Art Gallery of Ontario E. P. Taylor Research Library and Archives
Description & Finding Aid: John Faichney Fonds CA OTAG SC111
Prepared by Sylvia Lassam, 2006
317 Dundas Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 1G4 Reference Desk: 416-979-6642 www.ago.net/ago/library John Faichney fonds
John Faichney fonds
Dates of creation: 1974-1985
Extent: 165 cm of textual records
Biographical sketch: John Faichney is a Canadian dancer, television producer and software analyst born in Montreal in 1952. He graduated from Oberlin College where he developed an interest in choreography and dance improvisation. In May 1976 he performed at the Centre for Experimental Art & Communication (CEAC) in Toronto and was invited to join the Centre’s staff. Amongst other activities, he designed printed matter, maintained exchange programs with other artists’ groups, curated an exhibition of artists’ books and managed distribution of mailings and periodicals (including Strike, a quasi-monthly newspaper.) An offshoot of the Kensington Art Association, CEAC moved in 1976 to 86 John Street and then to 15 Duncan Street, offering space for performance art, installations, videos and music. Key members of the group were Amerigo Marras, Suber Corley, Bruce Eves and Ron Gillespie (a.k.a Ron Giii); Marras in particular encouraged connections with European and American artists. The group became increasingly politicized and in 1978 its government funding was rescinded. An attempt at self-sufficiency by starting a television production studio at 124 Lisgar Street was not sustainable and CEAC disbanded in 1980. John Faichney lives in Kitchener, Ontario, and remains involved with Contact Improvisation.
Scope and content: Fonds consists of printed and manuscript material accumulated by John Faichney during his years as an artist involved in the KAA/CEAC collective. Publications originating with CEAC, issues of Canadian and international periodicals, posters, samples of letterhead, exhibition catalogues, the original typed manuscript of an international symposium, and book materials are included.
Contains series: 1. Kensington Art Association and CEAC 2. Periodicals and books
Custodial history: The material comprising this fonds was maintained by John Faichney until 1995 when it was acquired by the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Notes:
Immediate source of acquisition: The fonds is the gift of John Faichney in 1995.
Restrictions on access: Open. Access to Special Collections is by appointment only. Please contact the reference desk for more information.
Terms governing use and reproduction / publication: Various copyright holders. It is the researcher’s responsibility to obtain permission to publish any part of the fonds.
Finding aids: A finding aid is available for this fonds
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Associated material: Centre for Experimental Art and Communication fonds, York University Archives and Special Collections
Accruals: No further accruals are expected
Related material: A Space fonds; Mercer Union fonds
Provenance access point: Faichney, John (1952 -)
SERIES 1: KENSINGTON ARTS ASSOCIATION (KAA) AND THE CENTRE FOR EXPERIMENTAL ART AND COMMUNICATION (CEAC)
Dates of creation: 1974-1985
Extent: 90 cm of textual records
Scope and content: Series contains files and publications relating to John Faichney’s involvement with CEAC and the KAA, including publicity material, stationery and periodicals. Also included is the original typed manuscript for the 1976 Symposium on Contextual Art held at CEAC. Material has been arranged chronologically by the archivist.
Notes: An edited version of the Contextual Art Symposium transcript was published as Part 2 of: Swidzinski, Jan. Quotations on contextual art. Michael Gibbs, Paul Hardy and Paul Panhuysen, eds. The Hague: Gegevens Koninklujke Bibliotheek, [1987]. A copy of this book is in the E.P. Taylor Reference Library (701/Sw5).
