Shane Wilson
| Shane Wilson |
| Nationality |
Canadian |
| Field |
Sculptor, educator |
| Movement |
Abstract
Wildlife |
Shane Wilson is a sculptor who has lived and worked in Yukon and British Columbia, Canada. His principal mediums are antler, horn, ivory, and bronze, from which he creates sculpture in his signature style, a juxtaposition of abstract organic and non-organic shapes, best seen in his moose skull sculpture "Duality".[1]
Originally beginning with other art forms which included drawing, acrylic painting and clay sculpture, his interest in antler carving was sparked in 1985 when he attended a show of antler carvings by Maureen Morris, a well known sculptor from Atlin, British Columbia.
After moving to the Yukon in 1987, Shane began experimenting with antler carving and found great creative and tactile potential in the medium. He has since worked in antler, bone, horn, mammoth tusk, stone, and now bronze.
His bronze series entitled "Skullpture"[2] includes cast, carved skulls of moose, wolf, seal, grizzly and black bear, human and wolverine.
Shane has taught the art of antler carving during Red Deer College's "Series: Summer School of the Visual Arts".
The 2007 Canada Winter Games Torches
In 2006, Shane was commissioned to create three torches to be used in the pan-Northern Relay prior to the 2007 Canada Winter Games. Each torch was carved from a full caribou antler, and each was representative of one of the three Canadian Territories. [3][4]
The Great Antler Heist
On Saturday, September 15, 2007, Whitehorse, Yukon was hit by the "Great Antler Heist" or "Yukon's Thomas Crown Affair", as it was variously dubbed in the national media.[5]
During an unplanned, city-wide power outage at approximately 6:30 am, a thief or thieves broke into the Canada Games Center and stole the giant piece "Yukon Seasons",[6] carved from a complete moose skull and antler set. It was the only item taken during the brazen robbery.[7]
On April 8, 2008 an anonymous person returned Yukon Seasons to the Whitehorse detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The person was not associated with the theft, according to the RCMP spokesperson. Apart from some discolouration and a broken tine (recovered at the scene of the crime), Yukon Seasons was recovered intact.[8]
On December 2, 2008, the restored Yukon Seasons was unveiled to the public in its old home at the Canada Games Centre in Whitehorse, Yukon. Valery Monahan, a conservator with the Yukon Government, performed the restorative work on the sculpture.[9] Yukon Government Minister for Tourism and Culture, Elaine Taylor and Whitehorse Mayor, Pam Buckway, were on hand for the opening and spoke at the event. Shane Wilson was also in attendance and thanked those who helped with the recovery and restoration of the sculpture.[10]
Shows
- Sculpted Dimensions Buckhorn Fine Art Festival, Buckhorn, Ontario, Canada, 2011[11]
- International Year of the Forests Exhibition, Algonquin Art Centre, Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada, 2011[12][13]
- Art of the Commons, Wildlife Art Journal (online), Jan - Feb 2011[14]
- Art of the Commons, Wildlife Art Journal (online), Spring 2010[15]
- Instructors' Show - Series: Summer School for the Visual Arts, Red Deer College Library, Red Deer College, Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, 2008
- The Art of Change: Works from the Yukon Permanent Art Collection, Yukon Arts Centre Gallery, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, 2005
- Explore and Embrace a Special Wild Place, (Sponsored by The Wildlife Viewing Program, Yukon Government, in collaboration with the Yukon Art Society, Yukon Art Society Gallery, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, 2005
- The Vernacular of Robert Service Festival Show, MacBride Museum, Whitehorse, Yukon, 2005
- Tenth Anniversary Annual Robert Service Dinner: Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Robert Service's Arrival in Yukon, "The Shooting of Dan McGrew", 2004
