Deanna Musgrave.Blog

‎"Acting Out - Building Knowledge and Facilitating Action against Violence in the Lives of Youth in New Brunswick" was featured on Global News

2011-09-13T05:55:00.000-07:00

Musgrave speaks about the exhibit "Acting Out - Building Knowledge and Facilitating Action against Violence in the Lives of Youth in New Brunswick" on Global News Sept. 12th 2011. Just click on this video...it is 6:07min in.

"Acting Out - Building Knowledge and Facilitating Action against Violence in the Lives of Youth in New Brunswick" Art Opening

2011-09-11T05:59:00.001-07:00

Deanna Musgrave acted as facilitator for the project "Acting Out: Building Knowledge and Facilitating Action Against Violence in the Lives of Youth in New Brunswick." This project is a violence prevention project for youth, organized by Dr. Linda Eyre of the Faculty of Education at the University of New Brunswick, and Ms. Rina Arseneault the Associate Director at Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research in Fredericton. Funding was provided by the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Foundation.

This series of paintings was created in partnership with the Multicultural Society of Fredericton. Fifteen young women (ages 13-18) who recently immigrated into Canada volunteered to work over a period of six months with Musgrave to create a body of work expressing their views or experiences of violence. This project intended to enhance understanding, evoke empathy, raise questions, and initiate public conversations about this important social issue and, ultimately, further positive social change.

Images from the first opening:

Cyber-bullying catharsis, Published Saturday August 27th, 201

2011-08-27T06:06:00.000-07:00

http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/salon/article/1435019

Art is an action, the act of creation is a moment of transcendence. It takes the internal and makes it external.

Four works from 'Acting Out' - 'I know where you live,' left, 'Labels are for Soup Cans,' 'It Hurts' and 'Prey.'
Artist and educator Deanna Musgrave tackles violence and bullying with her latest exhibition Acting Out, a collection of work featuring 15 young women who transform violence into art, opening Thursday in Fredericton at Annex Gallery.

"Acting Out was designed to engage youth in violence prevention through arts-based activities such as drawing, collage or painting," Musgrave says. "The activities were explicitly intended to promote youth agency and social change in young people's lives."

Over the past six months Musgrave worked in partnership with Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research and the Multicultural Society of Frederiction with women aged 13 to 18 - Anupa Rai, Rebika Subba, Parbati Adhika, Vanessa Perez, Andrea Perez, Ivana Barroeta, Kate Sannah, Lois Boimah, Maya Kuikel, Laxmi Chapa, Mayte Tecu, Janet Sannah, Nari Kuikel and Sangita Kuikel - who recently immigrated into Canada.

Each artist was given a canvas with a glued-on image that referenced cyber-bullying, a nasty text message or Facebook page, and asked to respond in colour. Reds, bright greens and blues in broad brush strokes suggested bold expression. Muted black and greys silenced.

"Cyber-bullying is the darker side of our easy access we now have to technology," Musgrave says. "It requires little effort on the part of the bully making it much easier for them to be tempted to harass a victim. The Internet carries with it a false idea of permanence and truth.

"One of the most significant moments ... was when one participant told me 'I feel all the ugly emotions leaving me and going out onto the canvas.

"This is a form of catharsis - an emotional cleansing. It can help heal a victim from an experience of violence because if we do not cleanse such emotions we can carry it with us."

Principal researchers Linda Eyre, professor at the University of New Brunswick, and Rina Arseneault, associate director of the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research, teamed up to engage youth in arts-based approaches to teaching and learning with graduate students Musgrave and filmmaker Mathew Rogers.

"The project builds on a previous research study exploring violence in the lives of young women in New Brunswick through interviews," Eyre says. "The everydayness of violence provoked us to find ways of engaging youth in conversation about violence in the lives of youth and with policy makers."

Musgrave has been fascinated with art as medicine, therapy and social constructivism ever since teamed up with Dalhousie Medical Humanities program to build a bridge for medicine and art, exploring how experiencing art helped students become better doctors in 2004. She went on to collaborate with professor Jeffery Burns with the University Art History Association of Canada in 2005 to explore the concept of art as medicine, Expression, Embodiment and Exploration: Contemporary Artists' New Forms of Medicine. Her graduate studies combine her love of education and art.

"Art can transform, create empathy, awareness and catharsis for facilitators, viewers and artists, which are all important components in the healing of both the victim and the bully, as well as, the prevention of violence," she says. "This project was aimed at creating social change for these women by creating a framework for self-actualization, catharsis and empathy to be expressed and experienced through art." s

Shannon Webb-Campbell is an award-winning writer, photographer and journalist. Her work can be found throughout Canada. She hangs her hat in Halifax and can be reached at twitter.com/shannonwc.

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'Acting Out - Building Knowledge and Facilitating Action against Violence in the Lives of Youth in New Brunswick' opens Thursday at the Annex Gallery in The Playhouse, 686 Queen St., Fredericton. There is an opening reception on Sept. 9 from 5-6:45 p.m. The exhibit will be on display until Oct. 17.

MCAF Girl's Group, "WORDS," 42 by 56", Acrylic on Canvas.

MCAF Girl's Group, "CYBER-BULLY," 72" by 72", Acrylic on Canvas.

Tropos Opening, Exhibition at the Memorial Hall Art Gallery, The University of New Brunswick

2011-06-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

Musgrave presents for the Environmental Studies Association of Canada ESAC Panel Session: Where Art and the Environment Intersect

2011-06-01T07:25:00.000-07:00

ESAC members enjoyed an enthralling panel session at the 2011 Conference in Fredericton entitled ‘Where Art and Environment Intersect’, where they had the chance to explore the complex interconnections between art and the natural world. This stimulation panel discussion took place at the University of New Brunswick Art Centre, where ESAC members experienced firsthand two exhibitions by Fredericton artist Deanna Musgrave, examining the nature of water in Tropos and Liquid Measure.

Noteworthy artists who participated in the session include: Deanna Musgrave, Jennifer Pazienza and Janice Wright Cheney.

http://esac.ca/2011/07/esac-panel-session-where-art-and-the-environment-intersect/

Musgrave presents for the Canadian Women's Studies Assoc. at Congress 2011: Coast and Continents: Exploring People and Place May 28th-June 4th 20011

2011-06-01T07:10:00.000-07:00

Deanna Musgrave presents: "Catharsis, Empathy, and Polemic Art: Fine Lines in Creating Social Change through Art" as part of the 2011 Congress and the Canadian Women's Studies Association (CWSA).

