Barbara Cook

Barbara, is an artist specializing in textile art works with mixed media components. Her work highlights the translucence of the textiles painted and materials used for custom works. Her work flows from experiences in her everyday life, especially nature spurring many plant, ecological and conservation installations; most recently her contributions to IHEART foundation events at the Toronto Zoo. She works with various artists and with groups to curate and create art for Nuit Blanche Toronto.

Friday, July 21, 2023

SAVE THE DATE TO SEE MY CIRLCES OF LIFE SOLE PRESENTATION AT ;

WORLD OF THREADS FESTIVAL

OCTOBER 10 TO DECEMBER 17 2023

QUEEN ELIZABETH COMMUNITY AND CULTURAL CENTRE, OAKVILLE, ONTARIO

Saturday, September 17, 2022

Nuit Blanche Toronto 2022

at Spadina Museum, 285, Spadina Rd, Toronto

October 1, 2022 Sunset to Sunrise

We're Still Here! as part of group show - Step Into My Space

Ghost

Come and join Gracie. Sit beside her or be in the audience during her speech. Go see the visitors reflected in the mirrors of her mind as it comes alive once again for her and now for you. Be with the ghosts and angels of her past. Maybe they are of your past as well, here or in another space. Peek inside the hood of the person approaching this place to see who one of the visitors could have been or is now.

Gracie

Gracie is a representation of Barbara's aunt 'passing' through life, her life story written all over her face and body and in the images on the clothing she wears.

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Nuit Blanche 2019

at Spadina Museum October 5, 2019

Sunset to Sunrise

Barbara Cook Artist:

MEDIA Themed Installation

Where does our media come from? Who writes, edits, reviews the articles we read? In today's world, the advertisements or review for an exhibition such as this are mostly found on-line. Yes, they can be sourced in print media but really, how often!

The trees in this installation represent media of old and media today. The colour and flash of current media that some say lack in substance are in cyber space forever. While black and white printed articles of old painstakingly written and edited are in the recycle bin or wrapping fish and chips the next day.

How often have you read reviews of event you have attended in person only to wonder if the writer actually attended the same event. Was the story vetted, reviewed, edited, spell checked?

The trees sculpted out of newspapers are a metaphor for circling back to where the paper came from... and maybe how we get our media. Perhaps we should circle back to edited, vetted, true reporting like the days of printed newspapers, talking and interacting with people face to face.

This installation is created from recycled newspapers found in neighbors recycle bins and freebies in various newspaper boxes in the city. A huge thank you to The Toronto Star, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail, The New York Times, Metro, The Toronto Sun, The Wall Street Journal, NOW, L'Espress, Gil and Steve for all the papers they read!

Is this an ancient papier mache craft or a new artistic method developed by this artist!! Either way, recycling household materials are the genesis of these sculptures.

Photo Credit: Sean Ryan Images

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

BARBARA COOK BIOGRAPHY

Barbara, is a Toronto artist specializing in textile art works with mixed media components including cottons, linens, silks, threads, papers, plastics, vinyl and wires. Her work highlights the translucence of the textiles she paints or dyes and materials used for custom works including framed pieces and sculptures. Her work flows from experiences in her everyday life, nature and her love of gardening which has spurred many plant, ecological and conservation installations. Most recently her contributions to IHEART foundation events at the Toronto Zoo supporting their conservation efforts. She has worked with multiple artists on various scales of art and with groups to curate and create art for Nuit Blanche Toronto for the past 11 years.

EXHIBITIONS:

Nuit Blanche Toronto, Independent Project on the grounds of the Spadina Museum, Toronto ON

- September 29th^t, 2018 ‘W-O-M-A-N’: Artist of ‘Heart and Soul’, Curator and Manager of 13 artists for group One Path project.
- September 30^th, 2017 ‘ONE PATH’: Artist of ‘Ephemerality’. Mentor and Manager of 7 artists for group’s project.
- October 1^st, 2016 ‘BEYOND’: Artist of ‘Beyond the Yellow Brick Road’, Co-Curator and Manager of 10 artists for group4d2. Sponsored by AVANI. Also constructed Gloria Stein’s River: The Shroud of Buczacz 16’ x 24’. www.gloriasteinartist.com
- October 3^rd, 2015 ‘GENESIS MEMORY LANE’: Artist of ‘A Tribute to Vishnu’, Co-Curator of 12 artists for group 4d2. Sponsored by AVANI
- October 4^th, 2014 ‘ELEMENTAL’: Artist of ‘Sylph’, Co-Curator of 14 artists for Art Science Collective Canada
- October 5^th, 2013 ‘CONVERGENCE’ Artist of ‘Efforescence’, Co-Curator of 15 artists for Art Science Collective Canada
- September 29^th, 2012 ’TRANSFORMATIVE MOTION’: Artist of ‘Ashes to Ashes’ and ‘Tree’, Co—Curator and Co-Producer of 14 artists for the Artist Cooperative of Canada
- October, 2011 ‘METAMORPHOSIS’: Artist to ‘The Connector’ and co-producer of event.
- October 2008, 2009 & 2010: Art assistant to artist Gloria Stein (www.Gloria SteinArtist.com) in building and installing her giant art installation projects. Also, assistant in the preparation of the art and grounds for the show’s installations.