Box/file listing:
FOLDER/UNIT START END CONTENTS BOX- TITLE DATE DATE FILE #
Periodical: The 1974 1975 “A magazine devoted to today’s exposure” published by the 1.1 Greatest Super Kensington Arts Association. 2 issues: Vision 1. Fall 1974, featuring Yona Friedman 2. Winter 1975, featuring Blast Bloom (Amerigo Marras)
File: 1974 1977 Pricing information, photographs and camera-ready material for 1.2 Schoichet/Wise printing publicity material. Artists/exhibits include: Wyndham Wise & photo, half-tone Richard Shoichet, Noel Harding, Yona Friedman, Paul Sharits, Reindeer Werks, Philip Glass Ensemble, Heliopolis
File: Forms and 1975 [1976?] KAA and CEAC forms and mailing labels 1.3 labels
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FOLDER/UNIT START END CONTENTS BOX- TITLE DATE DATE FILE #
Posters 1975 1977 1. “Women in Society, a Festival”. October 18-31, 1975 at the Over- Kensington Arts Assoc., 567 Queen Street West size 2. “KAA – 4 Kensington Ave. Toronto”. Contains a brief Folder mission statement and plans and drawings for the building 3. “Body Art” organized by the Kensington Art Association, CEAC, 86 John Street. Artists include Herve Fischer, Menaka Thakkar, Suzy Lake, David Fujino, Daryl Tonkin, Honey Novick, Anne Wordsworth, Paul Dempsey and Ron Gillespie. 4. Steve Reich and musicians. Canadian premiere of ‘Music for 18 musicians’, Convocation Hall, May 2, 1976. 5. “Output”. Blackburn, Brown, Chmilar, Graff, Hutchinson, Johnson, Kotilainen, Lewandowski, MacHattie, Markou, Sarkadi, Vallieres, Wardell, Zablockis. CEAC Gallery, 15 Duncan Street, Dec 17-19 [1976?] 6. “Bookness: an exhibition of unique books: - organized by the Centre for Experimental Art & communication, Toronto. [1976]. 7. “Labirynt”, Galeria Sztuki LDK, 27.V.1977. Diane Boadway, Suber Corley, Bruce Ees, Amerigo Marrass, Jan Swidzinski.
File: Momenting 1976 Addressed envelopes containing an announcement of John 1.4 Faichney’s performance, ‘Momenting’, in May 1976
File: Event 1976 Printed and photocopied event flyers relating to: Lili Eng, Joanne 1.5 announcements Deane, Susan Mackay, Peter Dudar, W.A.V.E.,W.O.R.K.S. Musicart, John Faichney, George Docherty, Jill Bellos and others
File: Publicity [1976] 1985 Small posters, promotional flyers, invitations and and other printed 1.6 material including the first issue of Art & Communication, the CEAC newsletter later called Strike. The monthly schedule for October [1976] is included, with notice of the Steve Paxton performance that marks the first known performance of Contact Improvisation in Toronto. Includes information on Philip Glass Ensemble, Paul Sharits, Wyndham Wise, Richard Shoichet, The Dishes, Lubomyr Melnyk, Elizabeth Chitty, W.A.V.E., Noel Harding, Honey Novick, Terry McGlade and others. A later publication relating to digital art and music is also in the file.
Catalogues [1976?] 1. Body Art. January 10-February 2. Undated catalogue for a 1.7 multi-media event – see related poster in oversize folder (above). 2. Heather MacDonald. Rain Room. Undated catalogue for an installation at CEAC, with photographs by Allain Masson.
Posters 1976 1979 1. ‘The first European tour of Canadian performance art in 2.1 Belgium, Italy, Scotland, Sweden’, containing photographs and statements by Missing Associates, John Faichney and Ron Gillespie [Fall, 1976]. 4 copies 2. The Poles, “rock n’ roll ritual” March 18-19 [1976?], with photograph by Edee Steiner. 3. ‘Cannibalism’, Sept 18-26 [1977?], with performances, films and exhibits by Heather MacDonald, Shitbandit, Larry Dubin & Michael Snow, Yalkut & Kusama, Wonderdog, Hermann Nitsch, Wendy Lee-Knox, Bruce Eves, Willoughby Sharp, New York New York and Vittor Pisani. 4. Exhibition of Detroit and Toronto artists, December 16-17 [1977?], co-presented by CEAC and The Alternative Space, Detroit. 5. ‘Dramatic space for internal dialogue’, Noel Harding, October 9-23 [1976]. 6. ‘Cultural initiative’, an open discussion towards cultural initiatives. Nov. 1, 1979.