"In this presentation, I discuss my work as an artist and facilitator in violence prevention and awareness through expressive arts-based activities with a group of young women newcomers in New Brunswick. In the context of art, art-making can create a sense of catharsis for the creator, promote public awareness, empathy, and a desire for social change. Through a visual presentation of the work produced, I reflect on how such elements create a complex and potentially difficult landscape for participants. I also consider my limitations as a facilitator in co-creating projects that will result in catharsis for the participant and further social change."

www.yorku.ca/cwsaacef/program.doc

H2O: Liquid Measure and Tropos, Opening May 13th 2011 at Memorial Hall Art Gallery, The University of New Brunswick, 5-7pm

2011-05-01T07:20:00.000-07:00

tropos, mixing, from trepein, to turn, similar to trope, a way, a manner, a figure of speech, an embellishment in the sung parts of certain medieval liturgies, part of trophic, nutritive processes, from trophikos, nursing, and trophe, food, in aid of the tropoderm, the outermost layer of the cells of the morula that attaches the fertilized ovum to the uterine wall and acts as a nutritive pathway, creating a trophy, a prize or memento received as a symbol of victory, as is the troposphere, the lowest region of the Earth's atmosphere characterized by decreasing temperature with increasing altitude, where the phenomena of weather occurs, 99% water vapor and aerosols, leading to the installation Tropos, a place to reflect upon the role and nature of balance in our environment.

Musgrave participates in "Guess Who?" Art Fundraiser for Sunbury Shores Arts and Nature Centre

2010-10-04T11:46:00.000-07:00

http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/city/article/1246837

Guess Who? art fundraiser offered mysterious twist
Published Monday October 4th, 2010 by Derwin Gowan

Musgrave in New York City Copying Joseph Turner's "The Whale Ship" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

2010-08-13T05:27:00.000-07:00

I believe copying a painting enables one to really look at a painting and understand the structure of it.

"Empath" Opening - Photos by Biff Mitchell

2010-05-26T06:45:00.001-07:00

Andrew Miller performing his work, "Lumino."

Ingrid Mueller

Edith Miller enjoying berry fine fruit and wine.

Empath - New works by Deanna Musgrave

2010-04-14T17:56:00.000-07:00

“The visual presence of Deanna Musgrave’s evocative paintings echo the distortive properties of prismatic beauty through the illusion of depth and layers of vibrant colours. The fanciful optical effects channel the visual energy of elemental forces and their abstract rhythm.”

Deanna Musgrave was the Greenarm prize winner of the 2007 Studiowatch Emerging Artist Award and has won numerous art scholarships. She is currently perusing her Master’s Degree.

The exhibitions will premier a new composition by Andrew Miller. Recent sculptures by Catherine Hale will also be on display.

Ingrid Mueller Art + Concepts is located at 117 York Stree, Mon-Wed, 11-5, Thurs-Fr. 11-7, Sun 1-4.
www.ingridmuellerartandconcepts.com

Telegraph Journal Article: Landscape show pushes the boundaries

2010-04-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

To showcase contemporary art, we often push the boundaries," contends Ingrid Mueller, of Ingrid Mueller Art Concepts Gallery. Leaning against one stark white wall is a striking Jennifer Pazienza. On the floor against another wall is a wildly colourful abstract of Deanna Musgrave's.

Those artists, and about a dozen others, are part of the All Places Beautiful exhibit, which runs at the downtown Fredericton gallery until April 1.

All Places Beautiful is about landscapes, where the twist is that some artists in this show are not known primarily for that kind of work.

"We have people like Glenn Priestly," says Mueller. "He doesn't do many landscapes but he'll be in this exhibit with three paintings."

Mueller says landscapes may look easy, but are far from it. "It's very difficult to do a good landscape. And when the artists do these landscapes, these are places that are close to their hearts. They want the work to be as beautiful as what they see."

Colleen Kitts

Published Thursday March 18th, in the telegraph journal
2010http://herenb.canadaeast.com/reviews/article/988473

Reunion - Group Exhibition at the Blue Door

2010-03-24T12:03:00.000-07:00

Daily Gleaner Article: "Celebrating All Things Beautiful at Ingrid Mueller Art Concepts", Published Tuesday March 16th, 2010

2010-03-16T08:23:00.000-07:00

All Things Beautiful is the title of a new exhibition of paintings and photographs at Ingrid Mueller Art Concepts but it reminds me of one of my mother's favourite hymns, All Things Bright and Beautiful - coincidentally, it's also the title of a particularly entertaining novel by country vet James Herriot, that was popular in our family home, and maybe yours, too.

When we were reading Herriot novels, we just happened to be living out in the country and had lots of eccentric neighbours who owned farms and could easily have been characters in those stories.

They all longed, like we did, for spring. Spring is a magical, albeit muddy, time on family farms.

The excitement may begin earlier than the daffodils bloom.

In the dark, dusty barn, sometimes in the dead of night and often in the dead of winter, new life begins to emerge.

Ingrid Mueller Art Concepts was first opened in March so Mueller always thinks of spring as the beginning of the gallery season.

She was thinking of the spring when she planted the seeds for this show, and invited 14 artists to share their interpretations of landscape with the gallery-goers of Fredericton - maybe, hopefully, enticing a few newcomers to walk into the clean, crisp space on York Street.

She convinced two of her artists, Deanna Musgrave, of Fredericton, and Brian Burke, of Prince Edward Island, to stray from more familiar subject matter and create landscapes for this exhibition.

And she must have liked what emerged from the challenge.

A detail of Burke's work is highlighted on the invitations for the show. Another piece in the gallery is tucked around a corner by Mueller's office so don't miss it when you go. Unseen Forest is so Burke, so subtle, but so intriguingly mysterious that it resonates long after you discover it.

Musgrave is emerging and usually paints to music. Her work is fantastical, with bright, colourful abstract shapes, entitled Wonderful Land.

Mueller likes emerging artists and has included a number in this show, of particular note, graduates from Mount Allison University, like Deanna, who are part of a group of fine young painters coming from that institution in recent years.

Although most are in their early to mid-20s, Mueller said, they are already establishing themselves as respected professional artists. Photographer Kyle Cunjak, a native, and until very recently resident, of Fredericton, is also emerging and is new on Mueller's roster.

When he isn't shooting, he is busy gaining fame for his music; his specialty is double bass. Just back to Halifax after touring with David Myles, he also played with The Olympic Symphonium during the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.