Skylight Gallery; Northern District Library, Toronto, ON

August 2012: Artist, Curator and Producer for: pluriPOTENT The Wonder of Stem Cells Through Artist's Eyes; group show of the Art Science Collective Canada. Created with producers at the Ontario Science Centre.

Hillcrest Village Fibreworks: www.facebook.com/HillcrestVillageFibreworks/

Galleria 814, Toronto ON June 13 to June 27, 2017 - Fragments
Galleria 814, Toronto ON June 14 to June 28, 2016 - Joined by Threads
Galleria 814, Toronto ON from June 2 to 16, 2015 – Gathering
The Studio for Movement Toronto, ON -November 2013
SideSpace Gallery, Toronto ON, June 2011

WORKSHOP LEADER:

Burr House, Richmond Hill Ontario 2008- Lecture
Town of Richmond Hill Ontario Community Centres, 2001 - 2003 led various quilting/textile workshops
Various custom workshops in Southern Ontario and New York City

CUSTOM WORK INCLUDES:

Sheelagh is a textile/ mixed media 122 cm long x 91cm wide Great Indian Rhino statue created for a private sale. 2017
Nandu is a textile/mixed media 122 cm long x 95 cm wide Great Indian Rhino statue created for the Toronto Zoo for auction for their iHeart fund raisers. 2017
Tribute to Vishnu is a textile/mixed media 122 cm long x 91 cm wide Great Indian Rhino statue created for the Toronto Zoo for auction for RHINO AWARENESS. It was also part of the group exhibit GENSIS: MEMORY LANE for Scotiabank Nuit Blanche 2015.
Under World 2015 – A textile image of the world under the sea. 107cm W x 76cm H x 5cmD
Mixed Media/Wire ‘Tree’ Sculpture (created for customer and shown at Nuit Blanche 2012) 244cm tall with branches reaching out 91 cm wide.
Canyon 2010 – A Textile image of a canyon and waterfall. 60 cm W x 107cm H x 8cm D
Multiple quilts in various sizes
Multiple Purses, Handbags and Totes 2000-2005 – sold privately

Other:

Richmond Hill Studio Tour and Sale 2005 through 2008, Richmond Hill, ON
Markham Quilt Guild, Markham, ON - Presentation of Work. September 2009
Burr House Spinners and Weavers Guild, Richmond Hill, ON, 2008- 2011.

Member, presenter and sales in guild store.

Participating artist in the Gallery of Pottery and Fine Art in Newmarket, ON 2008 – 2009
Grimsby Art Festival Saturday, September 6, 2008, Grimsby ON
IA.K.A Artful Décor (Interior Design) Burlington, ON 1999 – 2002

Monday, October 1, 2018

Nuit Blanche 2018

at Spadina MuseumSeptember 29, 2018

Sunset to Sunrise

Beyond our exterior being, skin colour, body shape, ethnicity and gender is our true selves, conscience, beliefs, and soul; our true essence. This exhibit represents what would be found in one’s closet at the end of the day without the many hats or disguises we wear each and every day.

Dress

This evening dress is created from many miniature female sculptures in various clothing, costumes, body shapes, colour, race, classes, cultures, religions and ethnicities. These labels are brought together into one item, this dress to represent women. One item of equity through fields of endeavor, accomplishments and ideals; our lives as human beings.

Head Sculpture

This barren Paper Mâché sculpture represents what we feel inside ourselves as humans. Beyond our makeup, earrings, hair colour and even our style. Who are we but our thoughts and deeds!

Masks

These MASKS represent the many faces a person may wear in their lifetime and sometimes in just one day. But like anything else, they can be removed and stowed away for another day.

Barbara Cook is a multimedia artist working out of her studio in Toronto. She has been involved in Nuit Blanche on the grounds of the Spadina Museum as artist/curator/manager from 2008 to 2018. Barbara exhibits her art in and around the Toronto area. More recently, she has made sculptural contributions to the Toronto Zoo in support of their conservation efforts.

Maryam Sadrolhefazi, is a Mosaic and Stained Glass Artist, as well as an art instructor and art lover. She is the creator of these MASKS and the other work in mosaic and stained glass in the greenhouse south of this museum house.

Photo by Terry McBurnie

Nuit Blanche Toronto 2017 review

ON THE COVER (Oct. 2017): Transitory night

November 2nd, 2017 · No Comments

NEILAND BRISSENDEN/GLEANER NEWS

The Annex played host to several installations late last month for Nuit Blanche Toronto. Nine artists contributed to OnePath Toronto, a group exhibition that explored ideas of identity and nationhood through large-scale and interactive installations on the grounds of Spadina Museum. In Ephemerality (above), a multi-media installation founded on the Greek concept of all things being transitory, Barbara Cook asks if our efforts to improve the environmental condition of Canada and the earth ultimately be transitory.