In Support of Now
60 Years of the Associates Championing Contemporary Art at the AGGV
September 14, 2012 - September 14, 2012Curated by Mary Jo Hughes and Toby Lawrence, Drury Gallery and Ramp
In Support of Now presents and celebrates the history of the Associates of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, an invaluable group of volunteers, which has been a driving force in supporting the Gallery since 1952.
They have the dual mandates of raising money to sustain the needs of the Gallery and to promote an understanding and appreciation of its role in the community. Building the collection is at the core of the Art Gallery’s mandate and the Associates, from the beginning, have provided the most consistent source of funding to purchase significant works. In recent years they have shifted their support from raising collection acquisition monies to funding the exhibition themselves. In both cases their assistance is invaluable to the mandate of bringing art to life.
This exhibition showcases works purchased for the permanent collection with funds donated by the Associates and later works purchased from the exhibitions that they funded. In both cases we celebrate in particular their support of Contemporary Art. The exhibition demonstrates the important role of this group who assisted staff over the years to shape the AGGV into what it is today, a vital cultural centre that honours the past, challenges us in the present, and looks to the future.