Cunjak just sold two of his series of 50 x 50-inch portraits of carnival workers to the New Brunswick Art Bank through Mueller, but is showing what is quickly becoming his signature - vibrant light painted landscapes - in All Things Beautiful.

The work is a contrast to the low-key images of Thaddeus Holownia: majestic, sweeping black-and-white contact prints depicting among other things, a stunning meadow, and sweep of a river in Quebec, part of his salmon river series.

What particularly caught my attention in this show, however, is a painting by Stephen Williams entitled The House.

I like this work because it allows my mind to wander, to fill in the detail, and imagine exactly what that house would look like if it were yours, what it looks like in your memory as you drive through any part of this province: white clapboard house, green foliage, barn or shed attached to house.

I saw a house like this in Gagetown, owned and operated by a delightful 95-year-old man who used to run the general store in the village.

A group exhibition is difficult to hang, but also sometimes difficult to write about.

Who do you focus on in a short piece? Whose work to emphasize?

For Peter Mueller, whose work to hang where? Well, Mueller did a splendid job with this show, accenting wall work with sculptural pieces both on the periphery and in the centre of the rooms by Andrew Ross, Sister Marie Hélène Allain, Peter Powning, and more.

Everyone likes landscapes said Ingrid Mueller, even the artists who show us our Atlantic Canadian surroundings from their own particular points of view.

See Brian Burke, Kyle Cunjak, Jessie Dodington, Susan Feindel, Thaddeus Holownia, Hugh Kearney, Jonathan Johnson, Adam MacDonald, Deanna Musgrave, Jennifer Pazienza, Susan Pierce, Glenn Priestley, Ron Shuebrook and Stephen Williams in All Things Beautiful until March 30 at Ingrid Mueller Art Concepts, 77 York St.

For more information, call 454-2278 or visit www.ingridmuellerartandconcepts.com.

Karen Ruet is a freelance writer and photographer living in Fredericton. She teaches at The New Brunswick College of Craft and Design and runs The Gallery at NBCCD. She is one of the founding members of the local photography collective, SilverFish (2000).

"All Places Beautiful" - Group Exhibition at Ingrid Mueller's Arts & Concepts

2010-03-12T08:29:00.000-08:00

"Rock Paper Scissors" Opens at The Yellow Box Art Gallery, Saint Thomas University

2009-09-27T11:42:00.001-07:00

“Rock Paper Scissors” OPENS at STU Yellow Box Gallery Friday September 25th

St. Thomas University Fine Arts professors Will Forestall, Deanna Musgrave, Robin Peck and D’Arcy Wilson will be exhibiting new works of art in drawing, painting and sculpture. The opening of the exhibit will be held on Friday September 25th from 5-7 PM at the Yellow Box Gallery, McCain Hall, St. Thomas University. All are welcome, wine and cheese will be served.

Students of Musgrave's 5-day Abstract and Non-Objective Art Course (Edventures 2009)

2009-07-31T14:56:00.000-07:00

This year Deanna Musgrave had five participants for the Edventures 5-day beginner level "Abstract and Non-Objective Drawing and Painting": (from left)Brenda Little, Sally Crawford, Jean Oja, Deanna Musgrave, Asta Antoft and Gayle Meyer. She is very proud of her class (some who were doing their first paintings) and the work they produced in under five days. Below are only a few examples:
Work by Jean Oja

Work by Gayle Meyer

Work by Asta Antoft

Work by Brenda Little

Work by Sally Crawford

Confederation Centre Art Gallery/ Dalvay Park Residency

2009-07-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to Barb and Geoff Lewis for this photo

Confederation Centre Art Gallery Residency

2009-07-26T10:59:00.000-07:00

Moon2 installed in the entrance of the Conferderation Centre Art Gallery.

This summer, Parks Canada and the Confederation Centre Art Gallery will once again host visiting artists with its “Art in the Park Program” in Prince Edward Island National Park.

This year, four artists will ply their art and reside in Dalvay at the Dalvay Trail House (70 Dalvay Crescent) within PEI’s National Park. Artists Deanna Musgrave and Andrew Miller will be the artists-in-residence in July, and D’Arcy Wilson and Chris Friel will move in during August. Visitors to the park are encouraged to drop in for a visit, ask questions, or learn more about the program, which involves workshops at the residence and ArtTalks at the Gallery.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=102034193373&ref=mf

During the residency Miller and Musgrave developed their next performance work entitled, "Sun." The piece was performed during their artist talk on July 14th at the Confederation Centre Art Gallery. More images of the piece and video coming soon....

Musgrave is profiled in the Telegraph Journal's Salon

2009-05-23T06:09:00.000-07:00

http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/salon/article/675121

Published Saturday May 23rd, 2009

"Moon 1" installation on Youtube

2009-05-08T12:59:00.001-07:00

Mount Allison University Art Enrichment Camp 2005 Video

2009-05-04T05:41:00.000-07:00

Musgrave created this video in 2005 during the Mount Allison's Annual Fine Art Camp. She was touched when a student from the camp posted it on you tube:

Eradrocer 2009

2009-04-22T10:27:00.000-07:00

The 2009 demo version of "Eradrocer" performed by Andrew Miller and Deanna Musgrave is now on YouTube. This performance includes double bass, recorder, water, hair, tea pot, voice, multiple delays, and video.

"CH-CH-CHANGES" now on at Saint Thomas University's Yellow Box Art Gallery

2009-04-02T06:43:00.000-07:00

"Kim Vose Jones and Deanna Musgrave are currently exhibiting works of art around the theme of metamorphosis and change.The show, titled CH-CH-CHANGES, is up for approximately a month. It is located in McCain Hall on the St. Thomas University campus.

Jones works with media such as fibre, glass and found objects; she is constantly experimenting with new media and environmental possibilities. For this exhibition, Jones will be displaying her new blown glass creations.

Among several other distinctions, Musgrave has been awarded the Beaverbrook Art Gallery's Studio Watch: Emerging Artist for 2007. In addition, she has shown at the Saint John Museum and the 2007 International Toronto Art Fair."

http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/rss/article/620158

Article by Mireille Eagan
Published Tuesday March 31st, 2009 in the Daily Gleaner

"Classroom Creativity Meets Conservation"

2009-02-09T04:51:00.000-08:00

"Classroom creativity meets conservation"
Published Monday February 9th, 2009 in the Daily Gleaner

Deanna Musgrave is using her talents as a visual artist to inspire children to be more energy conscious. And her methods are working.

Grade 4 students Alynn Peabody and Drew Howe have been enrolled in the Learning Through the Arts program with Musgrave for several weeks. And every day, they discuss ways they can encourage parents, friends and classmates to conserve energy.

