October 11, 2008-January 9, 2009                                 Curated by Gil McElroy

During WWI, military vessels were painted with strong geometric patterns and bold contrasting colouration  so as to misinform U-boat captains bent on attack. The intention was optical deception: to mislead the eye and manipulate visual perception of the size, distance and even the direction of vessels so as to make their targeting difficult if not downright impossible. These patterns came to be called “Dazzle,” or “Razzle Dazzle.”

Razzle Dazzle: The Uses of Abstraction includes sketches, drawings, prints and paintings that document the period response of artists to this form of optical camouflage.

image:John Everett (British, 1876-1949), S.S. Lake Manitoba, n.d., egg tempera on paper, 42 x 55.9 cm. The Beaverbrook Collection of War Art; Canadian War Museum 

November 15-January 25, 2009  

The subject matter for Cullen’s paintings and works on paper take their cues from the artist’s travels, including her observation of place  and  nature in PEI, and what she describes as a “visual geography and a  way  of seeing the world.”

image: Hillsborough River, 2005, oil on linen, 250 x 160 cm

December 20, 2008-March 15, 2009  

As the unrivalled star of the Montreal Canadiens, Maurice Richard became a symbol of strength and talent to an entire country. This exhibition pays tribute to "The Rocket" and gives visitors a sense of his life and times.

image: "The Rocket" in action, early 1950s. Courtesy: Club de hockey Canadien