Drawing is a paradox, both a beginning and an end, taken for granted and of monumental proportions. From hasty notes and humble sketches that begin works in other media, to large-scale finished works, Fine Lines will bring forth drawings from its collection. It is an unusual examination of a rather humble means of making work, particularly in a culture dominated by the digital and the new, yet the exhibition will tease out the essential element of drawing. That is, the direct and clear line connecting the intent of the artist to the page.

Central to Fine Lines is the recent donation of the Jim and Helen Mackie collection of Canadian drawings – some 130 works on paper by Canadian artists that span the last 100 years. Presenting the donation in its entirety, the exhibition expands to include drawings by contemporary artists already held in the collection. In this way, Fine Lines also becomes a meditation on the nature of public collections themselves – how they form, how they grow, and the wealth of history and knowledge they contain about the communities they serve.

Opening Reception and Book Launch (Marion Nicoll: Silence and Alchemy): Thursday 22 May, 5:00 – 8:00