From the clothes we wear to the electronics and furnishings we use to the decor pieces that accent our homes, modern design and craft have been integral to the story of a distinctly Canadian style and identity from the early 20th century.
That experimentation, innovation and ingenuity is at the heart of Canadian Modern, an exhibition of 100 culturally significant objects created in Canada, on now at the Royal BC Museum.
A Royal Ontario Museum original exhibition curated by guest curator Dr. Rachel Gotlieb and Dr. Arlene Gehmacher, L.R. Wilson Curator of Canadian Art & Culture at ROM, this is the first time the exhibition is being featured outside of Toronto.
“Canadian Modern is a testament to the ground-breaking creativity of some of the best Canadian industrial designers and crafters, including those from British Columbia,” says Royal BC Museum CEO Tracey Drake. “We are delighted to host this exhibition and to include a number of additional local works, both from the provincial collection and on loan from local designers.”
One of the works featured by loan is the 1951 Springback chair designed by B.C. architect Peter Cotton, provided by private collector Allan Collier.
“The Springback is a fine example of regional modernism,” says Collier, independent curator, writer and collector based in Victoria. “Cotton expressed modernist ideas like simplicity, practicality, inventiveness and honest use of materials by specifying locally available steel fabrication for its frame and regional materials like moulded fir plywood, veneered in teak, for its seat and back.”
The objects range from fashion, furniture and jewellery to electronics and more – each telling a story and presenting a fresh perspective on new and historic items. The exhibition features well-known designers and makers like Alfred Sung, Jacques Guillon, Kjeld and Erica Deichmann, Robert Larin and B.C.’s own John Fluevog.
This atmospheric and illuminating exhibition illustrates the story of industrial design and craft in a local and national context while offering a look at Canada’s unique place in the global modern design and craft movement.
"Design and craft often speak to the moment in reflecting or shaping perspectives and needs," Gehmacher says. "Canadian Modern allows us to appreciate historical and current initiatives, and imagine possible new directions."
Canadian Modern continues at the Royal BC Museum through Feb. 16, 2025. Learn more at royalbcmuseum.bc.ca