"I'm learning that every little bit helps the environment," Peabody said. "Turning off the TV or the lights for even an hour can save lots and lots of pollution from going into the air."

Musgrave, an artist from Fredericton, is involved in the Learning Through the Arts program at Park Street Elementary School.

The program, created by the Royal Conservatory of Music, provides arts-driven education to engage students in all subject areas.

Musgrave has been using her painting and craft skills to teach the children different aspects of the science curriculum, including energy conservation, pollution and the properties of light.

"I'm interested in cross-disciplinary work, so being an artist with a bachelor of education, it made sense to me to get involved in this program," Musgrave said. "I've been spreading the message of conservation through art by creating stained glass windows with the students, for example, to get them to appreciate natural light versus artificial."

The students have been painting pictures of an unpolluted sky; creating charts on reducing energy consumption; and painting interpretations of noise pollution.

The Learning Through the Arts project is sponsored by NB Power.

"We wanted to bring conservation education to the kids because it's important," said Ann Leggatt, an NB Power account manager. "Energy conservation is an old message, but we knew this program would be a fun and creative new way to bring that message to the kids. I think it's worked very well at Park Street."

Andrew Miller, a local musician, has also been participating in the project.

He's been using vocals, a bass and his interest in music to teach students about sound frequency, density and recycling - among other things.

"I'm a big believer in giving back to the community, so this program has been great to be a part of," Miller said.

"Some of the projects we did included making coffee can drums, and creating a recording where all the students' names were played at once to promote the idea that a lot of people using one resource isn't good. It doesn't work well."

The Learning Through the Arts program is almost finished for the Grade 4 students at Park Street Elementary School, but the Grade 5 students are just starting.

Grade 4 student Drew Howe said he has some advice for older students.

"Listen to the artists because they know what they are talking about," Howe said. "We need to conserve energy and go easy on our resources because we're hurting our planet and that's not a good thing. But we can use music and art and other creative ways to change that."

~Jennifer Dunville
Daily Gleaner, Feb.8th 2009

The Sackville Tribune Post: Local music teachers sponsor art, music workshop for kids

2009-01-25T14:48:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, Jan. 25, the Sackville Music Teachers Association (SMTA) sponsored an art and music workshop for Amherst and Sackville residents aged five to 18.
Over 40 enthusiastic young artists and musicians took part in the various workshops which were held at the Sackville United Church throughout the afternoon.
Clinicians Deanna Musgrave and Andrew Miller, both formerly of Sackville, provided a highly engaging and creative workshop for each age level, culminating in murals and individual art pieces created by the participants.
Using live music performed by Miller on the double bass and with electronic sound, the students created lines, shapes and color after discussion and practice with visual artist Musgrave.
The funding for the event was made possible due to the fundraising efforts of many local children in the Sackville and Amherst communities.
http://www.sackvilletribunepost.com/index.cfm?sid=221204&sc=133

www.deannamusgrave.com gets updated!

2009-01-23T11:23:00.000-08:00

For the first time in 4 or 5 years www.deannamusgrave.com is updated!

"Moon 1" Video on You Tube

2009-01-19T18:01:00.001-08:00

"Tuning in, turning off" -Telegraph Journal Article about Musgrave, LTTA, and Energy Conservation

2008-10-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

"Tuning in, turning off"
Published Tuesday October 28th, 2008 in the Telegraph Journal
by QUENTIN CASEY

FREDERICTON - The room was full of fourth graders with their hands covered in charcoal - many with black streaks across their faces and clothes.

A lesson about energy conservation?

The connection wasn't exactly immediate, but that was the intent of a pilot program launched Monday with funding from NB Power, the province's public utility.

Through music and sounds, students were subtly taught the importance of switching off lights and turning off the television to save power.

With musical instruments and other props, the class of energetic fourth-graders was first taught about sound waves and the difference between natural and man-made noise.

The lesson culminated with the students scribbling wildly with charcoal on three large pieces of paper. Each student was instructed to draw waves of a different sound.

One student chose a dog barking, another a bird chirping, another a toilet flushing.

The students then acted out those sounds in one loud chorus, with an emphasis on cutting out the man-made noises - like the sound of a TV or a dishwasher.

"A lot times kids filter things out. They forget that the TV or a fan is on," said Fredericton painter Deanna Musgrave, who led the session along with Andrew Miller, principal bassist with Symphony New Brunswick.

"But by getting them to really look and listen, it's like you're tuning their senses more.

"It's hard to just say, 'You have to shut the lights off.'"‚"

Followup sessions, will make a more direct pitch to kids to turn off their lights and household appliances, the organizers said.

The point of the exercise, however, was initially lost on most of the reporters gathered to cover the session. An NB Power spokeswoman later called those in attendance, to ensure they understood the central point involved electricity conservation.

Monday's session was held at Park Street School in Fredericton, one of three schools where the pilot project will be launched. The sessions will also take place at the Elsipogtog School in Big Cove and at a yet-to-be-named francophone school.

NB Power has committed $50,000 to launching eight sessions at the three pilot schools.

In doing so the utility is joining with the Royal Conservatory of Music's learning through the arts program, which involves artists creating special lessons using everything from dancing to singing to sculpting.

"The goal is to, over time, develop a culture of conservation," said NB Power spokesman Michel Losier.

"It's important to learn from a very early age to be smart with electricity usage."

Miller, the symphony bass player, added to the student noise by playing sharp notes on his instrument.

He also blew on a kazoo, much to the students' delight.

He said blending science lessons with music helps the students soak in and retain the lesson.

"You might think it's a little bit of a stretch with energy conservation, but in terms of science, I think there are a lot of parallels," he said.

Musgrave works with "Learning Through the Arts" to Teach Children About Conservation

2008-10-28T14:56:00.000-07:00

"Students Fuse the Arts, Science to Learn About Conservation"

Published Tuesday October 28th, 2008 in the Daily Gleaner
By SHAWN BERRY

Students unleash a cacophony of sound in their classroom. They simulate the revving of engines, the repetitive rhythm of a dishwasher, the decisive sound of a gunshot, the sound of someone walking on crisp fallen leaves and the sound of waves hitting a rock.

Andrew Miller plays bass during a Learning Through the Arts session at Park Street Elementary School on Monday. NB Power is funding the program in grades 4 and 5 classes at the school so students can learn about music, art, science and conservation at the same time. Sitting on the floor, the kids laugh and smile as they recreate the sounds as artist Deanna Musgrave points to the interpretation of the sound waves the students have drawn on a large piece of paper as Andrew Miller plays the bass and a kazoo.

