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Bill Burns: Safety Gear for Small Animals

Curated by Annette Hurtig. Safety Gear for Small Animals addresses animal rescue, relocation and rehabilitation. Bill Burns is the Director of the Safety Gear for Small Animals, “the largest safety gear for small animals producer in the world.” Using the conventions of a traditional natural history museum, Burns humorously juxtaposes his tiny rescue and safety items for endangered animals with helpful information that guides viewers through the exhibition. But beneath the appeal of the miniscule safety glasses for protecting the white-footed mouse, the Italian mineral water for the masked puddle frog, and the bulletproof vest for our feathered friends, lies a frightening warning about our stewardship of the environment. Exhibition Curator Annette Hurtig comments, “While providing sound scientific fact, the exhibition functions also as a kind of cautionary tale, as a moral fable, an apologue, if you will; and as a visual allegory, offering lessons and pragmatic advice for those interested in the plight of animals.” The exhibition presents a survey of the work of this Toronto-based artist over the past 10 years.

Co-produced by: the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, the Evergreen Cultural Centre, the Kamloops Art Gallery, the Kenderdine Art Gallery, Galerie Liane et Danny Taran du Centre des arts Saidye Bronfman, the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, the Southern Alberta Art Gallery, the Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery and California State University at Fullerton.