| BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS |
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Over the past twenty years a number of people have reviewed BC ARTISTS,
nominated the project for an award, asked about an artist, told me something about
an artist, or simply sent a comment about the project. Thank you,
Gary Sim.
(location Vancouver unless noted otherwise)
"Sim’s catalogue is an invaluable aid to artists, art historians, museums,
galleries, collectors and every professional entity working in the field of
fine art. Our organization consults his documentation regularly to identify
whether an artist is from BC, or even has passed some time in British Columbia
creating art. The data he has collected enriches our understanding of the breadth
and depth of our cultural past and present. Thank you Christine Johnson-Dean, and
thank you, Gary Sim."
"Staggering, epic, a treasure trove - are words used to describe British Columbia
Artists, an extensive digital finding aid to references for B.C. visual artists,
started over 25 years ago ... (continues)"
"I will try to do a bit more researching and let you know if I find anything more.
It is excellent work that you are doing - recording the past is always fascinating.
It was also interesting to hear where Varley’s painting of "Norma" (the writer's
mother) ended up. It is a wonderful painting."
"I’m very impressed by this work you are doing on behalf of BC artists and the public.
I would be very grateful if you would update the (information) in your database of
BC artists. On a personal note I want to thank you for all the hard work and the
dedication you’ve put into your BC artist database."
"Your BC Artists database is a fantastic resource."
"Impressed with the wealth of information and detail."
"You, with your wide knowledge of the Vancouver art scene, have been recommended
to me by the staff at the BC Archives."
"Your work is on the same scale as what David Mattison has done for BC photographers.
It is an invaluable resource. I am thankful for you, for David and, while I'm at it,
for VPL for digitizing the directories years before most institutions had that kind
of stuff online. You, Dave and the rest of the ne-er-do-wells should get nothing but praise."
"Thanks for your unwavering commitment to BC arts."
"I found myself in your amazing site in the list of BC Artists and was absolutely
thrilled. I'd been looking at Ira Dilworth and as I am
kiln-tending, and it is pouring rain outside the shed I had some time to poke around
your website and then read about the genesis and scope of it. Words fail me."
"Charles Hill, curator emeritus at the Ottawa gallery, says Sim has created an
amazing resource of artists, many of whom were largely unknown beyond their region.
“He’s dug up so much,” says Hill. “He goes well beyond a list of artists, including
information about societies, biographies and exhibitions records.” Hill says the
database is valuable for students, artists, historians and curators. “Gary is
interested in everyone. His diligence and intelligence in the organization of the
material makes this an extremely resourceful database. (article continues)”
"I discovered your amazing website and work on BC Artists today while looking for information
about a painting I recently acquired ... it has an entry label on the back of it for the
BC Artists Golden Jubilee exhibition at
Spencers. I was excited to find your entry about this
exhibition as well! I didn't see (the artist) listed as a known artist at the exhibition ...
and perhaps you can add it to the list ... "
"I am updating our city's public art inventory and I see on your website that you've
got a series of books (Dictionary of Canadian Artists) that contains a mention of the
artist "Gary Sawatzky." Gary painted a mural here in Nanaimo and it's tricky to find
out much about the fellow. If it's not too much trouble, I was wondering if you could
share the information you have about this artist? Thank you very much for your time
and consideration."
"I looked at your site again this morning, and it is an amazingly useful resource."
"Thanks for this most interesting site and the information about Maud Sherman.
We are actually just in the process of discussing adding websites about artists,
or links to websites, to the "Resources" section of our website, so your work on
Sherman would fit nicely into that discussion. And I really enjoyed the website
itself - it's an excellent model for others to consider."
"Many thanks for your assistance, it is very much appreciated."
"Your site is a treasure trove! I use it frequently. Thank you very much for
the lead by posting the information you had ... "
"I really appreciate such a fast response and the researcher will be so happy to have a name."
"I am so appreciative for this. Thank you for all of your support and information."
"I am very grateful for the time you have dedicated to indexing and making so much
information on BC artists available on the Web. Your database is a wonderful resource ... "
"I'm glad your site is simple html because it will last a lot longer than the flashier ones.
I plugged in an old laptop a week or so ago to see if it would run Zoom (it wouldn't).
While I was online I went and looked at my website, then yours, and they both loaded perfectly."
"You work so hard at this. It is a lovely resource and I’ve been flipping around
finding artist birthdays. It’s fun. I wish you could monetize it in some way, just
because you deserve some financial recognition for all of this work."
"What a cool thing to do ... I had never looked at her listing before so thanks so
much. It's a whole new way to access the material. Obviously keeping yourself busy."
" ... googling around the web did not reveal any results except your web site."
"Good man, and I hope you've been given the Order of British Columbia for this. Or
maybe the Order of Canada. ... I offer my greatest enthusiasm for your generous
activities. My warmest regards to you."
"You have been so helpful Gary, any more information you can find will be great."
"I am glad that you are doing this bit for Canadian art. Best of luck."
"Many thanks for my inclusion in your listings."
"Thanks for this Gary. I think this is an important thing you are doing."
"Your research is extremely exciting."
"Just a wee note to say that the postcards arrived safely at the Archives today.
Some are familiar to me, but others are new, so very many thanks for thinking of
us and sending them along."
"Thank you very much for your swift reply and suggestions for next steps. I will
follow up with the sources you mention."
"I looked up your list of artists and it's a wonderful reference. We will certainly use
your reference list when looking at artists' work."