The 23 students in a Grade 4 class at Park Street Elementary School are enjoying a lesson on art and music - but they're also learning about science and conservation.

The school is one of three in the province benefiting from the Royal Conservatory of Music's Learning Through the Arts program that brings professional artists into the classroom to link subjects together in new ways. NB Power is funding the pilot project for grades 4 and 5 students at the Park Street school.

"It was really fun to put music and art together and get to draw the vibrations," said Grade 4 student Kali Billings. "It taught me about music and how it vibrates, and that sound can be louder or softer."

But she also learned that cutting down on human-made sounds can have an environmental impact.

"You can listen to the sounds and you can turn electrical (appliances) off and save power."

Musgrave, a Fredericton visual artist who helped the students draw their interpretation of the sounds and the vibrations, said the experience helps young people remember the importance of conservation.

"It's a way to get them to think about turning things off," she said.

Miller, a principal bass player with Symphony New Brunswick and a faculty member of the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra, said he enjoys teaching kids about the science behind the music and the physics of sound.

"There are a lot of parallels with science," he said.

The project typically runs over several days and he takes students outside to listen for the sounds he hears. He also takes the cover off a stereo speaker so kids can see the vibrations for themselves.

School principal Chris Treadwell said it's a great way for students to learn in a creative way.

"I was really impressed to see the high level of student engagement and involvement," he said.

"This is an excellent example of blending subjects and having fun doing it."

Michel Losier, director of community relations for NB Power, was on hand to see the class Monday.

"It's pretty fascinating to see kids learning and having a great time," he said. "We like this because it's an innovative way to teach the important subject of conservation."

NB Power is also sponsoring the program at the Elsipogtog School on the Elsipogtog First Nation. A francophone school that will benefit from the program has yet to be identified

Moon 1 Installation at the Fredericton City Hall Gallery

2008-10-22T10:42:00.000-07:00

These are images of Andrew Miller and Deanna Musgrave's installation/performance piece. The second in this series is in the works.

Stockhausen Video

2008-09-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

Fri. Sept. 5, 2008, 2pm - 12am

This is a video of the Motion Ensemble's 10 hour concert of, "Aus den Sieben Tagen" (1968) by Karlheinz Stockhausen which ran from 2pm- midnight outdoors in front of "Ingrid Mueller Arts and Concepts" at 117 York St. Fredericton. Musgrave created five videos inspired by Stockhausen's work which were displayed during the performance.

Images from Motion Ensemble's Performance of "Aus den Sieben Tagen" by Karlheinz Stockhausen and video work by Musgrave

2008-09-06T04:58:00.001-07:00

Fri. Sept. 5, 2008, 2pm - 12am

These are images from the Motion Ensemble's 10 hour concert of, "Aus den Sieben Tagen" (1968) by Karlheinz Stockhausen which ran from 2pm- midnight outdoors in front of "Ingrid Mueller Arts and Concepts" at 117 York St. Fredericton. Musgrave created five videos inspired by Stockhausen's work which were displayed during the performance.

Important Upcoming Dates

2008-08-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

Thurs. Sept 4th, 2008. 5pm - 8pm
Casemates Art Show
As part the Fredericton Arts Alliance Casemates Artist Residency, Andrew Miller and Deanna Musgrave will be installing a multimedia work in the Fredericton Town Hall Gallery.

Fri. Sept. 5, 2008, 2pm - 12am
Aus den Sieben Tagen (1968) Karlheinz Stockhausen Performance
The Motion Ensemble is performing, "Aus den Sieben Tagen (1968) Karlheinz Stockhausen" from 2pm- midnight outdoors in front of "Ingrid Mueller Arts and Concepts" at 117 York St. Fredericton. Musgrave has created five videos inspired by Stockhausen's work which will be on display during the later half of the concert. She will also be displaying two new painted works at Ingrid Mueller's Gallery.

Sept 12th
Emerging Artist Show - Ingrid Mueller Arts and Concepts
Musgrave will be showing new painted works for the emerging artist group show at Ingrid Mueller Arts and Concepts. More details coming soon...

Musgrave is "Visual Artist in Residence" at the 2008 New Brunswick Music Festival

2008-08-20T18:22:00.000-07:00

(photo by Roger Smith)

This week Musgrave is visual artist in residence at the New Brunswick Music Festival. She will be spending the week of August 18th-23rd in Memorial Hall painting while the musicians practice their pieces for the festival. She will also be painting during the concerts in the foyer and her current body of work will be on display in the east side gallery. One piece, which is based on Ravel's "Introduction and Allegro," will be auctioned off at the Gala performance on Saturday 23rd to support the Music Festival. You can hear Musgrave discussing this work on the JustFred website:

http://blogs.justfred.ca/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/nb_summer_music_fest_deanna_musgrave.swf

She was interviewed by CTV and will be featured on "Live at Five," August 21st, sometime between 5:00 - 6:00pm.

UNB Music Camp 2008: Exploring Music and Art

2008-08-16T04:45:00.000-07:00

This year the "Exploring Music and Art" program had nine kids (ages 5-8). During the week they discussed compositions by Vivaldi (The Four Seasons), Debussy (La Mer) [center image], Holst (The Planets) and John Cage (Variations III) to name a few. For art/artists, they explored Picasso, Pollock and various graphical music scores (which became the focus this year). The purpose of these activities is to help children to understand that traditional music notation is an evolved graphical score and that they themselves can create a musical language (or any language).

The first image is a piece titled, "The Rainbow" by Buster. In this work red is forte, blue is piano, and the rest of the colors are mezzo forte. Buster says this piece is for strings and "is a sad song."

Next year Musgrave hopes to have musicians come in and interpret the children's work. She also aims to expand the program next year to an older age group.

Next week (August 18th - 23rd) Musgrave will be doing an artist residency at the UNB Memorial Hall for the Music Festival. During the week she will be painting during the musician's rehearsals to create a painting that will be auctioned off at the end of the week. The proceeds of this work will go toward funding for the UNB Music Camp/Festival.

Landscape Painting Course for Edventures

2008-08-07T15:57:00.001-07:00

These are photos from Musgrave's Landscape Painting course for Edventures in Fredericton. The course included visits to local galleries, an overview of the history/development of the landscape, basic theory of the elements/principals of art/color theory and three painting projects (painting from a photo, painting "En Plein Air (In the Open Air)," and abstraction of the landscape.
During this week, Musgrave's three students Janet, Chris, and Meredith created three paintings based around the landscape. She is very proud of them as these are their FIRST paintings. She looks forward to doing the course again next year!

