It started with zip ties.

Henry silently created knotty concoctions on his hands.

I thought they were meant to be playful faux weapons.

But Henry had other plans.

He pointed to the painting he made the week before and the new cans of paint I scrounged up.

The plastic hand weapons were actually self made paint applicators.

Henry started adding to the painting he made last week…the one I thought was so beautifully complete.

For the next hour Henry re-imagined his entire painting.

Using mostly his DIY applicators and other strange objects to scrape and scour the paint.

Then he completed the work with a roller.

I was speechless at his frenetic painting style and the re-visioned work.

And then Henry started to talk to me for the first time.

He took my hand, turned around to the opposite wall and walked us over to Amelies wallwork.

“Thats good.” Henry said.

Following that sweet moment Henry bustled around the materials room with a hammer in hand.

He was visibly hyper.

He eventually grabbed some chalk and a piece of 2×4.

For the next 30 minutes he smashed away, watching how chalk dust rise and fall on the board.

I’ve got some healthy destructive art making plans for Henry next week!

Stay tuned…..

grunt gallery is excited to announce a new youth arts engagement project entitled, gruntCraft

The project uses the popular computer game Minecraft as a tool and studio to create new and incredible structures in a virtual world. Youth participants will be mentored by professional artists to explore their creative processes and discover new ways to approach art making through a collaborative, online, video game environment.

Follow the development of the virtual studio by subscribing to gruntCraft’s YouTube site. As part of the studio program, youth studio members (aged 11-18) will have access to professional artists feedback and mentorship, 3D printing workshops, and opportunities to participate in studio open houses at grunt gallery.

gruntCraft will occur from July to December 2014 and is led by artist and project manager, Demian Petryshyn. Please visit gruntcraft.ca for more information and project updates.

We’re on the lookout for youth participants and volunteers.

Feel free to check out the studio server at: 50.23.129.103. If you are interested in becoming a youth studio member (aged 11-18) or would like to get involved as a volunteer, please contact Demian at gruntcraftvancouver@gmail.com or visit gruntcraft.ca for more info (coming soon).

PRESS RELEASE:

grunt gallery is the proud recipient of CAC Funding

(Vancouver, BC) – grunt gallery is pleased to announce that it has received a major cultural capital grant worth $400,000 from the Rize Alliance Cultural Amenity Contribution (CAC) fund which supports arts organizations in and adjacent to the Mount Pleasant area. This contribution will allow us to pay off our mortgage and support purchasing more space in the near future.

grunt gallery’s long history in Mount Pleasant demonstrates an operationally sustainable, non-profit arts organization that serves the surrounding Mount Pleasant area. In 1995 grunt purchased a facility in the Main Space building on East 2^nd Avenue and has continued to contribute to the cultural ecology of Mount Pleasant and Vancouver.

CAC’s funding will pay off the remainder of grunt gallery’s mortgage, which provides grunt with the incredible opportunity to begin planning facility expansion. The fund will also supply $240,000 towards the purchase of a new facility. Ultimately, this funding positions grunt gallery to look towards a bright future of new and innovative capital plans that continue to serve the Mount Pleasant community and surrounding Vancouver public.

Board Chair Laiwan said of the award:

“This is wonderful news for grunt as well as for the communities active within the Mount Pleasant area. The cultural vibrancy of this neighborhood has seen incredible growth despite shortages of affordable rental space for artists to live and work. grunt gallery has a 30-year record of welcoming and encouraging diverse and intriguing artists and practices in the local community. We have matured as an organization, ensuring we have the infrastructure and the policies to continue to serve our beloved community, particularly nurturing experimental, edgy and community-based innovations from a range of artists including First Nations artists, artists of colour, queer and performance artists, and those who employ community-engagement and relational practices. With this CAC funding, we aspire to continue serving our public with imaginative, unique and dynamic cultural programming.”

grunt gallery Program Director Glenn Alteen said:

“This donation on the eve of our 30^th anniversary is a welcome and important contribution to our infrastructure and our long-term sustainability. We appreciate this support from RIZE and the City of Vancouver towards the cultural community in the area and we thank them for this strong vote of confidence in our future. This will allow grunt to embark on a planning process around a new or expanded facility.”

