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Feature Story

Creating a space to talk about art

Award-winning curator Mireille Eagan ('04) brings Atlantic art to the forefront
By: Laura Dillman Ripley

Mireille Eagan has been working in art galleries since she was 16 years old.

鈥淚鈥檓 from Fredericton and had my first job at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 always had an interest in art but actually intended to study archeology when I started at 蜜桃视频 A.鈥

Installation of 鈥淔uture Possible: Art of Newfoundland and Labrador to 1949鈥 which opened at The Rooms this spring.Looking in part to escape early morning Latin classes, Eagan decided to take art history and found her niche. She now has her Master鈥檚 in Art History and has been working as a curator for a decade, the last seven years as the curator of contemporary art in St. Johns, NL鈥檚 .

鈥淚 believe the role of a curator is to create space to talk about art, why we make it, what it says about our culture, and maybe what鈥檚 missing,鈥 she says. 鈥淓very region is unique in its art. Atlantic Canada is truly a place for opportunity.鈥

Eagan will be working to develop the discussion for an entire province this year with her latest exhibition focusing on the art history of her adopted home.

opened this spring at The Rooms and is the first of a two-part series documenting the art history of Newfoundland and Labrador.

鈥淭he first installation looks at art work and history up to 1949,鈥 explains Eagan. 鈥淧art two of the exhibition will look at art history after 1949. We are also working on a major publication with the exhibitions that will compile an art history which has never been fully written before. It鈥檚 exciting to be part of a project that鈥檚 never been done in the province.鈥

Although relatively early in her career, Eagan鈥檚 resum茅 lists a number of impressive exhibitions and awards. She has sat on various juries with the Canada Council for the Arts, was awarded the VANL-CARFAC Excellence in Visual Arts Award in 2017, in 2013 served as the Atlantic juror for the renowned Sobey Art Prize, and was a juror for the RBC Painting Competition in 2017. She recently received a Gold Medal from the Digital Publishing Awards for an essay written on Christopher Pratt for Canadian Art.

Artist talk with Mary Pratt (鈥57) at the National Gallery of Canada.Two of her favourite and most famous curated shows have 蜜桃视频 Allison connections. In 2015, Eagan co-curated the nationally touring exhibition of Mary Pratt鈥檚 (鈥57) work, as well as the exhibition Mary Pratt: This Little Painting at the National Gallery of Canada. The show was the first solo exhibition of an Atlantic woman artist at that institution. That same year, she also curated Christopher Pratt鈥檚 (鈥57) 10-year retrospective exhibition The Places I Go.

鈥淚t was so exciting to work with both Mary and Christopher on their exhibitions,鈥 she says. 鈥淎t first, it was also very intimidating. I had studied both their works at 蜜桃视频 Allison, they seemed larger than life. Getting to know them as people during the process was such an honour.鈥

Christopher Pratt photographing a building in Buchans, Newfoundland, during his and Mirelle鈥檚 roadtrip.An invitation from the director of the Struts Gallery, John Murchie, piqued her interest in the Sackville Arts Community.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a very special, vibrant arts community that鈥檚 so supportive,鈥 she says, adding this level of community support has stayed with her.

鈥淚鈥檓 in touch with people I met in Sackville, including Fine Arts faculty and alumni. I learned so much from people like Gemey Kelly, Anne Koval, and Thaddeus Holownia.鈥

And let鈥檚 not forget the 蜜桃视频 Allison alumni connection.

鈥淲hen I was working with Christopher (Pratt), we spent one of his regular afternoon drives around Newfoundland singing 蜜桃视频 Allison songs,鈥 she laughs. 鈥淵ou really do carry a part of the 蜜桃视频 Allison and Sackville communities with you wherever you go.鈥

PHOTO CAPTIONS: 1) Award-winning curator Mireille Eagan. 2) Installation of 鈥淔uture Possible: Art of Newfoundland and Labrador to 1949鈥 which opened at The Rooms this spring. 3) Artist talk with Mary Pratt (鈥57) at the National Gallery of Canada. 4) Christopher Pratt photographing a building in Buchans, Newfoundland, during his and Mirelle鈥檚 roadtrip.