E.P. Taylor Research Library & Archives Description & Finding Aid: Suzy Lake Fonds CA OTAG SC122 Prepared by Amy Marshall Furness, 2011 317 Dundas Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 1G4 Reference Desk: 416-979-6642 www.ago.net/research-library-archives Suzy Lake fonds Suzy Lake fonds Dates of creation: 1972-2010 Extent: 1938 photographs 183 cm of textual records 1 photograph album 1 sketchbook Biographical sketch: Suzy Lake (born Detroit, Michigan, 1947) is a visual artist and educator whose work uses photo- conceptual, performance and video strategies to examine and critique ideals of the body, gender and identity. She immigrated to Montreal in 1968, following the 1967 Detroit riots, and became a founding member of the artist-run centre Véhicule. Lake’s career has been based in Toronto since the late 1970s. She has taught at the University of Guelph since 1988. Her work is in numerous major public collections including those of the National Gallery of Canada, Art Gallery of Ontario, Winnipeg Art Gallery and Montreal Museum of Fine Art. Scope and content: Fonds consists of Suzy Lake’s documentation of her artistic projects and exhibitions, records of her teaching activity at the University of Guelph, trial proofs used in the production of photo murals, and an example of early experimental work by the artist. Fonds also includes Lake’s grandfather’s sketchbook from his studies at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Contains series: 1. Project and exhibition records 2. Teaching records 3. Trial proofs 4. Experimental work 5. Arthur George Marx sketchbook Custodial history: The materials now constituting the Suzy Lake fonds were transferred directly to the Art Gallery of Ontario in 2009 and 2011. Notes: Immediate source of acquisition: AGO credit line: Gift of Suzy Lake, 2011. 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: Copyright is held by the creator. It is the researcher’s responsibility to obtain permission to publish any part of the fonds/collection. Accruals: Further accruals are expected. Page 2 of 29 Suzy Lake fonds Provenance access point: Lake, Suzy, 1947- SERIES 1: PROJECT AND EXHIBITION RECORDS Dates of creation: 1972-2010 Extent: 155 cm of textual records 1515 photographs Scope and content: Series comprises Suzy Lake’s documentation of her career as an artist, organized according to exhibition or project. Typical file contents include press clippings, copies of exhibition invitations and catalogues, and photographic documentation. Series also includes performance notes and scripts for the works “Missed Liberty”, “Dance to Life”, “The 1812 Overture – An Ongoing Saga; Or, The Corn Also Rises” and “The Shirley Show / After Oka what?”. Notes: File titles are Suzy Lake’s, unless noted otherwise. Arrangement: Arrangement follows the artist’s chronological arrangement of files. Typically, documents relating to later exhibitions of a particular work are filed together with documents related to the creation or first exhibition of the work. File list: FILE TITLE START END CONTENTS BOX- DATE DATE FOLDER # 1972 1972 1972 1 photograph : print 1-1 Reproduction of art work presumed to be by Suzy Lake On Stage 1972 1972 2 photographs : prints 1-2 On Stage (2006): 1972 2006 12 photographs : prints 1-3 original photos Compiled 2006 for show at Paul Petro gallery On Stage (2006): 2006 2006 2 copies of invitation 1-4 “On Stage (1972): Video Projection” / Invitation / Paul Petro / November 17-December 2, 2006 Page 3 of 29 Suzy Lake fonds FILE TITLE START END CONTENTS BOX- DATE DATE FOLDER # “W.O.R.K.S. – A 1973 1973 Article by Paul Woodrow 1-5 Conceptographic reading of our world thermometer” / Artscanada / October 1973 “Suzy Lake” / Vie 1973 1973 Excerpt from article 1-6 des arts / Spring 1973 “Peripheries – 1974 1974 Two pages taken from exhibition 1-7 Jean-Guy box catalogue construction” / catalogue pages / Museum of Contemporary Art in Montreal, 1974 “Practicing what [ca. 1973] [ca. 1973] Photocopied press clipping, article by 1-8 they teach” / Catherine Bates: source unknown Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Faculty Exhibition Miss Chatelaine, 1998 2004 Catalogue / gallery guide: “The Unseen 1-9 1973 Cindy Sherman: Early Transformations 1975-1976”, Montclair Art Museum March 21-August 1, 2004. “Miss Chatelaine / Co- Ed Magazine” / Suzy’s notes 1973/98 Box Concert 1992 [ca. 1998] Distribution agreement with VTape; Suzy 1-10 (1973): “Box Lake’s page of notes on artwork Concert” / Suzy’s notes 1973 A one-hour (zero) 1973 1973 Press clippings related to exhibition 1-11 conversation with “Vehicule: Suzy Lake, Allen Bealy” : Allen B. / Montreal Star / December 15, 1973; La Presse / December 8, 1973 Miscellaneous [197-] [199-] One ink-jet print of 1970s photo-portrait by 1-12 70s portraits Suzy Lake “Co-Ed Magazine 1973 [19--] 7 photographs : prints 1-13 #1-#5” / original 5 original photos plus two more recent photos prints. Page 4 of 29 Suzy Lake fonds FILE TITLE START