- The International Exhibitions of Sculptural Objects and Functional Art (SOFA) 2004, Accepted to attend with Portfolio as a member of Canada's Trade Mission, organized by the Canadian Consulate General in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA, 2004
- Instructors' Show - Series: Summer School for the Visual Arts, Red Deer College Library, Red Deer College, Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, 2004
- Grand Opening Show, Yukon Artists @ Work Gallery, Whitehorse, Yukon, 2004
- Redism.com: A New Kind of Art Gallery: Virtual Art Competition and Gallery (sponsored by Bass Beer): First Place - Sculpture, 2003
- Yukon Arts Centre Gallery Tenth Anniversary Show, Yukon Arts Centre Gallery, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, June–July 2002
- FNAWS - Foundation for North American Wild Sheep Convention, 2001, Reno, Nevada, USA, 2001
- Euroart 2000, Barcelona, Spain, (selected by Euroart 2000 to represent Canada), 2000
- New Beginnings, Odd Gallery - Grand Opening, Dawson City, Yukon, Canada, (Gallery and Show opened by Her Excellency, the Right Honorable Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada), 2000
- Convergence: The Exhibition of the 2000 Arctic Winter Games, Yukon Arts Centre Gallery, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, (Show opened by Her Excellency, the Right Honorable Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada), 2000
- Light, Yukon Arts Centre Gallery, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, 1999
- Northern Encounters '99: A Circumpolar Festival of the Arts,Toronto and Kleinburg, Ontario, Canada, 1999[16][17][18]
- Love, Romance and Erotica, The Guild, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, 1999
- The Great Northern Arts Festival, Inuvik, NWT., Canada, 1998
- The Fireweed Festival, Faro, Yukon, Canada, (First Place: Carving, Fine Art), 1998
- Whitehorse International Airport, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada (Ongoing display 1997-2001)
- Yukon Native Products, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada (Show and demonstration), 1996
- Arts-Fest 95, Faro, Yukon, Canada, 1995
Public collections and commissions
- The Haines Junction Permanent Art Collection: "Skullpture Series - Gaia, 2009" (Donated in full by the artist), 2009[19][20][21]
- The Yukon Arts Centre Gallery Permanent Collection: "Self Portrait, 2009" (Donated by Earl Bennett and the artist), 2009[22][23][24]
- The Yukon Arts Centre Gallery Permanent Collection:"Candle Ice, 1999", 2008[25][26][27]
- The Haines Junction Permanent Art Collection: "Skullpture Series, 2007" (Fourteen works in bronze, donated in full by the artist), 2007[28][29]
- The Governments of Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut: Three Torches representing Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut (each Torch donated by the Canada Winter Games Host Society to the respective Territory for permanent display, 2007)[30]
- The Whitehorse 2007 Canada Winter Games: Three Torches representing Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut (Commissioned by Touch The North Inc. for donation to the Canada Winter Games Host Society, 2006)[31][32][33]
- The Yukon Permanent Art Collection: "Yukon Seasons, 2003"[34][35] (Donated in full to the Yukon Permanent Art Collection by the artist, dedicated, with gratitude, to Ruth McCullough, for her hard work and singular dedication to fostering visual art and fine craft in Yukon, 2006)[36][37]
- The Yukon Hospital Foundation: "Tundra Swan, 2007" (commissioned as a symbol for the "Under Our Wings" Fundraising Campaign, 2005[38][39]
- J.C. Wilson Chemicals Ltd.: "Humpback Breaching, 2005"[40]
- The Collection of Yukon Member of Parliament, the Hon. Larry Bagnell: "The Shooting of Dan McGrew, 2004" (On Loan to the MacBride Museum, Whitehorse, Yukon), 2004[41][42][43]
