Wendy Peart discussed her passion for art and her role as the new Director/Curator at the Dunlop Art Gallery
On Sept. 25, the Dunlop Art Gallery released a post on social media to welcome Wendy Peart as its new Director/Curator. With a background in visual arts, Peart has taught in the University of Regina’s (UofR) department of visual arts and at the Neil Balkwill Civic Arts Centre. Peart was also involved with the Learning Through the Arts program, teaching core curriculum through art to elementary students. The Carillon had the pleasure of talking to Peart about what goes on in the realm of being a curator.
An old relationship
Born and raised in Regina, Peart was an independent artist before entering her position at the Dunlop Art Gallery. However, this isn’t the first time she has worked with them. Peart disclosed that her relationship with Dunlop spans for almost 15 years. “I’m over 30 exhibitions long, if you do the math,” she said. “I’ve done many solo exhibitions, group exhibitions, and I’ve also co-curated with other curators here.”
When her role was announced, Peart felt very excited and nervous. “Everyone’s nervous [about] taking on a new role, but I was excited because I’m deeply passionate about Dunlop Art Gallery,” she beamed.
Everyone’s nervous [about] taking on a new role, but I was excited because I’m deeply passionate about [the] Dunlop Art Gallery.” -Wendy Peart
What exactly does a curator do?
Peart shared that she often jokes around about this with her fellow curators. “I say curator is a fancy word for choosing, but we’re looking for the selection of work that’s going to resonate or have a core idea that we think our audience is going to benefit, enjoy, and learn new things from.”
For Peart, diversity is also important to her method of curating. “We have to provide a balance in terms of content, mediums, and innovation in what the artists are doing,” she claimed. Because of the collaborative nature of their work, creating relationships with the artists is important. Peart explained that she wants to foster a mutual relationship and be the support person for the artist, whether it comes to helping them through the progression of their career, setting up promotions, or arranging accommodations.
“When artists come to Regina, we want them to connect with the community,’’ she stated. “[We] arrange artist talks, workshops, or visits with other artists in their studios.”
The success of an exhibition for Peart isn’t just about the number of attendees but also what the artists and visitors gain. She reminisced about the many times artists have told her that having their show at Dunlop had set them on a path. “That’s another thing important for me [as] a curator- I want to get out of the way [and] set a stage for the artist and audience,” she stressed.
When artists come to Regina, we want them to connect with the community.” -Wendy Peart
Like other jobs, being a curator isn’t complete without some obstacles; administration work and having to be flexible are also present in Peart’s role. Curators have to take a look at what they can or cannot do, find the vision for what they want to do, and see how they can make it happen. “As you’re developing relationships with artists, it requires you to be really flexible, open to ideas, and open to how you can get things done.”
When approaching exhibitions, many can feel intimidated or overwhelmed. Peart says that you can start by asking simple questions: What do you see? What does this make you think about? How does this make you feel? Does this work make you care about something?
Though asking yourself these questions are not mandatory in order to engage with an exhibition, Peart hopes that visitors can come in with an open mind and leave feeling better. She stated that it is her focus as the new Director/Curator to provide more guidance for their visitors to engage deeply with art. While there is already accessible information about the exhibit and the artist available on the Dunlop Learning website and at their locations, she wishes to add signposts or interpretive strategies that can help those connect more deeply with the artwork. Peart also teased that there are many exciting upcoming events at the gallery in the next year. One show on her to-do list is in partnership with SaskArts, for which Peart will be curating an exhibition that brings collections together in a unique way. Currently, her curated exhibitions such as Confluence by Sonny Assu at the Central Library branch and The world is burning and I am painting by Jinny Yu at the Sherwood Village branch will run until 2026.
