Uses of the Vernacular in Contemporary Nova Scotian Art

What are the relationships between folk art and forms of contemporary art which adopt folk idioms? Co-curators Cliff Eyland and Susan Gibson Garvey tackle this question in a vibrant exhibition of paintings, assemblages, prints, sculptures, and fibre works by contemporary Nova Scotian artists Nancy Edell, Gerald Ferguson, Kyle Jackson, Janice Leonard, Charlie Murphy, John Neville, Leslie Sampson and Eric Walker. Selected works by past and present Nova Scotian folk artists, such as Maud Lewis, Leo Naugler and Joe Sleep, are also included, and the accompanying exhibition catalogue contains a lively dialogue and scholarly essays examining this juxtaposition of “vernacular” and “sophisticated” art. The exhibition and catalogue have generously been funded by the Exhibitions Assistance Program of the Canada Council.