Ted Godwin: The Regina Five Years, 1957 - 1967

September 26 - November 7, 2008
Organized by The Nickle Arts Museum

Calgary artist Ted Godwin is one of Canada’s most important senior artists. This exhibition is a timely and detailed examination of the early years of his career. The late 1950s and the 1960s was a dynamic time in Regina, when a group of artists, later known as the Regina Five, challenged the status quo and conservatism of the time. They burst onto the national scene with an exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada in 1961. Godwin was actively engaged in the North American avant guard movement which spread far beyond its New York beginnings. As the youngest member of this group,
Godwin achieved prominence at the age of 28.
This exhibition concentrates on Godwin’s work from his Regina period. It includes 26 revealing paintings, 28 seminal works on paper and one playful neon piece, all executed with new found freedom and emotional power, what he called “the big attack.” Like contemporary jazz musicians, whose work Godwin continues to admire, he exploded tired structures and improvised new forms. The intuitive and the organic were of lasting importance in his art.
Ted Godwin was born in Calgary and attended the art school now called the Alberta College of Art and Design. After moving to Regina in 1958, he joined the staff of what is now the University of Regina in 1964, teaching there until he returned to Calgary in 1985. Here he has continued to paint, producing lyrical landscapes, and publishing his book Messages from the Real World: a Handbook for the Emerging Artist. For his many contributions to the art of this country, in 2005 he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada.

• This exhibition is made possible by the generous support of
  Denise LaForge,
  J.F. Mackie & Co Ltd.,
  Mike and Jane Anne Smith,
  Keith and Jayne Smith,
  Bob and Barb Shaunessy,
  The Forge Advisory Group at CIBC Wood Gundy,
  the Alberta Foundation for the Arts
  and the University of Calgary.
• Opening Reception: Friday, 26th September, 4:30 - 6:30
• Artist's Talk: Thursday, 2nd October, 12:00 noon
• Catalogue available
• Illustration: Colourpool, 1966, PVA on canvas, collection of The Nickle Arts Museum
• Artist's Website