The Ladies: Isabella
Storefront Studio, 1144 4th Ave, Prince George, BC, August 25- November 1, 2016
“The legacy of Isabella McKenzie is built of pulp and human spirit. The story is almost wordless.
The Ladies illuminates Barton-Taits ancestry, FRANK PEEBLES / PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN AUGUST 23, 2016
The Ladies: Isabella, detail
detail, Pendants for Rita
detail, A Monument to Isabella
cast paper teapot, tea cup, saucer and chair
detail, The Ladies: Isabella
Isabella’s lace
The Ladies: lace fragment
baby shoes knitted by Isabella
The Ladies: Isabella, detail
Isabella’s pin cushion
detail, The Ladies: Isabella
The Ladies: Isabella, installation view,
A Necklace for her Daughters, detail
detail, The Ladies: Isabella
The Ladies: Jean, Rita & Helen
The next exhibition in the series curated by Maeve Hanna featured the Ladies: Jean, Rita, and Helen, Isabella’s daughters.
Rita was a teacher, bookkeeper, single mother, grandmother, breadwinner for Isabella and Helen, holder of the ancestral memories; Jean was a nurse, an independent woman, a financial whiz, a traveler; Helen was also a nurse, a great storyteller, and a very funny person. Their lives reflect the lives of women after the two world wars and during the depression – they were independent, resourceful, thriving on their abilities to survive whatever life threw their way with humour and intelligence.
Rita’s coffee set
detail
detail
detail of bridge table
The Ladies: Rita, Jean, Helen detail
Paris in the Thirties
detail, The Ladies: Jean, Rita and Helen
detail, bridge accessories: cloth, pencils, tallies, table markers
Jean’s graduation photo
detail, The Ladies: Jean, Rita and Helen
A Blouse for Rita travels
detail, The Ladies: Jean, Rita and Helen
Jean’s housekeeping notebook
Bridge Cloth III
Monument to Jean
held in the hand: glass detail
detail, The Ladies: Jean, Rita and Helen
detail
Monument to Rita
Bridge Cloth II
Marriage Trunk for Helen, Paper chair and table
Monuments to Rita, Jean and Helen
Rita’s hand made coffee set
Helen’s slip travels to the Shield
