RE: collection explores the building of an art collection as a reflection of Canada as an evolving country, its history, geography and people. This focus on Canadian art and artists published for the 150th anniversary of the Confederation demonstrates how the Gallery’s 53-year commitment to presenting and collecting Canadian art has changed in light of the many transformations of this country: changes in technology, in how we understand our history, and in the role of artists in our cultural fabric. Drawing from its collection of more than 17,000 art works-objects, the Gallery presents 150 iconic pieces that connect, challenge, and expand our understanding of the history of art in Canada. RE: collection aims to register the shifting narrative through creative juxtaposition and placing works in constructive dialogue. Rather than attempting to recreate the original contexts through the demonstration of a chronological narrative that fixes them in time, the publication addresses the status of historical art works in the present. As such the aim is to generate questions about how Canadians see themselves and their place in the world. Works featured range from Lucy Maude Montgomery’s original manuscript for Anne of Green Gables, the Gallery’s extensive Expo 67 craft collection, as well as a newly commissioned work by Robert Houle. O-ween du muh waum, which translates to We Were Told, a rumination on the Indigenous figure in Benjamin West's painting Death of Wolfe. Kevin

Kevin Rice is the director of the Confederation Centre Art Gallery. He has been involved in the cultural community in PEI for several decades and has curated numerous exhibitions – many based on the gallery’s collection of Canadian Art.

Kevin Rice's profile page