Ryan McCourt (born February 23, 1975) is a Canadian artist best known for his
sculptures
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
.
[Terry Fenton, "Edmonton Sculpture: The Next Generation," Harcourt Expressed, Volume 12, Summer/Fall 2002]
He lives in Edmonton, Alberta.
Early life and education
Ryan David
McCourt[University of Alberta Art Collection, University of Alberta Museums](_blank)
/ref> was born and raised in Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
, Alberta, the youngest of Ken and Sheelagh McCourt's five children.[The Artwork of Ryan McCourt](_blank)
/ref> He attended school at Patricia Heights Elementary School, Hillcrest Junior High School, and Jasper Place High School. McCourt completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts
A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases.
Background
The Bachelor ...
in 1997, and his Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.)
is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...
in Sculpture in 1999, both at the University of Alberta
The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...
There, McCourt was a student of Peter Hide and Edmonton's modernist
Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...
tradition of welded sculpture
Welded sculpture (related to visual art and works of art) is an art form in which sculpture is made using welding techniques.
History
The Catalan artist Julio González is credited as one of the earliest developers of welded sculpture. Gonzál ...
.
Career
In 1995, while an undergraduate student, McCourt was a photographer with the Edmonton Eskimos Football Club. After completing his MFA, McCourt worked as the Artistic Coordinator for The Works Art Expo 2001, and curated ''Resolutions'', a solo exhibition of paintings by Canadian artist Tony Baker, at the Edmonton Art Gallery
The Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA) is an art museum in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The museum occupies a building at Churchill Square in downtown Edmonton. The museum building was originally designed by Donald G. Bittorf, and B. James Wensley, alth ...
. In 2002, McCourt founded the North Edmonton Sculpture Workshop, "a cooperative shared-studio project focused on facilitating the creation and promotion of contemporary sculpture,"[Prairie Seen, Profiles: Edmonton Art Institutions (Public Galleries)](_blank)
producing the Big Things
''Big Things'' was a large-scale steel sculpture exhibition series organized by the North Edmonton Sculpture Workshop for the Royal Alberta Museum's outdoor South Terrace.Gilbert Bouchard, "Come to Expect 'Big Things'", Edmonton Journal, July ...
sculpture series at the Royal Alberta Museum from 2002 to 2006.[Gilbert Bouchard, “Come to Expect ‘Big Things’”, Edmonton Journal, July 19, 2002][Erik Floren, “Big Impressions”, The Edmonton Sunday Sun, July 28, 2002] In 2003, McCourt was an instructor of Visual Fundamentals at the University of Alberta. In 2004, alongside then-Alberta Premier
The premier of Alberta is the first minister for the Canadian province of Alberta, and the province's head of government. The current premier is Danielle Smith, leader of the United Conservative Party, who was sworn in on October 11, 2022.
The ...
Ralph Klein
Ralph Philip Klein (November 1, 1942 – March 29, 2013) was a Canadian politician and journalist who served as the 12th premier of Alberta and leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta from 1992 until his retirement in 20 ...
, McCourt unveiled his 5.5-meter tall commissioned sculpture entitled ''A Modern Outlook'', at 18550-118A Avenue in Edmonton. McCourt organized the Alberta Centennial Sculpture Exhibition at the Royal Alberta Museum
The Royal Alberta Museum (RAM) is a museum of human and natural history in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The museum is located in Downtown Edmonton, north of City Hall. The museum is the largest in western Canada with more than exhibition space ...
in 2005.
Controversy
In 2006, McCourt was the first artist selected to display sculpture for one year outside Edmonton's Shaw Conference Centre
The Edmonton Convention Centre (ECC, formerly the Shaw Conference Centre), is a meeting, entertainment, and convention venue located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Opened in 1983, it is managed by Explore Edmonton, the destination marketing org ...
. McCourt's exhibition, '' Will and Representation,'' was an installation of four large sculptures based on Ganesha
Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu d ...
, a deity from Hindu mythology
Hindu mythology is the body of myths and literature attributed to, and espoused by, the adherents of the Hindu religion, found in Hindu texts such as the Vedic literature, epics like ''Mahabharata'' and ''Ramayana'', the Puranas, and reg ...
. Ten months into the exhibition, then-Mayor of Edmonton
This is a list of mayors of Edmonton, a city in Alberta, Canada.
Edmonton was incorporated as a town on January 9, 1892, with Matthew McCauley acclaimed as its first mayor during the town's first election, held February 10, 1892. On October 8 ...
