Allyson Clay (born 1953) is a Canadian visual artist, curator, and educator based in Vancouver, B.C.

Life

Clay was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. in 1953, and spent much of her childhood and adolescence in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. She obtained a B.F.A. in Painting from the

Nova Scotia College of Art and Design NSCAD University, also known as the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design or NSCAD, is a public art university in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university is a co-educational institution that offers bachelor's and master's degrees. The univ ...

in 1980 and an M.F.A. from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

in 1985. She is a professor at the School of the Contemporary Arts at

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located from ...

Artistic practice

Clay has an interdisciplinary artistic practice that encompasses photography, painting, and installation. Her artwork has often examined "the problematic, contradictory nature of contemporary urbanism" through "experiments with conceptual theory and traditional colour." Clay's artistic research draws upon work by feminist writer and scholar

Donna Haraway Donna J. Haraway is an American Professor Emerita in the History of Consciousness Department and Feminist Studies Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a prominent scholar in the field of science and technology studies. Sh ...

, and American artist Mary Kelly. Clay looks at the role of "women through the city, through the social, and through the history of art making." Her artwork has been exhibited at Canadian galleries including the

Vancouver Art Gallery The Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) is an art museum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The museum occupies a adjacent to Robson Square in downtown Vancouver, making it the largest art museum in Western Canada by building size. Designed by Franc ...

and the

Banff Centre for the Arts Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, formerly known as The Banff Centre (and previously The Banff Centre for Continuing Education), located in Banff, Alberta, was established in 1933 as the Banff School of Drama. It was granted full autonomy as ...

. Clay is represented by Costin and Klentworth Gallery in Toronto. Clay's work is in several public collections including the

Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery The Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in Vancouver, British Columbia, on the campus of the University of British Columbia. The gallery is housed in an award-winning building designed by architect Peter Cardew and o ...

, the

Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art The Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto Canada (MOCA), formerly known as the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA), is a museum and art gallery in Toronto, Ontario. It is an independent, registered charitable organization. ...

, and the

University of Lethbridge , mottoeng = '' Let there be light'' , type = Public , established = , academic_affiliations = Universities Canada , endowment = $73 million (2019) , chancellor = Charles Wease ...

Art Gallery. Canadian artist Arnaud Magg's described Clay as one of the best practising artists in Canada.

Selected exhibitions

* 2018 ''Beginning with the Seventies: GLUT,'' Jan 12 - April 9,

, Vancouver, BC. * 2009 ''Mall/Flip,'' Jan 17 – Feb 18, Leo Kamen Gallery, Toronto, ON. * 2004 ''The shadow of Production,''

, Vancouver, BC. * 2002 ''Imaginary Standard Distance,''

Walter Phillips Gallery The Walter Phillips Gallery (WPG) is a contemporary art gallery in Banff, Alberta. It was established in 1976 as a part of The Banff Centre in Banff National Park. History and mission Walter J. Phillips was a printmaker and painter, from th ...

, Banff, AB. * 1995 A''llyson Clay and Shonagh Alexander,''

Contemporary Art Gallery A contemporary art gallery is normally a commercial art gallery operated by an art dealer which specializes in displaying for sale contemporary art, usually new works of art by living artists. This approach has been called the "Castelli Method" ...

, Vancouver, BC. * 1992 T''races of a City in the Spaces Between Some People,'' Charles H. Scott Gallery, Vancouver, BC. * 1988 ''LURE,'' Artspeak Gallery, Vancouver, BC. * 1985 ''Hold It,'' Western Front Gallery, Vancouver, BC.

Grants

Clay has received grants from the

Canadian Council for the Arts The Canada Council for the Arts (french: Conseil des arts du Canada), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It acts as the federal government's principal i ...

, the

BC Arts Council The British Columbia Arts Council (or BC Arts Council) is a statutory independent agency supporting arts in British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Oce ...

, and the

Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, after the Carneg ...

Bellagio Residency Program.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clay, Allyson Artists from Vancouver 1953 births Living people 20th-century Canadian artists 20th-century Canadian women artists 21st-century Canadian artists NSCAD University alumni University of British Columbia alumni Simon Fraser University faculty Canadian women curators