Drue Langlois, Did you still eat your arm? 2006, aquarelle sur papier, 28 x 21.5 cm, collection privée
Following the success at Ziehersmith (New York), The Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles), Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (Toronto), Pierre-François Ouellette art contemporain is very pleased to present Paul Butler’s Collage Party. Participating artists include: Paul Butler (Winnipeg), Stéphane Gilot (Montréal), Adad Hannah (Montréal), Keith Jones (Victoria), Drue Langlois (Winnipeg), Shawna Mcleod (Winnipeg), Mike Patten (Montréal), Manon De Pauw (Montréal), Christine Redfern (Montréal), Seth Scriver (Toronto), Adrian Williams (Winnipeg), and Johannes Zits (Toronto).
From August 29 – September 1, the gallery was closed and transformed into a temporary studio for the invited artists. It creates an informal environment where artists can freely connect, exchange ideas and make work. The gallery opens to the public on September 2nd with the resulting works created during the event. The next nomadic workshop will take place at the Illingworth Kerr Gallery of the Alberta College of Art and Design de Calgary in Calgary at the end of September.
Paul Butler states:
I started hosting Collage Parties as a way to recapture the art school energy I was missing after graduating from The Alberta College Art and Design in 1997. I gather a variety of collage materials, invite a number of friends to join in, and make art for no other reason but to have fun. Over the past 9 years, the Party has grown exponentially. I have been invited to host them all over the world including Norway, Scotland, London, Los Angeles, New York and Berlin.
The Collage Party format allows me to experiment and do things I wouldn¹t normally do in my own studio. There are always new people joining the party and as a result, I am constantly being exposed to new ways of thinking and working. The Collage Party also provides an amazing venue to promote the work of all the other artists (both emerging and established) who participate. This art-making process is informal, fun and rigorous all at once.
The Collage Party is popular and beneficial because it provides a venue for artists to connect and exchange ideas with not only each other, but with critics, curators, dealers and collectors from local, national and international art communities. The creative and social environment facilitates the coming together of diverse sectors of the art community. Collage parties function as creative incubators for all involved.
The gallery and Paul Butler are grateful for the support of the Winnipeg Art Council, the Manitoba Arts Council and the Canada Council for making this event possible.
