Joan
Chalmers: in the service of art
by Betty Ann Jordan
"She
doesn't have to do what she does," is the constant refrain concerning
Joan Chalmers, who for nearly 30 years has vigorously championed
the arts in Canada. The daughter of Floyd and Jean Chalmers, two
legendary arts philanthropists and volunteers, Joan has made the
most of her genetic legacy, developing and expanding her parents'
vision. A cultural maven, philanthropist and art collector with
staunch friends in all walks of life, she is an insider in the overlapping
worlds of art, craft, theatre and music.
As studio furniture-maker Michael Fortune puts it, "Joan is subtle
and elegant in her support of the arts. When she has a party the
guest list is not haphazard. Certain people are being brought together
so that connections can be made."
A remarkable blend of sagacity, tenacity and diplomacy, Joan has
long appreciated that some of the most important campaigns are waged
in the boardroom. Beginning in the mid-seventies she helped found
the Ontario Crafts Council and the Canadian Crafts Council. She
has given her money, time and guidance to these and numerous other
organizations, serving on the boards of the World Crafts Council,
Aid to Artisans (USA), Harbourfront Centre and Young People's Theatre,
to name only a few. The founding co-chair of the Arts and the Cities
initiative in the late eighties, she now sits on the boards of the
Glenn Gould Foundation, the Ontario Arts Council Foundation and
the Stratford Festival.
"Joan is poetry in a meeting," notes Fortune. "She'll sit back,
watch the movements in the room, then she'll pose a question that
clarifies what needs to be done. Often she'll come up with a plan
that lays everything out - A, B, C, D - but it's done deftly. She
would never stand up and say, 'You boneheads, do it this way!' "
Chalmers is the driving force behind several culture funds. Since
1981 her private Woodlawn Arts Foundation has supported myriad performing
and visual art projects. A decade earlier she and her late father
created the Chalmers Family Fund and Awards, administered by the
Ontario Arts Council. Launched with $2 million in seed money, the
fund is now valued at over $16 million, with the interest on the
capital dispersed as grants to young and mid-career artists. Each
year, the Chalmers Awards, valued at $25,000 each, are presented
to leading Canadians in the areas of dance, theatre, film, crafts,
the visual arts and music. In the mid-eighties Chalmers also established
the Jean A. Chalmers Fund for the Crafts at the Canada Council.
While Chalmers' arts patronage has been broad and deep, her single
greatest contribution has been in advancing craft practice in Canada.
Profoundly influenced by her mother's love of finely crafted objects
(Jean Chalmers was a founder of the Canadian Handicraft Guild),
Joan's own appreciation was deepened by her studies in interior
architecture and design at the Ontario College of Art. In the early
'70s while serving on the board of the World Crafts Council, she
helped organize In Praise of Hands, a ground-breaking craft
exhibition and conference at the Ontario Science Centre. It was
then that her mission came into sharper focus. Working closely with
the nascent craft community on the exhibition and at the Canadian
Guild of Craft gallery, Chalmers encountered a dismaying lack of
professionalism. "The glaze on pots wouldn't be fired at a high
enough temperature," she recalls. "Somebody would be late for a
deadline, things would arrive broken because they hadn't been bubble-wrapped
and the covering letter would be on crummy letterhead."
The fact that Canadian craft practice has changed so dramatically
in the intervening years is directly attributable to Chalmers' investment
in training and organizations. If Chalmers has rallied round any
particular issue, it has been her belief that craft should be on
equal footing with other visual arts in terms of funding. Not content
just to give money, she personally entered the fray. "Joan has been
a leading mentor, demonstrating what it means to take a leadership
role," says Rosalyn Morrison of the Ontario Craft Council. While
Chalmers has also gone on to be a leading performing arts patron,
it is in the visual arts that she has made the greatest difference.
While many people know and love Joan Chalmers, artists seem to have
particularly close and affectionate relationships with her. "We
knew her as somebody on our side, virtually one of us," Harlan House
asserts. Chalmers first-hand knowledge of the vicissitudes of the
creative process has driven her to pro-actively support artists
in whom she believes. During the economic downturn of 1990-92, Chalmers
transformed her home in Toronto into a showcase for her collection
of Canadian art and studio craft, keeping artists employed in the
process.