GRUNT GALLERY BACKGROUNDER:

• grunt gallery was founded in 1984 and has had a long-standing relationship with the surrounding Mount Pleasant community since its inception. With projects such as the Brewery Creek Mural project (1986), and the Mount Pleasant Community Fence project (1994), and supporting the development of local theatre festivals such as Vancouver Fringe Festival, the LIVE Biennale, the PuSh Festival and much more, grunt continues to support local businesses and organizations to become a well-integrated cultural staple in the Mount Pleasant community.
• In the mid-‘90s, grunt gallery worked with local developers to build a space that provided our organization with a mortgage that was as cheap as the rent had been in the gallery’s old location. This collaboration with the developers provided grunt with the current gallery facility that they occupy today.
• In 2006, the province provided Renaissance funding for non-profit organizations to take advantage of endowment funds as long-term investments through matching funds to provide future sustainability. grunt gallery took $150,000 of their building equity to apply towards their new endowment fund, the grunt gallery Legacy Fund. Our endowment has also had the support of the Heritages Endowment Incentives Program, which has been matching our donations since 2006. Since then, $545,000 has been raised in the endowment, which has provided almost $100,000 in interest towards the operating and program costs of the organization.

Website:
https://grunt.ca/

grunt gallery Legacy Fund: https://s.vancouverfoundation.ca/GruntGalleryLegacyFund/donateonline.asp

Media Contact:
Karlene Harvey, Communications Director
karlene@grunt.ca | 604-875-9516

Download PDF: Press Release – grunt galleryis the proud recipient of CAC funding_

Solange participated in the PLAY FALL REST DANCE project last summer at Open Space Gallery.

Open Space IMAGES

The untraditional territory of delight and frustration

All the children during that residency were ‘able’.

Solange was in Vancouver with her mom and I invited her to be a guest artist in the GRUNT project.

She works swiftly, with confidence and great focus.

Working with her here magnified the stark differences between doing this project with ‘able’ children and ‘disabled’ children.

With the GRUNT group I do not notice the diagnosed disabilities of the participants.

But what is overwhelmingly noticeable are their insecurities and low confidence.

It is debilitating and the biggest challenge for them and me.

Not speaking a word, no eye contact, low inaudible talking, standing frozen in one spot, not trusting themselves to make a decision.

My message and instruction to this group of children is that there are no mistakes.

That there are no expectations to create masterpieces.

That randomness, chaos and freedom reign in this space.

Every time I work with them their voices are getting louder, smiles bigger, and they are better able to ask, with confidence, what they need assistance with.

Henry even talked to me in the last hour of our second time together.

See video of Solanges kinetic sculpture HERE

1. [Vancouver, BC] – Fountain: Artist Talk + Picnic Lunch with Laiwan and special guests. (Sat June 14)
grunt’s board member, Laiwan, is speaking at an upcoming artist talk for her new installation, the Fountain.
Add the Facebook Event.
Learn more about the Fountain project here.

2. [London, UK] The Voice and the Lens (Sun June 15)
grunt’s board member, Sepideh Saii presents ‘Behind the Scenes” at the Whitechapel Galelry in London, UK.
Read more about the screening.

3. [Vancouver, BC] Reconciliation in Action Celebration featuring KINNIE STARR & guests (Fri June 20)
Buy tickets.

4. [Vancouver, BC] Dempsey Bob @ Equinox Gallery (June 7-July 5)
Glenn Alteen and Tarah Hogue stopped by this recent exhibition at Equinox Gallery and recommended it for this list. Be sure to stop by sometime and swing by grunt gallery afterwards to say hello! We’re exhibiting an evolving installation project entitled, “Play, Fall, Rest, Dance”.
See photos from the Dempsey Bob exhibition on Equinox’s website.

Beaver Woman [Details], taken from Equinox Gallery website. Click through to view photo gallery.

Exhibitions manager, Elisha Burrows, sent us this show at the Presentation House Gallery featuring photos by Bruce Stewart. Elisha mentioned: “…Text and interviews by my parents are in a separate catalogue about their experiences living in the mudflats squats.”
Opening reception Saturday June 7 at 3pm.
Mudflats tour on Sunday July 27 at 11 am.
Read more about the mudflats on PHG’s website.

Untitled, Bruce Steward, 1972.

6. [Vancouver, BC] Deadhead by Cedric Bom­ford with Nathan Bom­ford and Jim Bomford

grunt’s curator of community engagement, Vanessa Kwan, recommends Deadhead.
“Deadhead is a piece by Cedric, Nathan and Jim Bomford, and is curated by Barbara Cole, on behalf of OtherSights for Artists’ Projects. It’s located on a 100-foot barge that’s going to be moored outside the Maritime Museum at Kits Point, and will be activated all summer long.”
Opening reception information here.

