Description
BlackFlash Summer 2023
Editorial Farewell Message by Maxine Proctor
Five years ago I was on-boarded as the new Managing Editor of BlackFlash. I continue to feel so much gratitude towards the Buffalo Berry Press board of directors for entrusting me with the magazine’s legacy and allowing me the grace to grow into the role. Nothing could have prepared me for the formidable journey I was about to embark on, the incredible artists and colleagues I would have the opportunity to collaborate with – many of whom have become friends, mentors, and confidants. As I conclude my time with BlackFlash and start again at a new arts organization, my memory suddenly seems to be cleared of the difficult conversations, silly mistakes, and daunting decisions that embroiled me during my tenure. Today I only reflect on the hard work and community-wide dedication that has brought BlackFlash to its 40th year of continuous publishing.
Issue 40.1 features a dynamic group of writers and culture workers who offer insight into the unique circumstances of the art world, many of which are in dire need of critique and deep reconsideration. Emily McKibbon shares her experiences navigating a life in the arts, observing the lack of stable employment and financial security for creative professionals throughout their careers as well as a general mismanagement of resources within institutions. Shannon Lucky has dedicated her time and expertise to cataloging Saskatoon’s PAVED Arts archive – a diverse array of print and digital ephemera, artist projects, books, and documentation. As Lucky observes, artist-run centres were never designed to steward hundreds of boxes of invaluable research material; they lack the space, infrastructure, and resources to make these materials accessible to the public or maintain their care. She wonders how we can foster a collective responsibility for these important sources of institutional knowledge? In a conversation between the co-curators of “Conceptions of White,” both Lillian O’Brien Davis and John G. Hampton reflect on the research, discussions, and curatorial process that brought the exhibition to fruition. They offer readers insight into the ongoing goals for the program and how they navigated the complexities of care associated with explorations of identity.
Our summer issue also presents a deep exploration of the work of Larry Glawson by Hannah Godfrey, a profile showcasing Barbara Hobot’s practice by Tarin Dehod, and an interview with Dawna Rose and Betsey Rosenwald about their immersive and collaborative exhibition “Journal of the Plague Year(s)” by Laura St. Pierre. And lastly, the issue includes reviews of Alanna Fields’ exhibition at Winnipeg’s Plug-In ICA by Shaneela Boodoo and Brenda Draney’s exhibition at Toronto’s The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery by Matthew Ryan Smith.
Before I conclude my final editorial note as Managing Editor, I would like to express my profound appreciation to BlackFlash’s editorial committee. The editorial committee shares their creative vision, knowledge, and networks to ensure the magazine’s program is engaging to our readers and responsive to our community. I’m incredibly excited to see how the new Managing Editor and the editorial team will work together to shape the magazine’s future and advocate for publishing’s place in the art ecology.
editorial note:
Farewell Message from our Managing Editor (2018-2023)
By Maxine Proctor
feature:
The Effects of Scarcity Culture: Arts Workers on their Last Day
By Emily McKibbon
feature:
Ruffled Bouquets: Queer Domesticity in the Work of Larry Glawson
By Hannah Godfrey
conversation:
Conceptions of White: In Conversation
By John Hampton and Lillian O’Brien Davis
feature:
Decades of Documents: A Community’s Responsibility to the Archive
By Shannon Lucky
profile:
What a Net Makes: A Visit with Barbara Hobot
By Tarin Dehod
profile:
Audacity: Palatial Dreaming and Realities
By Shaneela Boodoo
profile:
Raw Canvas Riot: Brenda Draney’s Negative Space
By Matthew Ryan Smith
interview:
Archiving our Anxiety: A Conversation with Dawna Rose and Betsy Rosenwald
By Laura St. Pierre
Cover: Larry Glawson, Untitled (roses 1), Home Body Series, 2009. Archival inkjet print photograph, 66 x 96.5cm. Courtesy of the artist and private collection.
BlackFlash is grateful to Canada Council for the Arts and SK Arts for the production and dissemination of this issue.