END CONTENTS BOX- DATE DATE FOLDER # “Performance 2004 2004 Press clippings related to exhibition 1-14 theory” – featuring Lake’s “Co-Ed Magazine” Artsweek / photographs Montreal Mirror / March 11-17, 2004 “Down through 2004 2004 Press clippings related to exhibition 1-15 the years” / The Gazette – Montreal / March 27, 2004 “La photographie 2004 2004 Press clippings related to exhibition 1-16 en tant qu’outil intégral” / Le Devoir – Montreal / April 4, 2004 1974 press 1974 1974 Press clippings related to exhibitions: 1-17 “Attention! Attention! Les barbares entrent au musée” / La Presse / February 23, 1974; “Les mille et un visages de Suzy Lake” / La Presse / November 2, 1974. “A genuine 1972 [199-] 1 photograph : print 1-18 simulation of…” / Suzy Lake’s page of notes on artwork. Suzy’s notes / 1972-73 Transformations 1973 2004 4 photographs : prints 1-19 Press clippings related to various exhibitions of Transformations works: invitation and related press re: Galerie Gilles Gheerbrant / October 15 – November 9, 1974; Art Gallery of Hamilton, “9 out of 10”; Lise Gagnon article; press re: McMichael “Identities” show; press re: “1972-1976 Directions Montreal”; Judy Keeler article; Suzy’s notes Transformations 1975 1977 Correspondence, press clippings, related 1-20 in Europe 1975 documents regarding presentation of Magma “Transformations” at Magma exhibition(s) at Iseo, curated by Romana Loda. Some material is in Italian and German. Page 5 of 29 Suzy Lake fonds FILE TITLE START END CONTENTS BOX- DATE DATE FOLDER # 1975 Press 1975 1975 Camerart catalogue; poster for Vehicule 1-21 art in Transit: seven Montreal artists (Simon Fraser University Gallery); Laurent Lamy article: “Suzy Lake par Suzy Lake: Images et metaphores”; catalogue Suzy Lake: “a genuine simulation of…” / Galerie Gilles Gheerbrant, 1975 “Photographic” 1975 1975 Catalogue, related pamphlets re: 1-22 “Photographic” exhibition at State University College at Buffalo, featuring Suzy Lake “A Natural Way to 1976 1992 Inkjet print of original photographs; 1-23 Draw” documents relating to production of related video at VTape, 1992 1976 Press 1976 1976 Jock Ireland: “Drawings: does paper have 1-24 bones?”. The Gazette, April 10 1976 (review mentioning Suzy Lake’s A Natural Way to Draw) Choreographed 1976 1997 Invitation to “Choreographed Portraits and 1-25 Puppets 1976/78 Puppets” exhibition at The Workshop, correspondence relating to “The Body in the Lens” exhibition at MMFA, 1997; documents related to production of video “Choreographies of the Dotted Line” at VTape, 1992. 1977 Press 1977 1977 Press clippings related to “7 Canadian 1-26 Photographers” (The Photo Gallery, Ottawa, January 27-March 18); “Suzy Lake and Sorel Cohen”, essay by Diana Nemiroff in artscanada October / November 1977; poster for Array concert at The Art Works, December 17, 1977, featuring Suzy Lake & Ted Dawson’s “Clouds of Magellan” “Choreography [ca. 1977] [ca. 1977] 2 photographs: prints 1-27 With Myself” original photos / video Impositions 1977 1977 1978 11 photographs: prints 1-28 Material related to “Impositions” show at AGO, January 7 – February 26, 1978: invitation, review in Parachute, original photographs of work including “Against the Wall”, “Vertical Pull” and “Zarathustra’s Roll”. Page 6 of 29 Suzy Lake fonds FILE TITLE START END CONTENTS BOX- DATE DATE FOLDER # 1978 press 1978 1978 William A. Ewing: “Canada’s artists with 1-29 cameras”, ARTnews, April 1978; Adele Freedman: “Off-the-wall images”, Toronto Life, November 1978. Catalogue: 1978 1978 Catalogue (photocopy) and March 1978 1-30 Vancouver Art issue of Vanguard related to exhibition at Gallery, Vancouver Art Gallery: Suzy Lake, Chris March/April 1978 Knudson, and Robert Walker, March 24 – April 23, 1978 1979 1979 1979 Brenda Wallace: “The Canadian Scene” 1-31 featuring Suzy Lake’s “Vertical Pull #2” Are you talking to 1979 1981 Press clippings related to exhibitions of 1-32 me? Press work; catalogue (photocopy) to Mendel Art Gallery exhibition, 1980 The Eye of the 1980 1980 Catalogue for exhibition at The Art Gallery 1-33 Beholder (1980) at Harbourfront Whitby Station 1981 1981 Catalogue for “Suzy Lake: Selected Works 1-34 1981 1977-1981” at Whitby Arts Incorporated, The Station Gallery 1981 1982 1982 1982 Wan /Lake, catalogue of exhibition 1-35 organized by the SUB Art Gallery, University of Alberta Passageways 1982 1982 Catalogue to Suzy Lake: Locations and 1-36 1982 Sites, Art Gallery of Hamilton. Bridge 1983 1983 1983 Review of Suzy Lake at Sable-Castelli 1-37 Gallery, 1983. Pre-resolution 1983 1984 11 photographs: prints 1-38 drawings Photographs related to Boundary series, The Shadow or the Wall. Pre-resolution 1983 1992 31 photographs: prints 1-39 1983/4 Photographs of work, installation. Two poems by Marguerite Andersen. Invitation for exhibition at John A. Schweitzer gallery, Montréal, 1986. Poster / catalogue for “Selections from the John Labatt Limited Collection”, London Regional Art and Historical Museums, 1989.