Chris Cran Mention: Year-End Views in Galleries West

Galleries West
Katherine Ylitalo

The Glenbow is moulting. Losing its old carpet was just the start. Its exceptional collection of Buddhist and Hindu sculpture, on view for three decades, is now in storage. Its library and archives have been packed off to the Taylor Family Digital Library at the University of Calgary. It’s too early to understand the full impact of the changes. But it’s encouraging to see the Glenbow give attention to its own collection, which is all the richer thanks to the energy and vision of a former CEO, Jeffrey Spalding, who died suddenly in the fall. Curator Sarah Todd is hitting her stride with exhibitions like ExtraOrdinary Objects, which focuses on contemporary works with humble origins, whether linoleum, drywall or dead flowers. Guest curator Nancy Tousley continues to bring her fine eye to the Alberta artist series, One New Work. Her focused exhibitions, such as Chris Cran: At Play, are smartly conceived and visually elucidating. The museum’s new CEO, Nicholas Bell, brings a strong track record from the Renwick Gallery, the contemporary craft branch of the Smithsonian Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C. I look forward to seeing his vision for the Glenbow’s renewal.

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Image Credit
Installation View, Chris Cran: At Play, Glenbow Museum, 2019