7. [Vancouver, BC] Rodney Graham at the Belkin
Opening Thursday, June 19, 8 to 10 pm
It’s Rodney Graham, what more do we need to say? More info here.

8. [Vancouver, BC] Main Street Car Free Days on Sunday June 16
Shout-out to our neighbourhood, stop by the events happening on Main Street this weekend. Full details here.

9. [Vancouver, BC] Where Does It Hurt? Group show: Cathy Busby, David MacWilliam, Rachelle Sawatsky, Krista Belle Steward, curated by Jonah Gray.

This exhibition is already happening, it runs for a few more weeks. Be sure to stop by Artspeak to check it out.
http://artspeak.ca/

10. [Vancouver, BC] Play, Fall, Rest, Dance by Valerie Salez

Play, Fall, Rest, Dance is off to a running start. Check in on Valerie’s blog posts during the entire run of the exhibition and please join us for the closing reception on Thursday June 26.

Read this recent article by the Source.

Attend the closing reception for “Play, Fall, Rest, Dance” on Thursday June 26 (7-10 pm) at grunt gallery. More details here.

Valerie Salez began her project at grunt gallery in late May, these are blog posts on the first week of work created by the youth:

Week 1

1st Day – Deshik (Click to read more…)

With a long white piece of paper and a blue marker he asked me to name birds…any kind.

Deshik knows every kind of bird. He would draw them quickly with appropriate distinguishing features while all the while citing facts about that specific bird.

1st Day – Amelie (Click to read more…)

Amelie has an extremely shy disposition yet there is a fierce strength to her.

Her style was fragile yet focused and determined.

1st Day – Isabelle (Click to read more…)

Isabelle was very overwhelmed with all the supplies and materials.

I asked her to quickly choose four things that she finds interesting.

She chose all things black, white, red and clear glass.

1st Day – Henry (Click to read more…)

Henry did not talk the whole time.

Not a word.

We played Glenn Gould and he set to work immediately.

Guest Artist – Solange

Solange participated in the PLAY FALL REST DANCE project last summer at Open Space Gallery.

Week 2

2nd Day – Deshik (Click to read more…)

Deshik does not have any pets.

Yet all he talks about and draws are animals and birds.

I promised I would bring my dog (Negrita) to the gallery so Deshik could meet her.

2-3 Day – Amelie (Click to read more…)

Soon she feels lost. “I dont know what to do now?”
She seems uninspired or bored.  We had talked about various options earlier.

I said, “I am not going to tell you what to do. It has to come from you. “
She fell silent and looked discouraged.

I said we can just sit here and if she is done with the project then we can just quit and the wall work is enough.

Before I could finish my sentence she said, “I want to paint one of those cubes.  Can I paint all over it?”

2nd Day – Isabelle (Click to read more…)

Isabelle is the dedicated sculpture / assembler of the Grunt group.

She loves colour, shape, pattern and texture.

2nd Day – Henry (Click to read more…)

I was speechless at his frenetic painting style and the re-visioned work.

And then Henry started to talk to me for the first time.

He took my hand, turned around to the opposite wall and walked us over to Amelies wallwork.

“Thats good.” Henry said.

3rd Day – Henry (Click to read more…)

The subject matter was that of any typical 12 year old……sci-fi, comic, warrior, fighting, robot beings.

But there was an intensity about the way he attacked the lines.

Also these were a few of many hundreds of drawings. Henry draws ALL THE TIME.

But only with pencil.

3rd Day – Deshik (Click to read more…)

Questions like, “Is the rattler hollow like a music rattler?”

Like, “What is the oldest animal alive?” & “What is the youngest?”

We did some research online.

He was fascinated with the still living, primitive fish the STURGEON.

It was only logical, to Deshik, that he BECOMES the STURGEON.

The big empty gallery space was disturbing for Deshik.

He said he liked the Vancouver Art Gallery better because it was filled with peoples’ art.

I explained he was to be the artist who filled the gallery.

“Can I fill it with birds?” he asked.  We can try, I responded.

He felt most comfortable in the more busy and confined materials room.

With a long white piece of paper and a blue marker he asked me to name birds…any kind.

Deshik knows every kind of bird. He would draw them quickly with appropriate distinguishing features while citing facts about that specific bird.

