Russell Gordon celebrates his former students' art

Russell Gordon is having an unusual reunion with his former Fine Arts students. The retired professor of Drawing has organized an art exhibit this month to showcase the works of his favourite former pupils, selected from his 20 years of teaching.

Points, Lines and Surfaces will take place at the Belgo Art Gallery on Ste. Catherine St. near Bleury St. It will feature one piece from each of the 20 artists. Some are conventional drawings, others mixed media, including sculpture and photography.

"This exhibit is a way to celebrate drawing at Concordia," said Gordon, interviewed in the Visual Arts Building. "It's a way to celebrate my time here -- and that of other teachers who had these students before and after me."

Gordon taught here from 1975 until his retirement in the spring of 1997, and was director of the graduate Drawing program for two years. He has been actively painting since retirement. Before coming to Montreal, he taught at various graduate schools, including the University of California at Berkeley and the San Francisco Art Institute.

Drawing is often overshadowed by painting, Gordon said, and part of his incentive for mounting his student retrospective was to put a spotlight on the art form.

Although some of the works in the exposition will be by well-known artists, others are by unknowns. About 35 pieces were submitted for the show, solicited from pupils Gordon said he had especially enjoyed teaching. "I was very pleased with the kind of students that I was able to work with," he said. "I had great pride in teaching people."

The feeling, it appears, is mutual, according to students' comments in the exhibit catalogue. "He knew what questions to ask, which answers to believe and what buttons to push," said Suzanne Evans (BFA 91).

Harriett Corbett (BFA 83) recalled that Gordon "was always engaged with his students and obviously interested in both their work and themselves as individuals."

Points, Lines and Surfaces will have a private viewing reception as part of Homecoming on September 23 at a cost of $8 per person, with proceeds to go towards establishing a Fine Arts Alumni Association. Another vernissage will be held for the general public on September 26, at no cost. A catalogue is available.

The Belgo Building gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday from 1 to 6 p.m. in Room 518, 372 Ste. Catherine St. W. The exhibit will run until October 31, then move to Quebec City for three weeks at Galerie Madeleine Lacertre, 1 Côte Dinan. The show was made possible through donations from the Omer Deserres art supply store and a group of California benefactors.