Free Press draws subscribers to gallery exhibit on art of journalism
Satisfying Audiences Blog | 04 May 2023
Journalism is considered an art by many people both within and outside of the industry — the literal photographic art that fills print and digital pages, the art of storytelling with words, the art of amazing and effective layout, the art of editing.
But in November 2022, the Free Press and the Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq (WAG) collaborated for a completely unique interpretation of the art of journalism, this time in the form of the exhibit Headlines: The Art of the News Cycle.
While the exhibit was curated and timed with the Free Press’s 150th anniversary in mind, it is not limited to covering only the newspaper’s history. Instead, Headlines takes a larger look at news and how it is consumed using the Free Press as an anchouring point.
Seven artists provided works for the exhibition in media such as painting, embroidery, video, collage, and printmaking that were “informed by the structure of news texts — that is the words, phrases, images, and platforms that make up our daily news,” explained curator Dr. Riva Symko in the exhibit’s programme.
“Unlike our daily news feeds, however, these artworks reveal the fundamental connection between text and aesthetics that is generally taken for granted, and, in doing so, expose something about process and construction, particularly the production and construction of the news in the twenty-first century,” Symko wrote.
The exhibit also features items from the Free Press building and archives, including the first edition of the newspaper, then called the Manitoba Tribune, published on November 30, 1872. Visitors can also see the first printing press, which was purchased that same year and brought to Winnipeg from New York. Articles and photos from Free Press journalists are also on display, as are a few vintage newspaper boxes.
It’s an incredible mix of old and new; of fine art and the art of journalism.
While the newspaper does not receive revenue from exhibit admissions, the gallery has been very gracious in allowing the Free Press to host free events for subscribers. The Free Press has been able to welcome its readers two times.
The first was on the newspaper’s 150th anniversary, November 30, 2022, for a special pre-opening viewing event that allowed the Free Press to offer free tickets to subscribers. The event included a reception with remarks from Free Press editor Paul Samyn, Free Press owner Bob Silver, and curator Dr. Symko, as well as guided tours of the exhibit. This event was limited to Free Press subscribers who entered to win tickets, as well as a selection of Free Press staff.
More recently, in April 2023, the WAG supported the Free Press in offering a free evening of guided tours led by Samyn for a limited number of Free Press readers who subscribe at the patron level; one of the perks offered as part of the upgraded subscription tier the newspaper began offering last year.
Attendance for both events was well over 80% of tickets claimed (and those who run free events will know that’s a great turn out!), and anecdotal feedback has only been positive about the experience and the exhibit.
Initially slated to run until May 2023, Headlines: The Art of the News Cycle has been extended to October 1 and, as of January 2023, it had been viewed by more than 60,000 Winnipeg Art Gallery visitors.