inspired building in the world? The Dal Grauer Substation was designed by architect Ned Pratt & artist B.C. Binning
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| Photograph by Dal Jones |
Our high-ceiling Main Post Office where I would go to see if I could spot clouds up there has been virtually destroyed by Amazon. And what happened to those lovely steel postal boxes?
Anybody who has gotten this far will understand my frustration on how culture is disappearing in Vancouver. For at least 20 years clarinetist Gene Ramsbottom planned and hosted noon concerts at the Vancouver Art Gallery. I discovered young and very good musicians there.
I believe that as people age (I am 83) we disdain large concert halls. Pyatt Hall and the Orpheum Annex are perfect in size. The Queen Elizabeth Theatre and the Chan are, I think, white elephants.
Arthur Erickson built the lovely Vancouver Dance Centre on Davie and Granville. The only remaining dance company there is the Karen Jamieson Company as Ballet BC moved to Granville Island. Few might remember that Jamieson was one of the first choreographers to blend modern dance with Indigenous dance.
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| Karen Jamieson |
I asked a prominent announcer of CBC Radio if they would want to do an interview with Don Stewart about Macleod’s Books. I told the announcer that not only was this book store a Vancouver jewel it was also a Canadian one. Stewart has four stores for his books which amount to about 300,000. The answer was, “My producers are not interested.”
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| Don Stewart |
Macleod's Books
My friend Neil Wedman in 1986 had a one-man show at the Vancouver Art Gallery of the largest pastels anybody had ever seen. Artist Richard Tetrault is a prolific muralist who has some of the most wonderful views of our Vancouver port. Tiko Kerr I must believe hardly sleeps as he is a non-stop artist. On June 9 photographer Alan Jacques died via MAID. He was one of the best b+w street photographers this city ever had. How many know of Fred Schiffer who I can state was the best Vancouver photographer of the 20th century? I could go on. This city has no memory for its past or its artistic path.
To me it seems that poetry has disappeared in Vancouver. I have long chats every week on the phone with Canada's First Poet Laureate, George Bowering who is going to be 90 in December. I also chat with Belfast- born George McWhirter who was Vancouver's first Poet Laureate. As a professor at UBC many learned to be good writers. They are ignored now but they will be adored once they are gone.
George Bowering
George McWhirter
And finally I will place here (again) the manifesto by architect Abraham Rogatnick (he died 28 August 2009 who had an intelligent opinion on why the VAG should stay put. I believe that part of the reason for the deadening of the VAG is that Robson Square is moribund. I used to go to many lectures at the Judge White Theatre there. Many that went were Counsellor Gordon Price, Arthur Erickson and Abraham Rogatnick. What happened? The taking over of Robson Square by the University of British Columbia was the final straw. The active restaurants there and the crowds are now gone.
One of the pleasures of going to the VAG at one time was to go to the upstairs cafeteria. The staff was friendly and the food was good. Now it is a SERIOUS restaurant. The charm is gone.
Here is Abraham Rogatnick’s manifesto. It is a link to my blog with it.
Manifesto for the VAG to Stay Put
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| Abraham Rogatnick |
