On now until Sunday, January 5, 2025, the Art Gallery of Hamilton (AGH), in collaboration with the Vancouver Art Gallery, presents Jan Wade: Soul Power in an exclusive showcase at the Art Gallery of Hamilton, following its 2021 debut at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Curated by Siobhan McCracken Nixon (Assistant Curator, Vancouver Art Gallery) with Melissa Bennett (Senior Curator, AGH), this is the first retrospective of Wade’s work, and includes installations of mixed-media pieces, paintings, textiles and sculptural objects.
Necessity + social conscience = art
Taking inspiration from traditions of making as handed down from generation to generation, including a “generational ecological consciousness practiced by the disenfranchised”, Wade uses found and recycled objects in her work – sourcing materials from the street, thrift shops and items from friends to create multimedia works that link the past to the present. Everyday objects, from buttons and Scrabble tiles to figurines and religious icons, combine with symbols, text and painted wood. And her textile creations draw from the traditions of Black Southern quilting, featuring abstract constructions inspired by African and Indigenous textiles. Jazz and blues traditions also come into play in her work, as she improvises, repeats and accumulates in pieces that evolve over time.
”Jan Wade: Soul Power brings together the artist’s diverse body of work alongside new pieces made specifically for the exhibition. Personal experience and sustained research inform Wade’s unique practice, which she conceptualizes as an ongoing journey—one that is philosophical, cultural, intellectual and embodied—as she explores the places and practices of her ancestors alongside contemporary political concerns and social issues.”
– Art Gallery of Hamilton
(Photo credits: (left) Jan Wade, Prophecy. Photo: Ian Lefebvre, Vancouver Art Gallery. (right) Jan Wade, Memory Jug. Photo: Dennis Ha.)
About Jan Wade
Vancouver-based artist Jan Wade was born and raised in Hamilton, ON, and has created a body of work spanning across 30+ years. She’s known for her mixed media, painting, textiles and sculpture installations, inspired by her experiences as an African-Canadian person with mixed cultural heritage, as well as by music. It appears in her artworks through patterns, quotes and as references and she has described music as the “heartbeat of culture”. Soul Power is the artist’s first major retrospective.
(Photo credits: Jan Wade, Breathe, 2009–20, installation view, Vancouver Art Gallery, 2020, embroidery on linen, Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery, General Acquisition Fund, photo by Ian Lefebvre, Vancouver Art Gallery. This image also appears in the Excerpt.)
Event details
Hosted by: Art Gallery of Hamilton, in collaboration with the Vancouver Art Gallery
Type of event: art exhibition
Featured artist: Jan Wade
Curated by: Siobhan McCracken Nixon (Assistant Curator, Vancouver Art Gallery) with Melissa Bennett (Senior Curator, Art Gallery of Hamilton)
Date: Now till Sunday, January 5, 2025
Times: The AGH is closed Monday – Wednesday.
- Thursday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM ET
- Friday: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM ET
- Saturday & Sunday: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM ET
Cost: Admission tickets are not timed and do not expire. Ticket prices include tax.
- Adults: C$15.00
- Seniors (65+): C$12.00
- Students (6+), kids (0-5), members & Indigenous Peoples: Free
- Thursdays: Free all day & tickets aren’t required
Location: Art Gallery of Hamilton, 123 King Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8P 4S8
Preview: Scroll down to see the exhibition preview
Booking link: Book your advance tickets here. You can also purchase tickets in person on the day of your visit.
Contact details: Art Gallery of Hamilton, 123 King Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8P 4S8, Canada; 905-527-6610, info@artgalleryofhamilton.com, artgalleryofhamilton.com
Accessibility: Info here.
Refund policy: Please contact the organizer.