"Moon 1" is Performed at "Ok Quoi"

2008-07-30T04:58:00.000-07:00

“Moon 1” was the opening act of the “Ok Quoi” contemporary arts festival cabaret (http://www.strutsgallery.ca/okquoi/schedule.htm ) on July 28th at the Sackville Music Hall. This music/visual art performance piece has been publicly performed in Fredericton and Sackville. In this piece, Musgrave create lines that are synchronized to a Bass player’s pitches using a traditional Chinese brush made out horse’s hair. The lines and sounds/pitches build together to create a musical and visual piece. There are also digital sound and video elements. More pictures and a video are coming soon…

EdVentures Abstract Art Course July 20th - 25th

2008-07-25T13:32:00.001-07:00

These are image(s) from Deanna Musgrave's EdVenture's abstract art course. Artwork is by Janet Stoppard.

The Final Workshop at Evelyn Grove Manor - Self Expression in Art and Music

2008-07-25T13:18:00.000-07:00

These are image(s) from the final art and music workshops at Eveyln Grove Manor, lead by Deanna Musgrave and Andrew Miller. The theme was self expression.

The Second Workshop at Evelyn Grove Manor - Color and Music

2008-07-25T13:07:00.000-07:00

Artwork by one of the participants...

Art and Music Workshops at Evelyn Grove Manor

2008-07-20T05:34:00.000-07:00

These are images from the workshops at Evelyn Grove Manor. Through exercises lead by Andrew Miller and Deanna Musgrave, the participants colored to music, painted in the style of Pollock, sung shapes, and were exposed to a variety of music.

Deanna Musgrave is featured in the Mount Allison "Record"

2008-07-19T13:08:00.000-07:00

Casemates 2008

2008-07-05T14:47:00.000-07:00

Deanna Musgrave and Andrew Miller will be doing a casemates residency in Fredericton July 5th -11th 10am-5pm. They will be featured on CBC radio July 9th to talk about their upcoming projects. Please come visit!

Working at Studio4ward - Photo by WhiteFeather Hunter

2008-05-26T11:21:00.000-07:00

Salon Article - "To Watch"

2008-05-25T12:14:00.000-07:00

Recent years have seen the rise to prominence of regional art schools. This has produced a new crop of well-trained, home-grown artists. The past few years, in particular, have seen a number of fine young artists emerging onto the scene in southern New Brunswick, seeking out studio spaces in our three main cities. From among this group we have selected seven young artists to watch.We have been told so often that painting is dead, only to discover the latest group of young artists attempting to push the limits of paint and brush, addicted to the cobalt blues, the cadmium reds, eager to challenge the status quo and claim a bit of artistic ground within their community and hopefully beyond.

Deanna Musgrave, a 2005 graduate of Mount Allison University's fine art program, has received considerable praise for her work in the short time she has been painting professionally. Currently based in Fredericton, she describes herself as "a painter and video/sound artist interested in the interdisciplinary relationships between the visual and audible arts." Her lush painterly canvases appear to rely heavily on the emotional qualities of colour. She talks of using the formal characteristics of visual art to represent the audible qualities found in music.

Her Fredericton dealer, Ingrid Mueller, someone with an excellent eye for good contemporary work, praises Deanna's painting, and refers to the young artist's commitment to her practice, and to her discipline. "She has her direction and an incredible drive," she says.

While a first viewing of Musgrave's canvases give the impression of complete freedom, Mueller points to "a strong sense of order that underlies the work." Mueller's reference to the artist's drive is echoed by the artist as she discusses what it takes to push forward as an artist. Musgrave says, "It's like keeping a fire going. It's a lot of work." So far, it would seem she has what it takes. The buyers seem to agree. We expect the fires to burn bright as she continues to challenge the limits of paint and sound.

-Peter Buckland, published in the "Salon" May 2008

Current Projects - May 2008

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Deanna Musgrave is currently working on a new body of work at studio4ward dealing with the qualities of water, cymatics, and optical illusions. She has also started a new project with Prof. Pam Whitty (Early Childhood Education, University of New Brunswick) to create a curriculum document outlining interdisciplinary activities for pre-school children.

Edventures Programs 2008

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Edventures Programs - Deanna Musgrave

To sign up for these programs go to....

http://www.edventures.ca/en/instructors/MusgraveDeanna.asp

Exploring Art and Music

July 12 & 13, 2008

What is the shape of purple? If you could draw the sound of a bird, what would it look like? In this two-day workshop Deanna Musgrave will encourage you to explore unusual connections between the arts. Activities will include drawing, painting, crafts, games, stories and movies. Draw sound, paint music, invent instruments, sing shapes and much more! Let your imagination go wild using tempera paint, paper, pencils, glue, newsprint, magazine cut-outs and more.

Abstract and Non-Objective Drawing / Painting

July 21 - 25, 2008

You may not be Pablo Picasso or Wassily Kandinsky but in this art class you will learn about these world famous painters as well as others important to the world of art. During this five-day workshop you will explore various methods to create abstract and non-objective artworks in drawing and painting. Group critique and discussion will assist students to improve their work. Concepts of painting music, cubism, fauvism, or minimalism will also be covered. See how charcoal, pencils, pastels, and brushes are used in varying degrees of painting.

Mixed Media Painting

July 28 - August 1, 2008
DescriptionWhat colour is the wind? Does it depend on the strength of the sound? Artist Deanna Musgrave will show you a variety of techniques and explorations in acrylic paint on canvas from the simple to complex. Learn the relationships between visual and audible art and how they can be intermingled. Let this seasoned artist introduce you to colour and how it is synonymous with sound distinction (timbre) or harmony; or paint brush strokes with rhythm. When the blue jays call during a winter storm, what colour will you paint their call?

Plein Air / Landscape Painting

August 4 - 8, 2008
How many times have you tried to capture a picturesque view with a camera and it didn't do it justice? Why not try landscape painting and capture the whole view? In this five-day workshop learn how to paint outdoors or in the "open air". Instructor Deanna Musgrave will teach you various styles and discuss the work of many artists with the focus on Canadian painters. Enjoy the outdoor venues while you create your masterpiece. Group critique and discussion will assist you to improve your finished work. Learn how to make use of willow charcoal, pencils, brushes, and moulding paste while creating a piece of art.

