If you spot Christopher Webb BA’97 on campus over the next month, make sure you have a chat with him—about anything. Experimenting with a new creative process, the artist and entrepreneur is collecting conversations at Saint Mary’s as inspiration for his next solo exhibition.
He has spoken with 40+ people so far, from student athletes to President Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray, and researchers in academic disciplines across the university. His project is supported by a Creation Grant from Arts Nova Scotia. He began in June with weekly visits and is here almost daily through August, working in a makeshift studio space beside the Arts Commons.
“It’s really been enjoyable to have conversations with people who are so passionate about what they’re doing across many different disciplines,” says Webb. “It’s meant to be a break in the day, a chance to discuss non-linear concepts but one of the real connectors has been that everyone in their work is trying to discover a truth of some kind. That’s something that I’m also trying to discover as a human being. I’m here to voice my truth and investigate my purpose.”
Webb, who has long been an acclaimed landscape painter, is also co-owner/creator of PAVIA Gallery - Espresso Bar & Café. His art practice took a multidisciplinary turn last summer when he was the Artist-in-Residence with the Annapolis Royal Community Arts Council, perhaps also inspired by a nearly two-year stint as host of The Visual Arts Abstract features for Global Halifax. Visual art is still a huge part of his work but writing and sound are now core elements as well.
“The work is really coming together,” says Webb. Ideas and concepts from the dialogues funnel into his own prose, which then informs his sketches and paintings. He’s also planning collaborative sound and performance aspects as he did with his spring exhibition “And You” at Gallery 78 Fine Art in Fredericton, which had contributions from musicians and spoken word artist Clyde A. Wray.
Thematically, his work deals with spirituality, morality and mortality. While “And You” explored topics of life and love, here at Saint Mary’s he seems to be zeroing in on topics relating to values and truth. All conversations are confidential, so he’s not quoting people directly in his work; he wants everyone to feel comfortable expressing their ideas and opinions.
He’s aiming to wrap up the writing portion of his project later this month, with 14 to 16 paintings and other elements coming together by mid-autumn for a fall exhibition at a downtown gallery.
Webb invites faculty, staff and students to connect with him at info@cwebb.ca to set up a time and place to talk. He also encourages faculty members to consider bringing him into their classrooms this fall for discussions on the impact of creativity in all disciplines.
Follow his art project updates on Instagram at @thechristopherwebb.
— Marla Cranston, Faculty of Arts