The latest show at the Quest Art School + Gallery, Venus and the Doll, works by Marlene Hilton Moore is worth visiting! Anyone heading up north this fall to see the leaves changing can visit the gallery and engage the pieces created by Marlene. The white, glossy resin figures are equipped with motion sensors which trigger the voices of various women answering the question, “do you feel measured as a woman”. As the text on the Quest website states, the standing figures are, “Reminiscent of dressmaker forms, the three Venuses, “Hottentot,” “Thin” and “Plus” similarly work to classify and declassify the female form due to their exaggerated or underdeveloped features”. As I looked out from the gallery to the Midland Public Library, with its trees ablaze in colour, this scene became an wonderful counterpoint to the purity and angelic character of these figures and “talking heads”. Curator Jill Price continues to attract and display a level of work at an international calibre. A similar curatorial strength can be seen at the Maclaren Art Centre in Barrie, now showing Murray Favro, Stu Oxley and the Artists at Riverside Studio. A drive through the vibrant landscape of Simcoe County any weekend this fall will be enriched with a visit to these two galleries.
Howard Rideout Architect designed the Quest Art School + Gallery within the Midland Cultural Centre (MCC) from 2009-2012. In our many years working in the region we have built a strong bond with the arts community in Midland and throughout Simcoe County. We hope our blog posts about the MCC will increase exposure to this very unique building in Southern Ontario and ensure its continued success. Stay tuned for further entries about the MCC, Midland and the cultural life of Simcoe County. They are places worth visiting!
Howard Rideout Architect Inc. 