BARBARA MILNE: RESPONDING TO THE WHYTE MUSEUM COLLECTION

OPENING:  6:00 pm, Friday October 21, 2016 at the Whyte Museum, Banff

ARTIST TALK:  3:00 pm Saturday November 5, 2016

Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies
111 Bear St Banff, Alberta

Friday, October 21, 2016 - Sunday, January 29, 2017

Barbara Milne spent the past 18 months enthralled by the vast assortment of memorabilia amassed by Peter and Catharine Whyte in their beloved log home. Objects from their travels, gifts from relatives and friends, and purposeful or random purchases chronicle their eclectic interests and lifestyles. Milne’s enthusiastic immersion included the Whyte Museum’s vaults, where thousands of works of art and antiquities are preserved and stored.
The items Milne chose to highlight in her work convey a developed aesthetic and ethical awareness. Examining and photographing thousands of items was a daunting task, but midway through the project a residency at the Banff Centre’s Leighton Artists’ Colony supplied a vital sanctuary for Milne to assess her research and complete numerous collages. Later, in her studio, Milne created larger acrylic paintings that simultaneously reflect a relationship between the interior of the house and the exterior adjacent landscape.