Toronto's Cultural Assessment Management Group brings great Canadian animal sculptor and utility together!

Joe Fafard and his Winnipeg Bison

Sculptor Joe Fafard now has two large bronze bisons in Winnipeg

Two huge bronze bison now watch over the main lobby of Manitoba Hydro Place in downtown Winnipeg.

The fanciful sculptures, created by award-winning Canadian artist Joe Fafard, were revealed to the public at a special ceremony yesterday (Tuesday December 13). Each standing over 2.4 metres high and weighing over 450 kilograms, the double-sided sculptures were installed in alcoves on either side of the Graham Avenue entrance to the building, and gaze both inwards to the main floor gallery and outwards to the street.
Cultural Asset Management Group, a Toronto firm owned by Shelley Falconer and Shawna White, two well-known Canadian art experts are under contract to help the public utility establish this vibrant public art program.  Culural Asset Management Group has worked with Mr. Fafard on previous occassions and facilitated this outstanding commission.

The statues installed in Winnipeg are the first of an eventual six that will grace Hydro's headquarters. Two more adult bison statues will be placed in similar alcoves at the building's Portage Avenue entrance, while one bronze bison calf will be placed outdoors near each entrance, under the watchful gaze of the adults.

"Being able to feature works from an artist of Mr. Fafard's stature is a tremendous opportunity, and to have him create something that is so unique yet at the same time so representative of Manitoba, is very exciting. It's only fitting that the award-winning Manitoba Hydro Place feature artwork from a similarly prominent and world-renowned artist" said Bob Brennan, President and CEO of Manitoba Hydro.

"At Manitoba Hydro, we are proud to be able to use the public spaces of our building to showcase and support Canadian artists."

Born and raised in Ste. Marthe, Saskatchewan, Fafard graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg in 1966, before going on to complete a Masters of Arts at Pennsylvania State University in 1968. While studying close to New York City, he spent much time at the Metropolitan Museum of Fine Art and the Museum of Modern Art. He was inspired to explore ceramics while teaching sculpture and pottery at the University of Saskatchewan in Regina. In 1974 when he resigned from teaching, he devoted all his time to sculpture. He earned his first large commission, the Toronto Dominion Bank's new public art installation in 1984, then in 1985 he opened his own foundry, Julienne Atelier Inc.

Fafard said he often chooses prairie animals as his subjects, such as cows, bulls, and horses because they have the ability to remind us that we all share the same resources on this planet, and that in this way we can understand the relationship we have with nature, through agriculture. These prairie animals act as muse and also pay homage to the land and the community.

"I hope that having people see something that gives them some awe for a fellow creature can translate into some care for the environment," Fafard said.
 Cultural Assets Management Group  provides integrated art management services to private collectors, corporations, governments and the non-for-profit community. Here in Toronto CAM has provided art management services to the Toronto District School Board in support of their large and valuable art collection. The company, located in the GTA, stores valuable art and artefact collections in a secure, 30,000 sq ft environment, and provides consulting services across Canada.

For Further Information:

Stephen Weir
Stephen Weir & Associates | stephen@stephenweir.com
or sweir5492@rogers.com
2482 Yonge Street, Unit 45032, Toronto, ONT.
CANADA. M4P 3E3
Tel: 416-489-5868 | Fax: 416-488-6518
www.stephenweir.com

Cultural Asset Management - Bringing art storage into the 21st century

Art warehousing is redefined for the 21st century

Toronto curators open Cultural Asset Management facility -- a contemporary, secure, museum quality environment providing integrated services for cultural assets