Stephen Mandel ordered the works removed after reportedly receiving a 700-name petition complaining of the sculptures' "disrespectful" nudity.[Edmonton Journal, "Sculptor's Use of Revered Hindu Deity Shows No Sign of Sacrilege," September 22, 2007](_blank)
When asked for comment, McCourt stated that "Nudity seems like a rather quaint thing to get one's knickers
Panties (in American English; also called pants, undies, or knickers in British English) are a form of women's underwear. Panties can be form-fitting or loose. Typical components include an elastic Waistline (clothing), waistband, a crotch pan ...
in a bunch over, in the 21st century. Besides, there's lots of art that I don't like, I don't go around gathering signatures of people who agree with me, and try to force the art to come down. That would be truly offensive, especially in a democracy like Canada."
Media coverage of the sculptures' removal was widespread, with articles appearing in the news as far away as India. Public reaction to Mandel's censorship decree was generally disapproving. In an interview with the Edmonton Journal
The ''Edmonton Journal'' is a daily newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta. It is part of the Postmedia Network.
History
The ''Journal'' was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunningham — as ...
's Paula Simons, David Goa, religious scholar, cultural anthropologist
Cultural anthropology is a branch of anthropology focused on the study of cultural variation among humans. It is in contrast to social anthropology, which perceives cultural variation as a subset of a posited anthropological constant. The portman ...
, and director of the University of Alberta's , states "In India, Lord Ganesha is on everything – playing cards
A playing card is a piece of specially prepared card stock, heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic-coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic that is marked with distinguishing motifs. Often the front (face) and back of each card has a fi ...
, advertising signs, lotto Lotto may refer to:
* Lotto, original, 15th century name of the Italian lottery
* Lotto (Milan Metro), a railway station in Milan, Italy
* Lotto carpet, a carpet having a lacy arabesque pattern
* Lotto Sport Italia, an Italian sports apparel manu ...
tickets, even diapers
A diaper /ˈdaɪpə(r)/ (American and Canadian English) or a nappy (Australian English, British English, and Hiberno-English) is a type of underwear that allows the wearer to urinate or defecate without using a toilet, by absorbing or conta ...
, I suspect." Simons concludes, "In his haste to appease a few protesters, the mayor, usually a champion of the arts, made a serious error
An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'.
In statistics ...
in judgment. Instead of giving McCourt's divinely inspired
Divine inspiration is the concept of a supernatural force, typically a deity, causing a person or people to experience a Creativity, creative desire. It has been a commonly reported aspect of many religions, for thousands of years. Divine inspirati ...
statues
A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...
the bum's rush, we should be celebrating this Canadian cross-pollination
Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, birds, ...
of cultures and aesthetic
Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed th ...
forms". ''The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
''s columnist Margaret Wente
Margaret Wente (born 15 February 1950) is a Canadian journalist and was a long-time columnist for ''The Globe and Mail'' until August 2019. She received the National Newspaper Award for column-writing in 2000 and 2001. In 2012, Wente was found ...
agreed with Simons: "The mayor, of course, was quite wrong. Mr. McCourt's sculptures did not insult the Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
community. They insulted a small but vocal conservative religious group that is about as representative of Hindus as Hassidic Jews are of Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
.... There's a big difference between respecting different cultures and caving in to illiberalism
An illiberal democracy describes a governing system in which, although elections take place, citizens are cut off from knowledge about the activities of those who exercise real power because of the lack of civil liberties; thus it does not con ...
and superstition
A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and ...
."
Despite such negative responses in the media to art censorship in Canada
In Canada, appeals by the judiciary to community standards and the public interest are the ultimate determinants of which forms of expression may legally be published, broadcast, or otherwise publicly disseminated. Other public organisations with ...
, in 2014 the Edmonton Arts Council subsequently refused a donation
A donation is a gift for charity, humanitarian aid, or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including money, alms, services, or goods such as clothing, toys, food, or vehicles. A donation may satisfy medical needs such as blo ...
of one of McCourt's sculptures, ''Destroyer of Obstacles'', evidently because the sculpture had genitalia
A sex organ (or reproductive organ) is any part of an animal or plant that is involved in sexual reproduction. The reproductive organs together constitute the reproductive system. In animals, the testis in the male, and the ovary in the female, a ...
beneath its clothes. After meeting with seven Hindu community group representatives to seek out their opinion of the donation, the Edmonton Arts Council received a response that McCourt's sculpture was "an offense to their religion" and that the ban enacted by Mayor Mandel should remain in place. As a result of this consultation, "the Public Art Committee unanimously voted to decline acceptance of the gift, as the artwork did not meet 'community or civic suitability' criteria." In McCourt's view, "It is not the purpose of a city's public art collection to placate special interests," he says. "I want Edmonton to build the best civic art collection that we can get, never mind the politics, the religion, etc. of the artists making the work."