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FOLDER/UNIT START END CONTENTS BOX- TITLE DATE DATE FILE #
File: Contextual Nov 10 Original typed transcript made by John Faichney from a tape of the 1.8 Art Symposium – 1976 proceedings. The symposium was organized by Amerigo Marras at Day 1 CEAC who invited Jan Swidzinski and Herve Fischer from Europe, Sarah Charlesworth and Joseph Kosuth from New York. A number of Canadian artists also participated, including Vera Frenkel, Terry McGlade and Carol Conde
File: Contextual Nov 11 Transcript of the second and final day of the symposium, with the 1.9 Art Symposium – 1976 additional participation of Ron Gillespie, Paul Wong and writer John Day 2 Bentley Mays
File: Contextual 1976 John Faichney’s notes on the symposium and several pages of an 1.10 Art Symposium – edited version, by Honey [Novick] notes
Catalogue: 1976 Catalogue of an exhibition produced cooperatively between CEAC 2.2 Vehicule’s and Vehicule Art, Montreal vehicule
File: Bookness 1977 1978 Loan forms, promotional material, correspondence, catalogue essay, 1.11 exhibition list of works, etc. for the 1977-78 exhibit, curated by John Faichney
Strike May Vol. 2, No. 2. “Dissidence in the 1978 Venice Biennale (joint 2.2 1978 statement by the Central Strike Committee: Amerigo Marras, Roy Pelletier, Bob Reid, Bruce Eves, Lily Chiro, and Paul McLelland)” English and Italian editions.
Newspaper May 5 May 17 Photocopies of articles in The Toronto Sun regarding CEAC ties with 2.3 articles 1978 1978 the Red Brigade
Broadside: 1978 Excerpts from the statement by the F.A.R.N. National Directive of the 2.2 “Terrorism or National Resistance of El Salvador, published by Toronto’s Globe and liberation Mail Dec 2, 1978 in Spanish as a condition for the release of Mr. struggle” Schuitema, an executive of Philips. Translated and published by Strike Press.
File: Kensington [1978?] Samples of stationery for the Lisgar Street location 1.12 Art Association
File: Television 1979 Production material and samples of flyer and brochure 1.13 Production Studios - brochures
File: Television 1979 Production material and samples of letterhead, envelopes and 1.14 Production business cards. Studios – stationery
SERIES 2: PERIODICALS AND BOOKS
Dates of creation: 1975-1980
Extent:
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75 cm of textual records
Scope and content: Series contains monographs and periodicals from Canada, the US and Europe accumulated by John Faichney. The material has been arranged chronologically by the archivist.
Box/file listing:
FOLDER/UNIT START END CONTENTS BOX- TITLE DATE DATE FILE #
Queen Stree T 1975 Vol. 3, No. 1, Issue 7, 8, 9. Box 3 Magazine
The Fox 1975 1976 Vol. 1, Nos. 1-3 Box 3
Red-Herring 1977 Nos. 1 & 2. Box 3
Your Organ 1977 1980 Seven issues in original mailing envelopes and one file of 1.15 – correspondence. 1.22
Art 1977 No. 9, Vol3/No. 1. San Francisco publication including Box 3 Contemporary: “Notes/Statements” by Amerigo Marras in this issue. From Europe 1977
Amerigo Marras 1977 Publication with enclosed vinyl recording. Statements by Reindeer Box 3 and Bruce Eves: Werk and Art Communication Edition. Voices by Marras, Eves and Raw/War Paul Robinson. Music by John Catto, David Clarkson, John Hamilton and Ian MacKay, recorded at the Crash ‘n’ Burn, Toronto
Jan Swidzinski. 1977 Warsaw: Art Text, 1977. Polish/English text Box 3 Art as contextual Art.
Missing in Action March Issue 1, edited by Peter Dudar 2.4 1978
Only Paper Today [1978] Fall books & fictions, edited by Hermann Neutics 2.4
Medium II Oct 17 Vol. 5, No. 5 2.4 1978
Varsity Oct 25 Vol. 99, No. 20 2.4 1978
In Struggle! Sept 18 Vol. 7, No. 4 2.4 1979
Conference for Sept Seminar workbook for the “Fifth Network Cinquieme Reseau” 2.4 independent 1978 conference held in Toronto at the Hampton Court Hotel video
Miriam Adams 1979 Toronto: 15 Dance Lab, 1979. Photograph of John Faichney at CEAC Box 3 and Lynn Rotin, illustrates the front cover. eds. Photographs Dance: a collection
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