ANNA LEONOWENS WAS A SUFFRAGIST, group photo with t-shirts, NSCAD Staff Exhibition, Anna Leonowens Gallery, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, 1987. Made while Cathy Busby was Gallery Director.
ANNA LEONOWENS WAS A SUFFRAGIST, t-shirt detail, NSCAD Staff Exhibition, Anna Leonowens Gallery, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, 1987. Made while Cathy Busby was Gallery Director.
Visitors and Cathy wearing ANNA LEONOWENS WAS A SUFFRAGIST t-shirts, NSCAD Staff Exhibition, Anna Leonowens Gallery, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, 1987. Made while Cathy Busby was Gallery Director.
ANNA LEONOWENS WAS A SUFFRAGIST, installation detail, NSCAD Staff Exhibition, Anna Leonowens Gallery, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, 1987. Made while Cathy Busby was Gallery Director.
ANNA LEONOWENS WAS A SUFFRAGIST, installation detail, NSCAD Staff Exhibition, Anna Leonowens Gallery, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, 1987. Made while Cathy Busby was Gallery Director.
ANNA LEONOWENS WAS A SUFFRAGIST (1987)
I made ANNA LEONOWENS WAS A SUFFRAGIST for the NSCAD Staff Exhibition I organized in 1987 while directing the Anna Leonowens Gallery at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) in Halifax.
For this exhibition I decided to look into the life of Anna Leonowens, and specifically her history as a suffragist and social activist. I painted a mauve rectangle on the wall to frame the work and bring a stronger presence to my installation which included archival photographs and screen printed t-shirts. Using the NSCAD colours, purple and green, I made two logos which were printed on black and white cotton t-shirts. Appropriating ideas about marketing, I handed these shirts out to friends asking them to wear them to the opening to "create a demand." These shirts were also made available for purchase during the exhibition.
This work spotlighted the gallery's namesake and, in a lighthearted yet researched way, noted her role as a strong female figure in the school's history.