Lex Vaughn: A Chat on Second City and Saskatchewan

For some Canadians, winter is all about staying indoors. This week, a different kind of hibernation begins when performer/artist Lex Vaughn’s “geriatric dandy” alter ego takes up residence in a Saskatoon gallery. Here, Vaughn chats with Gabrielle Moser about the work’s origins.

by Gabrielle Moser

Adrian Searle: Interview in Toronto

British art critic Adrian Searle was in Ontario last week—fresh from Frieze—to lecture at Art Toronto. Between appearances, he sat down for a frank, in-depth chat with Canadian Art managing editor Bryne McLaughlin about art scenes near and far.

Scott Conarroe: Photographing By Rail

Toronto photographer Scott Conarroe journeyed far—both professionally and personally—to create “By Rail,” an exhibition of North American road-trip landscapes. Now, in an interview with Justin Mah, Conarroe discusses his influences and itineraries.

by Justin Mah

2009 Windsor Biennial: Kick Out the Jams

With General Motors declaring bankruptcy this week, there’s a lot of focus on the Windsor-Detroit region. Now Windsor Biennial co-curator Lee Rodney shares some thoughts with Bryne McLaughlin on cultural prospects in the area.

by Bryne McLaughlin

Interview with Sarah Thornton: Seven Days in the Art World

From CalArts crits to the Venice art blitz, there’s many subcultures in the art world. Who better to investigate them than sociologist and art lover Sarah Thornton, author of the recent bestseller Seven Days in the Art World? With lectures upcoming on April 15 in Toronto and April 18 in Vancouver, an interview reveals some of Thornton’s research savvy and secrets.

by Charlene K. Lau

Jennifer Stillwell: Grate Expectations

If there’s anyone who can inject vibrancy into the mundane, grey everyday of Canadian winters, it’s witty sculptor Jennifer Stillwell. Now, with a solo exhibition on in Winnipeg, Stillwell chats about Canadian Tire, brain freezes, her new public art project and more.

by Leah Sandals

Don Thompson: Stuffed Sharks, Empty Wallets and the Art Market to Come

With sales chilling at the Frieze Art Fair last week, there’s no better time to chat about the art market’s future. In this interview, economist Don Thompson, author of The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art, shares his predictions.

Interview with Kitty Scott: Banff’s 75th, Serpentine Lessons, National Gallery News Frenzy and More

As the Banff Centre celebrates its 75th anniversary, Kitty Scott, its director of Visual Arts, is reaching a different kind of milestone—completion of her first year there. Now, Scott talks about bolstering Banff, protecting the National Gallery, learning in London and more.

by Leah Sandals

Joan Stebbins: Laframboise, and a Lethbridge Love Letter

Curator Joan Stebbins received the Order of Canada for her 25-year cultivation of Canada’s contemporary art. Now, after stepping down from the Southern Alberta Art Gallery’s top curating job, Stebbins talks about the gallery’s current Marie-Josée Laframboise show, a recent Shary Boyle survey and advice for young curators.

by Leah Sandals

Kitty Scott’s Serpentine Segue

In August, 2006, Kitty Scott left Ottawa, where she was curator of contemporary art at the National Gallery of Canada, to take up a new position as Chief Curator at the Serpentine Gallery in London, England. In this interview, Reesa Greenberg asks her about working in London and about her years building the contemporary collection at the National Gallery of Canada.

by Reesa Greenberg