McCourt's reputation as a controversial artist goes beyond the issue of censorship. Protesting the exclusivity of a local ''National Portrait Gallery'' exhibition, McCourt "sent in an anonymous mock-up of Ingres' Napoleon as Jupiter Enthroned redone with Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...
's face along with a fabricated letter from the Prime Minister of Canada
The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority the elected Hou ...
. His anonymous submission was immediately accepted into the show and became the poster child of the exhibit." McCourt has publicly advocated for civic investment in the arts, and for the University of Alberta to move its Department of Art and Design to a downtown campus. McCourt has been a vocal critic of public art
Public art is art in any Media (arts), media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and phy ...
in Edmonton, dismissing ''Talus Dome,'' a much-maligned sculpture purchased by the city, as "an embarrassment to our citizens, a symbol of the Edmonton Arts Council's continued bungling of their portfolio, and an unforgivable waste of public funds."
''Common Sense''
In 2007, McCourt opened ''Common Sense'', a gallery space at 10546 – 115 street in downtown Edmonton, run by the North Edmonton Sculpture Workshop. With a mandate to give 100% of proceeds from art sales to exhibiting artists, Common Sense does not fit the mold of either a commercial gallery or a traditional artist run centre. According to art writer Amy Fung, "Common Sense is not actually an artist-run centre in any official sense, but a space run by artists in the old-fashioned sense.... essentially an artist's wet dream in our space-deprived city."
Awards and collections
McCourt received the Lee Fund for the Arts Award; is a two-time recipient of the Edmonton Artists Trust Fund Award; and the recipient of a number of Project Grants from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. His 2000 photograph ''After David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
,'' and 2003 sculpture ''Atlas'' are included in the Alberta Foundation for the Arts' collection.
''Fanfare,'' a steel sculpture by McCourt from 1999, is in the art collection of the University of Alberta. ''Honky Tonk,'' also from 1999, is in the collection of the Robert T. Webb Sculpture Garden
The Robert T. Webb Sculpture Garden is a admission-free, open-air museum and sculpture park located in Dalton, Georgia, near Chattanooga, Tennessee, and is operated by the Creative Arts Guild, the state's oldest multi-disciplinary, community ar ...
. "The Abduction of Liberty, from 2006, was donated to the City of Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anchor ...
and installed in the Belgravia Art Park in 2009. McCourt was awarded First Prize in the headdress category of the 2009 Wearable Art Awards in Port Moody
Port Moody is a city in British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It envelops the east end of Burrard Inlet and is the smallest of the Tri-Cities, bordered by Coquitlam on the east and south a ...
, British Columbia for "The Helmet of Laocoön
Laocoön (; grc, , Laokóōn, , gen.: ), is a figure in Greek and Roman mythology and the Epic Cycle. Laocoon was a Trojan priest. He and his two young sons were attacked by giant serpents, sent by the gods. The story of Laocoön has been the su ...
." In 2011, McCourt was named one of Edmonton's "Top 40 Under 40" by ''Avenue Edmonton'' for his support of local artists and his encouragement of "critical discourse". On August 19, 2016, McCourt's "Edmontonian Flag" was presented to Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson
Donald L. Iveson (born May 30, 1979) is a Canadian politician who served as mayor of Edmonton from 2013 to 2021. He was first elected as mayor in the 2013 municipal election with 62% of the vote, and was re-elected in 2017 with 73.6% of the vot ...
by Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations
Treaty 6 is the sixth of the numbered treaties that were signed by the Canadian Crown and various First Nations between 1871 and 1877. It is one of a total of 11 numbered treaties signed between the Canadian Crown and First Nations. Specifica ...
Grand Chief Randy Ermineskin, "as a symbol of their commitment to collaboration, respectful dialogue and exploring shared opportunities" and "to symbolize a new dawn in Nation-to-Nation relationship building." In 2021, The Establishment Brewing Company commissioned McCourt to provide artwork for two beer labels, each one presenting a rotationally ambiguous image.Art Program—The Establishment Brewing Company
/ref>
References
External links
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCourt, Ryan
1975 births
University of Alberta alumni
Artists from Edmonton
Abstract sculptors
21st-century Canadian sculptors
Canadian male sculptors
21st-century Canadian male artists
Living people
Assemblage artists
Religious artists
Canadian abstract artists
Canadian people of Irish descent