"Your encyclopedia continues to stand alone as a comprehensive important contribution to
the arts in BC and Canada."
"Well done. You are amazing and a prolific artist and contributor to the arts."
"I was thinking of you the other day - as an authority of this history of artists in BC and BC artists ..."
"Thanks for keeping me in mind, and for your ongoing wonderful project. You’re a gem!"
"I would like to be added to the list (quite a project)."
"Hello Gary! Just heard about the artist database project - very cool! I’d love to be added to the database!!"
"You are truly amazing and it's delightful that the stay at home is giving you the chance to do so
much work! There are some good results. Lovely to see it all online."
"Thank you so much for compiling this directory!"
"Also, thank you very much for producing the site. It has helped with my research immensely
and was one of the main starting points when I began researching
Grace Melvin’s life in Canada."
"THIS IS GREAT! I have been using an older version of the BCA database for years, but this update is amazing."
"We are delighted to announce that our friend and colleague Gary Sim has generously
released his British Columbia Artists database free of charge on the Web. The database
represents a true labour of love and more than 24 years of research in libraries,
archives and private collections. Gary spent many long hours poring over exhibition
catalogues and artist files at the Vancouver Art Gallery Library and we are very
grateful that he is now sharing all of his research publicly. Entries in the BCA
database reveal many hidden exhibition histories and artists’ names from the past.
Over 19,000 artists active in B.C. from 1890 onwards are listed. This invaluable
research tool is available via our ‘Resources’ page or directly at
http://sim-publishing.com/bca/bcahome.htm."
"Thank you for sending us your excellent reference source. ... We are in the process of revamping
our research guides and will be considering a section on strategies for locating local artists. Your
index would be an invaluable digital resource for such a section. In the meantime we will inform our
colleagues to use your index for reference questions."
"Thank you for your interest, and keep up your excellent efforts with your upcoming website."
"Yes, this is an excellent resource ... Epic effort that Gary Sim has undertaken and an
important record of achievement in our province."
"Congratulations on getting all of this information up onto the web in a searchable form -
that is a great development, and I’m sure was a lot of work. It is an impressive project."
"I look forward to consulting your wealth of information."
"You have given me much to read and look at. Thank you."
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have a special Christmas gift to share with you.
Gary Sim has just released to the web a lifetime of research on British Columbia
Artists. His biographical endeavour compiles over 20 years of intensive and
dedicated research on the arts scene in British Columbia, with special interest
in artists who have exhibited in Vancouver prior to 1950. This invaluable research
tool is something I have drawn on in the past, though it was previously only
available on CD-ROM by subscription, or by special access in a number of local libraries."
"I continue to admire your work on many levels. ... Congratulations on this
latest proposed incarnation of your encyclopaedic and
historically important website of BC Artists. I would be pleased to contribute
a publishing grant of $5K to assist with your work."
"I’ve been thinking of you lately, since I’m working on an archive of my work.
Only now do I realize what a huge job you’ve done, it is really mind boggling that
you had the time, the energy and dedication to attempt such an immense endeavour."
"Thanks for this update on a very important and worthwhile project."
"I am happy to learn about your BC Artists project, and look forward to accessing this resource"
"I can only imagine the amount of time and effort you have put into producing
"British Columbia Artists." It is an amazing resource and I salute you and offer
you anything I have found that might be of help in your ongoing efforts."
"Your selfless contributions to create this text and also to the art world
not only brings awareness of British Columbia's hidden talent, but adds
much to our history."
"... his current magnum opus is his compendium of all past and present
BC visual artists. It's a hyperlinked inventory of every artist Gary has
been able to identify ... "
"Congratulations on your Award of the British Columbia Historical
Federation's Certificate of Merit. Your interest and activities in
preserving and promoting British Columbia's colourful history is
very much appreciated."
"He has built a superb superstructure to which all participants will surely want to
contribute in years to come ... it is a unique and very valuable compendium of our history.
The people who need this - auctioneers, art historians, libraries and archives - are
slowly becoming aware of Sim's unique computer-based endeavour."
"You have done a remarkable job in assembling and cross-referencing
the massive documentation on art and artists ... what is most
impressive is the diversity of your sources ... It is truly
impressive, intelligently and skillfully organized...
the work you are doing is of great importance ... "
"It is a most welcome addition to Canada's national research
collection in the visual arts. ... We are delighted to make this
unique reference work available to researchers ..."
"British Columbia Artists is an epic research project ..."
"Great work Gary! Good luck with this and if I can supply you with additional
information, please let me know. It will be awesome to have a collection
like this available!"
"It is indeed a very helpful and impressive body of work. ... I am
very pleased to know that there is a copy of this material available
in our library."
"... this CD-ROM compilation is ... an invaluable contribution to Canadian cultural
research - and a boon to all art historians who have struggled
to piece together the history of West Coast painting."
"The research has been undertaken in a very thorough manner, and
the result is a document that is amazingly comprehensive and accurate.
The organization of the material is clear and easily navigated,
making accessible information that was previously difficult to find."
"This tool is a rich storehouse of information about artists working in Vancouver."
"This is a tour-de-force considering the dearth of sources and the
time required to find materials. ... He, his research, and documents
are sources that no researcher should fail to consult. Most
importantly, he has been consistently generous sharing information. ...
It is a compact gem densely filled with valuable information."
"It has been handy in more ways than you might imagine ... the sheer
volume of information is astonishing." |