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Grey Roots Lecture Series – Gold of Another Kind: Allen Smutylo
April 8: Gold of Another Kind – The Lost Legacy of Georgian Bay
Please note: this week’s lecture is on a Wednesday to accommodate the presenter’s schedule.
Presenter: Allen Smutylo
With the introduction of his new book, Gold of Another Kind – The Lost Legacy of Georgian Bay, Allen Smutylo’s presentation combines a historical overview with his personal account of the once staggering quality and quantity of fur bearing animals, virgin timber and multitudes of fish that once thrived in Georgian Bay and vicinity.
Beginning in the 1600s, the unrelenting thrust of European ambition for “gold of another kind” unleashed adventurous, heroic, bizarre, and tragic consequences in the New World. The pursuant plundering of each of these natural resources happened on a scale that would rival the voracity of any gold rush.
About the presenter:
Allen Smutylo’s artwork and writing has been based on extensive travels to some of the Earth’s most remote places. This includes the Amazon, the South Pacific, the Arctic, Greenland, the Himalaya, Rajasthan, the Ganges River, West Africa, Antarctica, Central America, Morocco, Patagonia and the Altai Mountains of Mongolia.
Smutylo’s images often depict specific experiences as well as geophysical elements, land and marine biology, and figurative images portraying cultural life as well as the imprint of previous lives. These ideas are often juxtaposed with elements of collage, conveying a feeling of ‘land memory’ or a mythology of place.
He has complimented his artwork with the authoring 5 books. Three of which have won or been short listed for national or international awards including The Governor General Literary Award.
The Globe and Mail called his work and his writing “… a profound and poignant meditation on the connection between landscape and culture.”
His artwork is included in over 300 corporate and public collections. His work has been exhibited in dozens of solo shows and countless group shows nationally and internationally. His adventures and art were featured in the Radio-Canada’s film The Last Frontier.
Allen Smutylo resides in Big Bay, Ontario.
