Itās the elephant in the corner of the room, only the room is the boulevard in front of the Dalhousie Arts Centre, and the elephant is a white marble sculpture shaped like something else entirely. What, no one is quite sureājust something else entirely.
Donāt make the mistake of asking the students what itās supposed to represent. Theyāll dissolve into helpless giggles. In fact, until I descended into the hallowed halls of the Dalhousie Art Gallery, no one even tried to answer my questionāāWhat is that thing?ā
The sculpture, it turns out, is called Marine Venus. Itās by Robert Hedrick and was installed at pilipiliĀž» in 1969, the Summer of Love. According to the Dalhousie Art Galleryās director/curator Peter Dykhuis, Marine Venus is only the tip of Dalās artistic iceberg. Dalhousie hosts two separate collections of art ā the āUniversity Collection,ā and the art galleryās own permanent pieces, including Marine Venus.
Marine Venus is one of the pieces from the collection installed in a public space, says registrar/preparator Michele Gallant. The galleryās pieces often end up in protective storage; the gallery, which showcases temporary exhibitions, has no dedicated space for display of its permanent collection.
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ĢżāOur holdings are incredible, we have impeccable historical worksā¦ (but our) vaults are full right now,ā explains Ms. Gallant. When NSCAD students visit for a class on printmaking, the gallery has to showcase its prints collectionāwhich includes two Goyasāon folding tables.Ģż She would like to see accessible storage, providing full access to the art pilipiliĀž» already possesses. Itās called āopen storageā, and there are precedents ā itās already been installed at UBC. āWe have a mandate not only to collect and preserve, but also to exhibit,ā Ms. Gallant says. āItās the double-edged sword.ā
āIt (the gallery) is off the beaten path,ā she adds. āItās so important in looking at the big picture in an educationā¦ (but) students graduate and may not know we exist.āĢż
And make no mistake ā art, and the art gallery, is vital to Dalhousieās culture. āWeāre not just part of the decorating department,ā Peter Dykhuis points out dryly. āVisual literacy informs so much about our world.ā So what would improve the situation? āStreet level gallery! Street level gallery! Street level gallery!ā Mr. Dykhuis exclaims ā a separate, more accessible space to showcase the permanent collection. āThe motto of this whole enterprise is āKeeping art presentā!ā
Even with its constraints, the gallery has placed art wherever it can on campus ā the McCain Building, for example, hosts Mitchell Wiebeās āDigital Dragon Meets Analog Unicornā above the elevators and Donna Hiebertās āContainmentā in the courtyard.
For years, the gallery has had virtually no money for new art. New acquisitions are thanks to donations. āWe donāt accept everything, thoughā¦ itās a matter of quality, not quantity,ā Mr. Dykhuis interjects. As for the art the gallery does showcase, āItās not just flights of fancy out of my curatorial head. It has relevancyā¦ visual art often addresses philosophical issues but through visual meansā¦ A gallery is like a blank book. What are you going to write in it?ā
And Marine Venus? He grins infectiously. āI realize it draws a certain attentionā¦ Itās a period piece.ā Anyway, he points out, you canāt judge a sculpture that is still technically incomplete. Marine Venus was meant to be mounted in a reflecting pool, but due to cost and upkeep concerns, that never occurred.
āThe whole aspect of the marine nature of it isnāt there.ā Yes, it looks like certain unmentionables, ābut it also looks like a big barnacle!ā Mr. Dykhuis says Marine Venus also serves a utilitarian function. āDuring frosh week sometimes students are given a scavenger hunt and one of their things is that sculpture.ā Trying to find the name of the work and artist āGets them down into the art gallery, so theyād know we exist.ā
Who knows? Maybe thereās a generous benefactor out there, just waiting to provide Marine Venus with her long-lost watery home. If not, at least a few more people will be aware of the galleryās existence. āThe university has a great resource within its community,ā enthuses Mr. Dykhuis.
Admission is free, movie nights are frequent, and Mr. Dykhuis and Ms. Gallant are patiently awaiting the public.
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