- The Collection of The Right Honourable Paul Martin, Prime Minister of Canada: "Yukon Voice, 2004" (commissioned by the Yukon Territorial Government as a gift, upon his visit to Yukon, August 13–14), 2004[44]
- Redism.com: A New Kind of Art Gallery: Virtual Art Competition and Gallery (sponsored by Bass Beer): First Place - Sculpture, 2003
- The Grand Slam Club: "Faro Fannin, 2001", for Foundation for North American Wild Sheep (FNAWS) Convention, 2001[45]
- The Collection of Yukon Supreme Court Justice, the Hon. Ron Veale: "Denali, 2000" (on display in his Chambers), 2000
- The Yukon Permanent Art Collection: "Raven: Bringer of Light, 1999" (acquired for the Collection by the Friends of the Gallery, 2000)[46]
- Arctic Winter Games 2000: "Denali, 2000" (representing Team Alaska), 2000
- City of Dawson: "Five Ivory Broaches, 2000", 2000[47][48]
Publishing credits
- Ice Floe II, Cover art ("Self Portrait, 2009"), Edited by Shannon Gramse and Sarah Kirk, University of Alaska Press, Fairbanks, Alaska, 2011[49][50][51]
- "Artist Workspaces: Shane Wilson's Studio", Branch Magazine: Private Parts, Issue 6, July 2011[52][53]
- Algonquin Art Centre Blog and Newsletter: "Interview with Shane Wilson", Algonquin Art Centre, Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, June 2011[54]
- "Artist Feature: Shane Wilson", International Year of Forests: An Artist's Perspective, Gallery Program 2011, Algonquin Art Centre, Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Summer 2011[55]
- "Feature Artist: Shane Wilson", Branch Magazine: Wild, Issue 5, April 2011[56][57]
- Series Summer School of the Arts Course Catalogue Red Deer College (Detail of 'Male Seahorse' used on the cover and header graphics), Red Deer, Alberta, 2011[58]
- "Wildfowl Art of a Different Nature", by Jim Clark (Jim details his learning experiences with master carvers Floyd Scholz and Shane Wilson), Wildfowl Art: The Journal of the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, Summer Issue, p. 22, 2010[59]
- "Collaborations" ("The Shooting of Dan McGrew", with Dwayne Cull and Robert Service), Branch Magazine: Home, Issue 2.2, August 2010[60][61]
- "Shane Wilson: Honouring the Power of Wild Life", by Todd Wilkinson, Wildlife Art Journal, Spring, 2010[62][63]
- "Shane Wilson: Honouring the Power of Wild Life", by Todd Wilkinson, Trophy Rooms from Around the World, Vol. 15, p. 158-167, 2010[64]
- Antlers: A Guide to Collecting, Scoring, Mounting, and Carving, by Dennis Walrod ("Celtic Confusion, 1998" pic and artist bio, page 158), 2005[65][66]
- A Celebration of Swans: Poster and Events Pamphlet, Environment Yukon, Wildlife Viewing Program, Yukon, Canada: "Swans" was chosen as the winner of the 2005 Celebration of Swans Poster Competition, 2005
- Illuseum Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands: "Yukon Seasons" used as central image on poster and invitation for show, "Hunters and Collectors", 2004
- Ice-Floe: International Poetry of the Far North, Cover art for Summer 2002 ("Duality, 1997") and Winter 2002 ("Candle Ice, 1999") Issues, 2002
- Up From the Permafrost - 2002 Calendar, Yukon Learn: "Literacy, 2000" used as pic for December, 2002
- Up From the Permafrost - Coffee Table Book, Yukon Learn: '"Literacy, 2000", 2000
- On Yukon Time: "Faro Fannin, 2001" image, "Campbell Region" section, 2002
- Sculpture Forum Magazine: "Duality", used in their advertising brochure, 1998
- Work also appears in numerous Yukon Government and Tourism related publications, 1999–2008
Teaching experience
- Creative Antler Carving: Red Deer College - Series: Summer School of the Visual Arts, Red Deer, Alberta, 2008
- Introduction to Antler Carving]: Red Deer College - Series: Summer School of the Visual Arts, Red Deer, Alberta, 2004
- Introduction to Antler Carving]: Yukon College: Alice Frost Campus, Old Crow, Yukon, 2003
See also
References
External links
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Wilson, Shane |
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