TORONTO: June 7, 2011 . . . The art of managing important cultural artefacts has been improved and updated. Shelley Falconer and Shawna White, two well-known Toronto based art professionals, are applying 21st century protocols to protecting and evaluating art collections. With a new approach to cultural asset management, a highly respected team, and a sophisticated warehouse, they are establishing a new level of service to the art industry.
The pair established Cultural Asset Management Group in 2008 to provide integrated art management services to private collectors, corporations, governments and the non-for-profit community. With clients ranging from Canadian museums and galleries to the Toronto District School Board, Manitoba Hydro, Absolut, Liquid, Bonded Services, Prime Properties and Remington Group, CAM Group has rapidly distinguished itself as one of Canada’s premier art consulting firms. CAM Group has recently opened a specialized facility in the GTA, to store valuable art and artefact collections in a secure, 30,000 sq ft environment...but there is much more to the story.
Theirs is not a typical warehouse. The environmentally controlled building is not only secure, it includes space for customized vaults for valuable and delicate paintings, prints and sculpture, and has larger space for oversized artefacts. It also has a display gallery so that clients can view and evaluate art in a museum-like setting. All is overseen by a team of highly qualified art professionals.
“The CAM Group has brought together a distinguished group of experts and scholars who are prominent in their respective fields, to provide cultural stewardship,” explains company CEO Shelley Falconer. “We are not just about storage, our facility is managed by experienced curators and collections managers who provide cultural asset management - appraisals and evaluations, provenance research and evaluation through to packing and shipping and of course acquisition, de-accessioning and investment advice.”
CAM Group Co-Founder and President, Shawna White who has been active in the cultural community for the past 20 years explains, "At the Corporate Management level CAM Group provides strategic planning for museums, galleries and government. From policy development to collection analysis, acquisition and exhibition development we offer integrated cultural services.”
Since launching the CAM Group, accolades have arrived from satisfied clients across Canada who are benefiting from this new full service agency. According to long time client, Garry Leach, Director, Manitoba Hydro Board, "Cultural Asset Management Group has enabled Manitoba Hydro to transform a basic vision into a vibrant professional programme. Their intense understanding of Canadian cultural asset stewardship and the ability to effectively manage the process was of immeasurable assistance to Manitoba Hydro in realizing our cultural objectives. CAM Group made your project a success."
Gary Crawford, now Councillor, Ward 36, City of Toronto explains that while he was a Trustee for the Toronto District School Board (the nation's largest), the Board's priorities "were for providing access and support to the Board's Fine Art Collection. We selected Cultural Asset Management Group for their credentials and experience. Their untiring dedication and professionalism to the arts and public education proved invaluable! "
Clients are not always corporate, individuals and collectors benefit from CAM Group services as well. Artist, Joe Fafard knows his projects are in good hands, "I have worked with Shelley at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and now with Cultural Asset Management Group, and appreciate her ability to work through the process with the artist, the museum and the client. From design through to installation and exhibition, she is able to navigate professionally through the many aesthetic, social, economic, maintenance and environmental considerations inherent in the process."
CEO Shelley Falconer’s 20-year career includes international experience as a consultant, curator, educator and administrator. She has worked with some of the world's leading cultural institutions including Sotheby's and Waddington Galleries in England; the Art Gallery of Hamilton, the Government of Canada, the Ontario Government, University of Toronto and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.
Partner and president, Shawna White is a fine art specialist with extensive knowledge of historical Canadian art. Her career includes experience at such prestigious institutions as the Ashmolean in Oxford, England; the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto; the State Museum of New York in Albany; as well as Canadian Art specialist at Sotheby's (Canada) Inc. and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.
These exceptional art professionals are joined by associate partner, Pamela Campbell one of Canada’s leading decorative arts experts. And, with years of experience in the Cultural Management field, Corrinne Fairbanks is CAM Group's museum registrar.
CAM Group was recently named as agents in Ontario for Gaylord Brothers Inc., the trusted source for archival products, tools and supplies. Established in 1896 in Syracuse, New York, the family-owned company is recognized worldwide by public libraries, schools, colleges and museums. Their wide range of products will bring peace of mind to CAM Group clients.
From a single painting to a large collection, Cultural Asset Management Group and its depth of knowledge and expertise are proving to the art world that the time has arrived for a private, full service agency that goes far beyond storage. With services that include: planning, policy development, packing, shipping, appraisals, research, photography, inventory, installation,consignment management, private sales and conservation advice --clients can be assured that their most rare and prestigious items will handled, evaluated and preserved with care by skilled professionals. For more information visit: http://www.camgroup.ca

Top Photograph: Secret entrance to secure art warehouse in Toronto
Bottom: Shelley Falconer inside CAM Group headquarters

The CAM Group facility has never been opened for media tours. . . until now.
Accredited journalists interested in covering this story, touring the new facility and interviewing founders Shelley Falconer and Shawna White can make arrangements through Stephen Weir & Associates.
Stephen Weir & Associates, Publicists:
Linda Crane 905-257-6033 c. 416-727-0112 cranepr@cogeco.ca
Stephen Weir 416-489-5868 c. 416-801-3101 stephen@stephenweir.com