After drawing Kiwis, Ospreys, Loons, and a random Chameleon he wanted to paint them directly on the wall.

This proved to be a difficult translation for him.  He felt frustrated.  So he attempted the familiar: ABC and 1234

Although, he distracted himself by asking me what a Phoenix was.

I said it was a a mythological bird.

He asked, “Then what is a fact?” I explained.

Then he said, “What is an opinion?” I explained.

Deshik concluded, ” Then it is just your opinion that a Phoenix is a myth. In my opinion it is a real bird.”

Deshik is 7 years old and diagnosed Autistic.

Play, Fall, Rest, Dance is an exhibition project by Valerie Salez. The artist works with children with disabilities to help them explore the creative process of installation making. The exhibition runs from June 3 to July 5, 2014. The public is welcome to visit grunt gallery to see the installations that will continuously change and evolve over the course of the project.

Read more here.

Amelie was the first and only participant to use the tall ladder.

Being an accomplished gymnast might be why she has no fear of heights.

Amelie has an extremely shy disposition yet there is a fierce strength to her.

Her style was fragile yet focused and determined.

Besides using paint she made a few deep red chalk lines with a plumb line.

At one point she looked at her hands intensely and seemed concerned.

Amelie thought they were bleeding.

I check it out and we concluded it was red chalk dust.

She looked up at the wall, smiled and whispered “The wall is bleeding.”

Amelie is termed  ‘medically complex’.

‘Medically Complex’  is a term used for babies born with a rare and undefinable disorder.

Multiple life threatening illnesses will seriously affect the person in undetermined ways.

8 to 10 years ago medicine and medical procedures were not able to keep medically complex babies alive.

Amelie’s heart is severely affected as well as her white blood cell count.

She has had numerous open heart surgeries since birth and catches phenomena regularly.

Yet she has defeated doctors prognosis’s of having completely flaccid muscular structure by 8 years old.

She is 9 and ripped!

Play, Fall, Rest, Dance is an exhibition project by Valerie Salez. The artist works with children with disabilities to help them explore the creative process of installation making. The exhibition runs from June 3 to July 5, 2014. The public is welcome to visit grunt gallery to see the installations that will continuously change and evolve over the course of the project.

Read more here.

Isabelle was very overwhelmed with all the supplies and materials.

I asked her to quickly choose four things that she finds interesting.

She chose all things black, white, red and clear glass.

Then she got to building….

What it is, what it was to become, was irrelevant.

It was solely about colour, pattern, and construction.

And how to install in the gallery.

I introduced her to plinths.

Isabelle is a meticulous worker with a graphic aesthetic sense.

She wanted alternating black and white surfaces on the plinths.

From the industrial jobs of painting plinths and using the staple gun,

to the time consuming precision jobs of arranging small bits and pieces,

Isabelle approached everything with great consideration.

She worked so hard that she consumed an entire dry pint of blueberries.

Isabelle used to go to public school but recently began home schooling.

She has Mitochondrial disease that mainly affects cells in her brain as well as other cellular structures in her body.

Play, Fall, Rest, Dance is an exhibition project by Valerie Salez. The artist works with children with disabilities to help them explore the creative process of installation making. The exhibition runs from June 3 to July 5, 2014. The public is welcome to visit grunt gallery to see the installations that will continuously change and evolve over the course of the project.

Read more here.

Henry did not talk the whole time.

Not a word.

We played Glenn Gould and he set to work immediately.

He gathered every paint and drawing material available.

Then, with no hesitation, Henry started applying medium to the wall.

It was a beautiful and rare thing to witness someone unabashedly experimenting.

The way Henry applied and moved paint around was something extraordinary to behold.

He would run back to the material room and come back holding something to my face with a questioning glance.

He had found the liquid ink stash.

Using brushes, rollers, metal chunks, fingers, crayons, felt pens and chalk he worked at a relentless pace.

Often his whole body moved with repetitive gestures, mimicking the pace of Goulds music.

Henry is also an accomplished pianist.

He is diagnosed autistic.

I re-diagnose him as total genius!

Play, Fall, Rest, Dance is an exhibition project by Valerie Salez. The artist works with children with disabilities to help them explore the creative process of installation making. The exhibition runs from June 3 to July 5, 2014. The public is welcome to visit grunt gallery to see the installations that will continuously change and evolve over the course of the project.

Read more here.