Medici-like, she commissioned a number of major works including
a massive set of double doors by wood artist Gord Peteran and an
exquisite porcelain dinner service by Harlan House. Michael Fortune,
who broke new technical ground while creating an oversize, bent-wood
bed for her home, remembers receiving the initial communication
from Chalmers: "Here's a list of what I need," it stated. "Pick
something you'd like to do and call me when it's finished." Two
years later she got her bed.
An adventurous patron, she leaves the design up to the artist, wanting
the work to be a challenge for its maker. "Her interest is not exactly
based on what she likes or any particular style," observes Peteran.
"She is enthusiastic about a broad gamut of work and comments most
intelligently." Once her commissions were completed, makers were
treated to the added bonus of her warmth and kindness upon receipt.
Peteran reminisces: "While we were installing the doors she was
thoroughly encouraging, supportive and forgiving. She would be marching
around the house in bare feet and a kimono getting us something
to eat or drink." As anticipated, Chalmers' friends and associates
were struck by these beautifully hand-crafted appointments, resulting
in additional commissions.
Not only does Chalmers appreciate the need for building organizations,
she's also demonstrated an awareness of an organization's need for
a home base. Operating on the 'room of one's own' principle, she
generously assisted the Ontario Crafts Council in purchasing two
buildings in Toronto and successfully challenged the federal government
to match her $1 million donation to the Canadian Crafts Council
so that it could obtain an Ottawa headquarters.
In recent years Chalmers (aided and abetted by her companion Barbra
Amesbury) has become increasingly involved with visual art, including
installation art. Together they created an ambitious, highly publicized
travelling exhibit entitled Survivors, in Search of a Voice:
The Art of Courage. Twenty-four prominent Canadian women artists
were commissioned to create an artwork in collaboration with over
100 breast cancer survivors. The exhibit traveled to a dozen cities
in North America, enhancing public awareness and spearheading local
fundraising campaigns.
Things are never dull when Chalmers is around. In May 1998, members
of the Canadian art community convened at a Toronto restaurant for
the annual Chalmers Awards. Those in attendance were privy to the
extraordinary spectacle of Joan giving away $1 million of her own
money as a 70th birthday present to herself. This feat was accomplished
with much hilarity at a breakneck pace; in less than 15 minutes
21 arts organizations received monetary gifts (and bear hugs) in
heartfelt, exuberant acknowledgment of their ongoing contributions
to the cultural fabric of Canada. Joan wept with pleasure and emotion
as she handed cheques to the astonished recipients, ranging from
the Canada Council to the Ontario College of Art and Design. It
was evident that she personally knew most of the talented people
who struggled their way through the throng to the podium. She'd
seen the performances, heard the concerts, been at the openings,
attended the fundraising meetings, strategized with many of them
over the years. It felt like a family reunion. Characteristically,
Chalmers had orchestrated the split-second timing of the event to
evade fulsome thanks.
Chalmers' dedication to the arts continues unabated. She has just
purchased a series of buildings in downtown Toronto. The plan is
to establish an inner-city cultural enclave with a residence, exhibition
and performance space. So why does she do it and keep on doing it
when resting on her laurels would be understandable? Chalmers is
clear on this point. "I never tire of the work. And like my parents
before me, I will continue to serve the arts and artists of this
country, for as long as they will have me. It's in my blood."
Betty Ann Jordan, a former editor at Canadian Art magazine, writes
about art for Toronto Life, Where Toronto, Elm Street, the National
Post, Canadian House and Home and Ontario Craft magazine, among
others.
Jury
statement
The name of Joan Chalmers is synonymous with generosity towards
the arts. Chalmers has distinguished herself not only for her financial
support for the arts, but by the energy she has devoted to the development
of the arts, especially fine crafts. She has brought wisdom and
leadership to countless arts boards, including those of the Canadian
Crafts Council, the World Crafts Council, Aid to Artisans, the Glenn
Gould Foundation and the Stratford Festival. She has supported individual
artists, bought buildings (her donation allowed the Ontario Crafts
Council to purchase its headquarters in Toronto) and helped launch
arts projects (for example, Survivors, In Search of a Voice:
the Art of Courage, a collaboration by 24 women artists and
over 100 breast-cancer survivors). The jury is proud to acknowledge
and salute a Canadian institution.