Beverley Reid

catalogue introduction catalogue essay artist statement installation photos list of works

Introduction to the Grand Forks Art Gallery catalogue, 2005

As a long time friend and co-founder of the Grand Forks Art Gallery, Beverley Reid made substantial contributions during the formative years of the Grand Forks Art Gallery through her organization of numerous exhibitions which still spark the public’s imagination nearly 20 years later. Every year I get a number of inquiries referring to the artists and to the exhibitions that she curated. Beverley’s dedication to the artistic practice is evident in all aspects of her life, but is best manifested in her garden, visual art and home. It’s no wonder I have received a number of inquiries as to when I would finally be able to get Beverley to exhibit.

The Grand Forks Art Gallery is honoured to present for the first time Beverley Reid’s long anticipated exhibition Heart of Stone – Heart of Garden. This exhibition is a 13-year survey of Beverley’s fabric works inspired by her long-standing love for gardening, the natural beauty of rocks and the relationship they have with each other. Using her amazing garden as a source of constant inspiration, she combines the organic patterns of nature with her fascination for the microscopic inner beauty of rocks, thus creating mysterious landscapes, which become otherworldly.

Beverley has shown her work to very few over the past few years, but in 2004, with a survey exhibition of Grand Forks area artists coming up, I was able to visit her studio to see some of her recent artwork. At that time, we agreed on an exhibition of this latest body of work which has been many years in the making. It is hoped that this exhibition will tour over the next few years, with Grand Fork’s sister city Spremberg in Eastern Germany being the first stop in the continuation of an ongoing cultural exchange between the two cities.

This exhibition and publication would not have been possible without the support of Roger Boulet, Richard Reid, Wendy Butterfield, the District of Spree-Neisse, and the financial assistance of the British Columbia Arts Council, the British Columbia Lotteries Corporation and the City of Grand Forks. A huge debt of gratitude is due for their dedication, time and support in making this exhibition a reality and for helping share this work with people across the globe. And of course, many thanks to the artist, Beverley Reid.

Paul Crawford
Director / Curator
Grand Forks Art Gallery

www.galleries.bc.ca/grandforks

Introduction to the Art Gallery of the South Okanagan catalogue September, 2006

It is with great pleasure that I am able to present Beverley Reid’s exhibition “Heart of Stone – Heart of Garden” as my first exhibition as Curator at the Art Gallery of the South Okanagan. This will be the third stop for this touring exhibition since its widely celebrated début at the Grand Forks Art Gallery in the fall of 2005. This past spring this exhibition traveled across the Atlantic to Grand Forks’ sister city, Spremberg, located in the district of Spree-Neisse near the German / Polish border. The exhibition was selected to travel to Germany as part of an ongoing cultural exchange between our two communities, a project that was initiated by the Grand Forks Art Gallery in 2004.
 
Heart of Stone – Heart of Garden is a 14-year survey of Beverley’s artistic practice comprising of a selection of her fabric and mixed media works. All the hangings are hand appliquéd and hand quilted with a small amount of machine piecing. Painting with commercial dyes, chlorine and paint she manipulates the material to acquire the desired effect. This combined with the creative use of stitching, needlework and printed textiles all work to create something that goes way beyond what is normally considered quilting and elevating to a whole other level. In her most recent work she collages fabric in combination with drawing to create these microscopic portraits of the inner structure of rocks.
 
In part she derives her inspiration through the continued development and maintenance of her extensive garden, which over the years has grown into one of the premier gardens in the region. Of her work and its relationship to her garden she states, “My work represents events in the garden, and are a journey through life, death, decay, rebirth, and especially of beauty and new beginnings - of constant change, much like the seasons”
 
While working in her mountain-side garden which needed to be terraced, rocks presented themselves everywhere. Beverley became fascinated with the shapes and textures of rock. The enjoyment she felt in working with rocks and the land led to researching the history of the earth and the formation of rocks. The very abstract and colourful microscopic photographic images inspired her. Of this she comments: “the rocks are like portraits. They’re based on images of thin slices of rock magnified many times. It is an exploration of a timeless world of primordial history - one that informs us about our world, and ourselves and serves as a powerful reminder of our connection to the earth and the universe. The Mars Rovers have recently reinforced those notions of our ancient and universal roots. As I work with rock, in whatever form, I sense that presence”.
 
A perfectionist in all she does, Beverley has been known to undo the stitching or cut up an entire completed piece in order to rework it or make adjustments to the composition or to further alter the fabric. While always on the look out for unique material, Beverley also pays homage to some of her friends and mentors by incorporating some of their original designs into her works. These include the Winnipeg based artist Don Reichert who designed the skull fabric and the Grand Forks artist Elaine Walker Fogg who created the amazing batik fabrics and designs.
 
This exhibition and accompanying catalogue would not have been possible without the time, support and financial assistance of: Roger Boulet, Beverley Reid, Richard Reid, Wendy Butterfield, the District of Spree-Neisse, the Canada Council for a travel grant to Germany, the British Columbia Arts Council, the British Columbia Lotteries Corporation, Regional District’s “C”, “D”and “E”, the Grand Forks Chamber of Commerce, the City of Grand Forks and the collectors of Beverley’s work who have so graciously lent their works for this exhibition.
 
If not already converted it is my sincere hope that this exhibit will change your perception and notion of what has been traditionally labelled as quilts and elevate them from the realm of craft to the position of fine art. Beverley Reid lives with her husband Richard Reid and continues to make her exquisite art while tending to her extensive garden at their amazing Cordwood Stackwall House located above Christina Lake, B.C.

Paul Crawford, Curator