F-arty Friday – Yvonne takes you outside of the gallery

People often tell me they don’t like art and when I ask why, they usually say it’s because they get intimidated or bored in stuffy galleries, especially when “museum fatigue” sets in after the first hour or two.

Even the most ardent art fans feel this way sometimes, because there’s only so much visual information your brain can absorb at once. I recall a visit to Madrid’s famed Prado museum where, after a few hours of taking in masterpiece after masterpiece, I wept openly—not at the magnificence of Rembrandt, but rather at the splendor of green sign pointing the way to the museum’s café.

I learned an important lesson on that art-heavy trip: museums and galleries are best taken in small doses. What works best for me is to take in one special exhibit, and a few choice picks from a permanent collection. Better yet, I like to spread my visit over a few days. Luckily, a lot of galleries have clued into this fatigue phenomenon and sell tickets that are valid for more than 24 hours. At home in Toronto, I solved the problem by becoming a proud member of the AGO where I can visit any time I want. My hubby and I often drop in for less than an hour to see something specific.

But if galleries still cause you to groan mentally, some of the best art can be enjoyed outside, and for free. For example, a gallery-phobic friend of mine recently returned from a trip to Grenada raving about the underwater sculptures of Jason de Caires Taylor she saw while snorkeling.

A few years ago, I worked on a film in Vilnius, Lithuania, where I visited a sculpture forest called Europos Parkas. It was one of the most peaceful and magical places I’ve ever seen.

Speaking of magical, I’d love to visit Fogo island, off the north-east coast of Newfoundland, where The Arts Corporation offers residencies for artists and workshops that anyone can join. To me, the island itself now looks like a work of art, with its new studios and renovated traditional buildings.

For now, I’m getting my outdoor art fix closer to home. In Toronto, there are some amazing sculptures scattered around. Some of my favorites were created by Douglas Coupland.

Here’s my dog enjoying one of Coupland’s recent pieces.

And then there’s the new Sugar Beach, which has transformed an old parking lot in one of the city’s former industrial areas into an urban beach on Lake Ontario, attracting people to an area that was formerly forgotten.










If you find yourself with some free time this weekend, why not head outside and find something beautiful in your own home town?