Metamorphosen 2008

2008-05-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

Salon Article - Great Adventures

2008-05-25T10:21:00.000-07:00

As a young person I equated an adventure with an extreme experience that challenged my physical prowess in an exotic country. Saying a few words in a foreign language left me with the exhilaration of having pushed my limits. I later realized every aspect of life is an adventure; that an adventure is a quest that can challenge me in myriad ways, and in a moment awaken and lift my soul. The adventure is within and the journey is in the creative process.

Denise Richard with her work ‘Mutation,’ a fibre work that uses a technique called random weave, onion and iron dyed reed, and cochineal dyed merino wool. She is among the teachers of edVentures.

Dr. A. J. Carty, a science researcher and past president of the National Research Council of Canada, is a great proponent of linking arts and cultural communities in education programs. "I want my imagination rekindled," he says. "I want to be shown how to look at things in new ways. And I believe my capacity for innovation and creativity in my own discipline will grow as a result."

This summer will see the launching of Atlantic Canada's largest and most diverse vacation learning program - Fredericton's edVentures. It offers more than 140 workshops in craft and culture taught by some of New Brunswick's best known artists - including Richard Flynn, Sue Hooper, Deanna Musgrave, Sarah Petite, Glenn Priestley, Denise Richard and Janice Wright Cheney. There will be outdoor films and concerts, historic walking tours, wine tasting as well as tai chi and yoga by the river.

Five-day weekday courses and two-day weekend courses will be offered. Workshops run from July 7 to August 22. Courses range from mask making, digital and pinhole photography, music and performing arts to pottery, jewelry and pastel painting.

The program is a partnership between the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design in the Heart of the Garrison District, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, The University of New Brunswick Arts Center, Kings Landing Historical Settlement, the Fredericton Arts Alliance, the New Brunswick Crafts Council and the Charlotte Street Arts Centre in the St. Anne's Point Heritage Preservation Area.

"This is among the most significant cultural programs launched in New Brunswick in the last decade or two," Mayor Brad Woodside says. "It's going to be good for the arts community, good for the city and good for the economy. By combining the strengths of our cultural sector and our tourism industry, we've created something truly exceptional."
The province is contributing $10,000 towards the edVentures program. Enterprise Fredericton is contributing $5,000.

Richard Flynn, of Gagetown, will be teaching a week-long workshop in pastels. Flynn trained in adult education in England.

"I embrace the concepts of adult education, and encourage the students to direct and fundamentally control the direction of their own education," he says. Flynn paints directly from real life; his Acacia Gallery, which also houses his studio, is set in the St. John River Valley among gardens and flowers.

An adventure of this nature embraces a different kind of personal challenge that affects combinations of senses and sensibilities, that reaches various levels of creativity, knowing and making. It is an adventure designed to create challenges for the mind, hand and eye. It promises to be an experience that encourages personal transformation.

For further information go to www.edVentures.ca or call 1-888-850-1333
Jane Geurts is a designer, artist and head of the Design Department at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design in Fredericton. She can be reached at jane.geurts@gnb.ca.

Published in the Salon May 2008

Coloring to Music - Workshop at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery and Gift to Measha Brueggergosman

2008-05-25T10:04:00.001-07:00

This is an image of what the kids in the afterschool program at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery created when I taught them to color to music. This work was presented to the famous Canadian soprano, Measha Brueggergosman. I hear she plans to place it in her living room ^_^

Artist Statement 2008

2008-05-25T09:55:00.001-07:00

Artist Statement - 2008

I am a painter and multimedia artist interested in the interdisciplinary relationships between the arts, that they can be intermingled into an all encompassing art form, such as Richard Wagner’s theories of the Gesamtkunstwerk (the total artwork) or R. Murray Schafer’s Theatre of Confluence. I seek elements in the synthesis of the arts which express universal connections, concepts of energy, vibration, a return to wholeness from fragmentation, or a process of regeneration. As Jon Kakat-Zinn writes in “Full Catastrophe Living” (1990):

Whole implies integration, an interconnectedness of all parts of a system or organism, that is at once complete yet constantly changing, . . . itself situated or embedded in a larger wholeness, the environment, the planet, the universe (p.162-3)

I communicate these ideas in my work by translating that which is invisible into a visual form, such as music into painting. Through my interest in artists such as Wassily Kandisky, Paul Klee, Joseph Turner, and James Whistler, I endeavor to express commonalities of music and visual art, such as the element of vibration shared by color and sound. By making these connections visually, I aim to imply a vibration or wholeness similar to Asian concepts of “qi” or the biblical conception of “breath.”

Inspired by Murray Schafer’s musical scores, I have become interested in representing my own musical language, score, or environment through painting. I achieve this by exploring natural and unnatural musical forms, early musical notation (such as neumes), and creating my own motives in response to music. Ultimately, I am developing my own visual/audible language which could be interpreted by musicians.

These motives explored in my painting influence the imagery found in my multimedia performances. These works act as digital/visual musical scores for performers to respond to, within a framework that I outline. I gain inspiration for these pieces from researching concepts of art as medicine, alternative medicine, synthesis, synesthesia, rituals, and religious motives. My ultimate goal with these works is to create multimedia experiences that borders on medicine, art, music, and performance.

Salon Article - "A Musical Medley"

2008-04-25T10:12:00.000-07:00

Only in her 20s, Deanna Musgrave is wasting no time in painting up a name for herself. Last year she was named the Studio Watch Emerging Artist of the year by the Beaverbrook Art Gallery. At the time, Bernard Riordon, director and CEO of the gallery, had these words of praise: "She's an incredible young artist who has great potential. Her works are innovative and I feel she is going to go far with her work and be a great success story."

Musgrave's primary quest is to interpret music in her works. She got started down this path after hearing a composer talk about the colours he saw while listening to music. She started to read more on the subject and found there was a long history of composers influencing artists, such as the way Richard Wagner impacted the work of 20th-century Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky.

Many of Musgrave's paintings begin with her sitting and listening to a composition. Then she turns the music off and lets colour and emotion take over.

Recently an exhibition of Musgrave's work, Metamorphosen, opened at Ingrid Mueller Art Concepts, 117 York St., Fredericton. The exhibition runs until May 1.
- Telegraph-Journal

Published Saturday April 19th, 2008

Images from a Performance Piece by Deanna Musgrave and Andrew Miller

2008-04-15T10:44:00.000-07:00

Metamorphosen 2008

2008-04-15T09:50:00.000-07:00

The Beaverbrook Emerging Artist of the Year 2007

2007-08-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

2007 Salon Article - The Next Big Thing

2007-05-08T10:30:00.000-07:00

Barefoot, paint brush in hand, settled into her section of a large studio space, a former dance studio on Queen Street in downtown Fredericton she shares with two other artists, Musgrave loves to watch pedestrians on the street below and tourists photographing City Hall, when she takes a break from making art.

