Marian Penner Bancroft (born 1947) is a Canadian artist and photographer based in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

. She is an associate professor at the

Emily Carr University of Art and Design Emily Carr University of Art + Design (abbreviated as ECU) is a public art university located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The university's campus is located within the Great Northern Way Campus in Strathcona. The university is a co-e ...

, where she has been teaching since 1981. She has previously also taught 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 ...

and 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 ...

. She is a member of the board of

Artspeak Gallery Artspeak is a computer language conceived by Jacob T. Schwartz at New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. Until 2011, the only known compiler/interpreter was written for the CDC 6600, a mainframe computer. In order to ...

and is represented in Vancouver by the Republic Gallery.

Life

Marian Penner Bancroft was born in

Chilliwack Chilliwack ( )( hur, Ts'elxwéyeqw) is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Chilliwack is surrounded by mountains and home to recreational areas such as Cultus Lake and Chilliwack Lake Provincial Parks. There are numerous outdoor ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, and currently lives and works in Vancouver. She studied at 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 ...

, the Vancouver School of Art (now

) and

Ryerson Polytechnical Institute Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public university, public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Garden District, although i ...

in Toronto. National and international exhibitions include those at 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 at the Centre Culturel Canadien in Paris. In addition to photography, her work has included text, sound, drawing, sculpture and more recently, video. In 2019, Bancroft was featured in the film, ''Is There a Picture.'' The documentary discusses photographers and their practice in Vancouver.

Work

Her work considers the intersections of the photographic image with history, music and mapping strategies in relation to representations of landscape and nature. In addition to photography, her work has included text, sound, drawing, sculpture and more recently, video. In 2014, Marian Penner Bancroft installed a site-specific public art installation at the Vancouver Yaletown-Roundhouse Skytrain Station. The project was supported by the Contemporary Art Gallery. The photographic work was installed on the windows of the station, creating abstract images of branches and shapes creating a kaleidoscope effect. The trees were a referential homage to the earliest plantings of elms and sequoias in Vancouver.

Publications

''Two Places at Once: Transfigured Wood Part 4'' (1986)

Western Front Society Western Front (Western Front Society) is an artist-run centre located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1973 by eight artists (Martin Bartlett, Mo van Nostrand, Kate Craig, Henry Greenhow, Glenn Lewis, Eric Metcalfe, Mi ...

publications, Vancouver BC

Selected exhibitions

''the poets have always preceded: art and poetry in Vancouver, 1960 – present'' , Griffin Art Projects (2019) ''Radial Systems'', Republic Gallery (2017) ''Pictures From Here,''

(2017) ''Sites of Assembly,''

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 ...

, University of British Columbia, Vancouver (2017) ''Unsettled Sites: Marian Penner Bancroft, Wanda Nanibush, Tania Willard,'' SFU Gallery, Vancouver (2016) ''Silvia Part II: Booming Grounds,'' (2015–16) ''By Land and Sea (Prospect and Refuge),'' (solo),

The Reach Gallery Museum The Reach Gallery Museum is a public art gallery and museum located in Abbotsford, British Columbia. It exhibits artwork from across Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the ...

, Abbotsford (2014) ''Auto-Motive,'
Oakville Galleries
Oakville, Ontario (2013) ''Spiritlands: t/here: Marian Penner Bancroft, Selected Photo Works 1975-2000''

(2012) ''By Land and Sea (Prospect and Refuge),''

Southern Alberta Art Gallery The Southern Alberta Art Gallery Maansiksikaitsitapiitsinikssin is a contemporary art gallery located in downtown Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. It has three gallery spaces and a gift shop. History In 1974, local residents formed the Southern Alber ...

(2001) ''By Land and Sea (Prospect and Refuge)''

Presentation House Gallery The Polygon Gallery (formerly known as the Presentation House Gallery) is an art gallery in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atla ...

(1999)

Public art

''Boulevard'' at Yaletown-Roundhouse (2014) Canada Line Subway Station, Vancouver ''Root System,'' Pipeline Road, Stanley Park (2007–2008, 6 month installation), Davie and Pacific Boulevard, commissioned by TransitBC and the Canada Line ''Lost Streams, Kitsilano'' (1995–96), City of Vancouver Park Board, permanent site-specific installation

Selected collections

* The National Gallery of Canada *

Contemporary Art Gallery (Vancouver) The Contemporary Art Gallery (CAG) is a non-profit public contemporary art gallery in downtown Vancouver. The CAG exhibits local, national, and international artists, primarily featuring emerging local artists producing Canadian contemporary art. ...

* Government of Canada, Department of Foreign Affairs *

Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography The Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography (CMCP) (french: Le Musée canadien de la photographie contemporaine (MCPC)) was a gallery of Canadian contemporary art and documentary photography. Founded in 1985 and affiliated to the National Gall ...

Selected awards

* Higashikawa Award for photographic achievements, Japan, 2018 *

Audain Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Visual Arts The Audain Prize for the Visual Arts (Audain Prize) is an annual award that recognizes a distinguished Canadian artist. Worth $100,000, it is one of Canada's most significant honours for the arts. The prize is supported by the Audain Foundation and ...

, 2012 * Mayor's Arts Award (Visual Arts), Vancouver, 2009 *

Canada Council 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 ...

Paris Studio Residency Award 2005 * Canada Council Grant to Established Artists 2001, 1996

Selected bibliography

* Laurence, Robin. "Excavating the city’s roots." Georgia Straight. January 2008. * Bancroft, Marian Penner, Ed. "UBC in the Sixties: A conversation with Audrey Capel Doray, Gathie Falk, Donald Gustein, Karen Jamieson, Glenn Lewis, Jamie Reid, and Abraham Rogatnick." Ruins in Process: Vancouver Art in the Sixties. 2009.

References

External links

CCCA Artist Profile for Marian Penner Bancroft

Vancouver Art in the Sixties: Marian Penner Bancroft interviews Audrey Capel Doray, Gathie Falk, Donald Gutstein, Karen Jamieson, Glenn Lewis, and Abraham Rogatnick
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bancroft, Marian Penner Living people Canadian photographers Canadian women photographers 1947 births People from Chilliwack Artists from Vancouver University of British Columbia alumni Toronto Metropolitan University alumni Academic staff of the Emily Carr University of Art and Design Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts