What About Rodman Hall?
A Group Show by Members of the Niagara Artists Centre
Opening Reception > Friday 1 April 9PM at NAC
ARTWORKS BY
Gregory Betts, Marcie Bronson, Brittany Brooks, Sandy Fairbairn, Geoff Farnsworth, Alexa Fraser, Janny Fraser, Amy Friend, Will Griffiths, Joe Harris, Marinko Jareb, Duncan MacDonald, Melanie MacDonald, Kate Mazi, Sandy Middleton, Ben Mosher, Catherine Parayre, Carrie Perreault, St. Catharines Arts & Letters Club, Donna Szőke, Matthew Tegal, Amber Lee Williams, Carolyn Wren
As an art gallery, Rodman Hall’s place in the consciousness of our community has fluctuated over its fifty-five-year history. The gallery has at times been a proud emblem of civic health and an indicator of our collective progress, while at other times it has been misunderstood and purposefully marginalized.
The history of the Niagara Artists Centre and Rodman Hall are intertwined. Rodman Hall’s founding curator and director, Peter Harris, was one of NAC’s founding sixteen members. NAC also made an early home in the Coach House on the grounds of Rodman.
The place of the Rodman Hall Art Centre in our community is once again the subject of deliberation. Brock University, which in 2003 pledged to be the sole operator of the art gallery for twenty years, is now reconsidering the terms of its supporting role.
Why is it that our community leaders have not always recognized the value of having a strong, well-resourced public or university art gallery like Rodman Hall?
NAC circulated a call for submissions to our visual artist members in search of ideas about these and other questions around Rodman Hall, an organization mandated to support the development of artists and cultural workers in southern Ontario, as well as to provide art experiences to enrich peoples’ lives.
A large and diverse collection of art work has been assembled for the exhibit. Some of it is obviously aimed at creating controversy; all of it is thoughtfully created and provocative.
NAC invites the public to join with the artists on Friday 1 April at 9PM (April 1st is NAC Day in St. Catharines as decreed by former Mayor Joe McCaffery) to explore questions and issues surrounding the role of Rodman Hall in our community and the possible future of the centre.
