Lecture explores the lasting legacy of renowned artist

Posted: March 30, 2016 10:00 a.m.

Ronald Bloore was Director of Regina's MacKenzie Art Gallery from 1958 to 1966.
Ronald Bloore was Director of Regina's MacKenzie Art Gallery from 1958 to 1966. Photo courtesy of the estate of Ronald Bloore

The 2016 annual Stapleford Lecture will explore the art and influence of one of the MacKenzie Art Gallery’s formative directors, Ronald Bloore (1925-2009). Presented by Timothy Long, Head Curator at the MacKenzie, the lecture will discuss Bloore’s eight years, from 1958 to 1966, at the helm of Regina’s largest public gallery and how he helped bring international attention and acclaim to the modern art being produced here.

A world-renowned artist known for his austere white on white paintings incorporating geometric and architectural forms, Ronald Bloore was born in Ontario and held degrees in art, archaeology, and art history. For a time he served as an instructor in art and archaeology at the Regina College of the University of Saskatchewan (the pre-cursor to the University of Regina), and from 1966 to 1990 as a professor in the Faculties of Arts and Fine Arts at York University. Bloore received the Order of Canada in 1993 in recognition of his extraordinary influence on the visual arts in Canada, and on Western Canadian art in particular.  

At a time when the local art scene was beginning to form, “Ronald Bloore put Regina’s fledgling art scene on the map both nationally and internationally, while articulating a defiantly indigenous vision of modern art,” says Timothy Long.

Bloore was no stranger to controversy in his role as Director, Long  notes. “Whether inventing a fictional artist, including his own works in shows he curated, or declaring the art of the Renaissance to be misguided, Bloore continually upset expectations and sparked debate.”

Long’s Stapleford lecture will examine the art, the vision, and perhaps even the antics that made Bloore a driving force behind the recognition of the Prairies as home to some of Canada’s finest and most influential modern art.  

Each year the Faculty of Arts is pleased to present the annual Stapleford Lecture, a free public event funded through the generosity of the Ernest William Stapleford and Maude Bunting Stapleford Lecture Fund. This endowment allows for an annual lecture presentation in the public spheres that the Stapleford family was most engaged: human justice, the status of women, the education and care of children, the rights of the disadvantaged, and/or the history and art of Saskatchewan.  

Event:        Ronald Bloore and the Art of Provocation

Date:         Thursday, March 31, 7:00 p.m.

Location:   Room RI 119, Research and Innovation Centre, University of Regina; free parking in Lot 10