Only 24-years-old, Deanna Musgrave has just been named the Studio Watch Emerging Artist of the year by the Beaverbrook Art Gallery.

What this means for Musgrave's visual arts career is a big burst of publicity, a solo show of her colourful abstract paintings at the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John that opens next weekend and a purchase of one of her pieces for the permanent collection at the Beaverbrook Gallery in Fredericton.

Now in its fourth year, the Studio Watch series accomplishes its goal of helping young and emerging artists become more established in the New Brunswick artistic community by providing them with exposure and opportunity. Musgrave plans to add this honour to her résumé when she applies to do a masters degree in fine arts in the next few years.
Bernard Riordon, director and CEO of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery and curator of the Studio Watch series, is confident that Musgrave not only fulfilled the requirements necessary to be named Studio Watch artist for 2007, but that she has a brilliant career ahead of her. Not only is she talented but she is determined to succeed.

Riordon says the pool of candidates vying for the award was the strongest it has ever been; a number of artists could have been chosen from the 26 applicants.

It was Musgrave's drive, plus a combined love of painting and music and her quest to interpret music in her visual art pieces that caught Riordon's attention and elevated her above the rest. He made eight visits to her studio before finally settling on her for the honour.

"She's an incredible young artist who has great potential," Riordon says. "Her works are innovative and I feel she is going to go far with her work and be a great success story."
Riordon says he was impressed by Musgrave's knowledge of art history, her technique and the intensity of her work.

"I think it's the cross between visual art and music and her intensity about her painting," he says. "It's very meaningful and thoughtful work that she's doing, and she's a perfectionist. She wants to see everything done to perfection. Her passion and conviction is equally evident in the painting and in her dialogue about the work."

For local art dealer Ingrid Mueller, it was Musgrave's prolific body of work that was so impressive.

She already had two full series of works when she arrived in Fredericton, says the owner of Ingrid Mueller Art Concepts, the contemporary gallery located a short block from Musgrave's painting studio. Most young artists have five or six good paintings, Mueller says, but Musgrave was making full series of works that made sense together and had a strong focus.
"She is wonderful," Mueller says. "She's so deserving of this prize. She doesn't let go. She is her art."

After meeting Musgrave, the gallery owner immediately arranged for her to have her first solo exhibition in Fredericton at the popular Thai-inspired restaurant, the Blue Door. It was nearly a sellout. Mueller says Musgrave would replace works with new ones as the first paintings sold and, in a day or two, have an inquiry about the new pieces.

"She's already in big collections in Fredericton," Mueller says. "She hangs next to established artists and she doesn't drop."

Her work holds its own.

These days Mueller regularly hangs works by Musgrave in her studio in group exhibitions. She says the young artist is easy to work with because she takes direction well, is open-minded, and leaves the lines between artist and gallery director clearly drawn. She allows the gallery director full creative reign when it comes to marketing. Musgrave is still shy but will talk to potential buyers when asked to do so, which is often a necessary part of the artist's job. Musgrave's interest and knowledge of the arts scene in the city is also expansive.

Mueller agrees with Riordon that Musgrave has a drive seldom seen in young artists, and is committed to her painting. Many burgeoning artists are still dabbling, says Mueller, moving between pottery making, to print making, to painting, all while exploring other mediums. That is all fine, she says, but it creates a problem because the artists are often left confused as to what to show the public. Musgrave paints, as well as does some video work, but most of her energy goes into her painting process.

That routine directly involves music, and many of her painting titles are the titles of the musical compositions that inspire the paintings.

"I'm very spiritual and what makes me feel spiritual is music and visuals. Musical notation is an art piece," she says, describing lines and bars. In the beginning, says Musgrave, it was all just lines, but even these elements relate to art pieces - line, repetition, rhythm, even colour.
Musgrave remembers hearing a composer at a music festival she attended talk about the colours he saw when he listened to music. She started thinking about nature and music - the repetition and rhythm in the natural world, in leaves still hanging in trees, the way that water ripples behave like sound. She started reading artist manifestos and discovered that this correlation between visual art and music has a long history of composers influencing artists, such as the way Richard Wagner impacted the work of 20th century Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky.

"My work deals with the interdisciplinary relationships between the visual and audible arts, that they can be intermingled into an all encompassing art form, such as Wagner's theories of Gesamtkunstwerk (the total artwork)," Musgrave says. "From a young age, I've been seeking elements in the arts that speak of universal connections, and I came to focus on those connections during my undergraduate studies at Mount Allison University.

"Even humans have a vibration. That's how we connect. I'm just a fluffy, spiritual sort of person."Murray Schaffer, one of her instructors at Mount Allison, showed her that there are many interpretations of a piece, many emotions.

"I generally like sad painting," Musgrave says. "There's a great beauty in sadness and finding solace in your faith, taking this horrible thing and trying to make it good. I once read a book by an art therapist who said that you could take that moment. You can engage a person (in that moment) and they will decide to heal. A lot of my art has been about healing, myself, or creating something beautiful that people can look at and feel healed."

So, Musgrave's work combines these emotions and elements and often expresses them with marks, but also with colour. In the pieces that she paints, often using Chinese brushes, you can pick out the squares resembling musical notation, the lines and see the rhythm she creates with her strokes. A lot of healing is rooted in Chinese history, and Musgrave draws on those elements, too.

"Blue is my favourite colour," she says. "It has a lot to do with associations: sky and water. Those are images that I like to use. When I make a watermark it shows where the water laid. Something that's between water and air and that's what breath or chi would look like, an abstract form that has its own logic."

Musgrave listens to compositions, and listens, and listens. Then she turns the music off and starts to make her marks with nature and music and emotion combining as she puts colours on her canvases. From there the painting takes on a life of its own.

"Paintings decide for themselves what they're going to be," she says. "I know how to use colour theory or line to balance it but it knows where it wants to be."

In the end, the work is a reflection of Musgrave and all of these things.
Deanna Musgrave is the Beaverbrook Art Gallery's Studio Watch Artist for 2007. Her solo exhibition in Saint John at the New Brunswick Museum opens Sept. 8 with a reception from 4-6 p.m

Article by Karen Ruet, published in the Salon 2007

Past Show - Deanna Musgrave 2006

2006-05-27T09:38:00.000-07:00