lay of the land
The Koffler Gallery
October 21 to December 12, 2004
Curator: Carolyn Bell Farrell
Opening reception: Thursday, October 21, 6 - 8 pm; Artist Talk: 6 pm
Artist-led nature walk in Earl Bales Park: Sunday, October 24, 2 - 4 pm

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cameo field
Exterior site-work installed on the grounds of the BJCC
On view from November 7, 2004
Opening reception: Sunday, November 7, 2 - 4 pm
Free bus tour: Sunday, November 7, 1 - 4 pm

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A senior Toronto artist, Stephen Cruise has exhibited nationally and internationally since 1969, with solo shows at the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery in Toronto, the Toronto Sculpture Garden, the Agnes Etherington Art Centre in Kingston, the Art Gallery of Windsor, and the Vancouver Art Gallery. His work is represented in numerous corporate and public collections, such as the National Gallery of Canada and the Art Gallery of Ontario. Cruise has also completed nine public art commissions to date, including one for the Toronto Transit Commission (2002), Sheppard East Subway Line. He is currently working on a major commission for the Trudeau Memorial located at Toronto's waterfront.

Stephen Cruise's practice issues from his close attention to the physicalities of a given site - its residential and natural histories, its topographies and geographic boundaries - embracing immediate and neighbouring concerns. The artist's acute observations of the "lay of the land" serve as benchmarks, informing the development of his sculptural works. As markers that identify the forgotten or overlooked histories of a specific locale, these sculptural elements are assembled to support an ensuing narrative. When introduced into the fabric of the urban landscape, they invite passers-by to reflect upon these underlying stories.

Cruise's eight-month residency here at the centre culminates in both interior and exterior projects exploring the physical, historical and emotional context of the West Don River Parkland ravine - the environment surrounding the Bathurst Jewish Community Centre. Inspired by the remnants of what was once a promenade in Earl Bales Park, his gallery installation incorporates forms referencing these extent tree stumps, surrounded by an all-over mural or "wallpaper" based on a repetitive leaf motif. In this work, lay of the land, Cruise utilizes the expansive curved walls of The Koffler Gallery as a resident lens through which a gaze is cast.

cameo field, Cruise's outdoor companion piece, consists of a thirty-foot long fir bench located along the walkway by the Leah Posluns Theatre, in proximity to the sculptures by Cyril Reade (Minyan, 1995), Alan Flint (MANAGE, 1998), Linda Covit (Interstice, 1999) and Gilbert Boyer (those little things, 2003). The surface of this articulated bench displays an embossed rendering of the resident river path with the inclusion of a central bronze hive. The "nest" reveals a number of appliqué objects derived from the immediate surroundings. Essentially, these more individual impressions contrast the collective gaze generated by the aggregate of print leaves in lay of the land, supporting a dialogue between interior and exterior perspectives.

Stephen Cruise's residency, "field work", has been made possible through the generous financial support of the Canada council for the Arts, Artist and Community Collaboration Fund (ACCF).