Artist Information
Isla Burns
RCA
1952 - 2024
Whether looking at art or making art I expect to be emotionally lifted, to be taken out of the ordinary and transported into the unexpected and extraordinary. The feeling is visceral while at the same time it is also spiritual. The combination of these two sensations is the constant that keeps me making sculpture.
Too often our eyes take for granted what we are seeing we are not as tuned into the feedback from our visual senses as we are with music or smell or touch. For me, an image requires being aware of a visual presence and in that impassive silence of looking I want to be taken into and beyond the realm of form. There is a universal aesthetic that contains these sensations and qualities and it can be found in great art of all cultures. It is this enduring
transcending quality that makes the art of ancient cultures as relevant today as it was at the time it was created. I aspire to the constants in art, these are the things that move me, for they are truly expressive of all the aspects in the beauty of the human condition.
“Let the beauty we love be what we do” - Jamaluddin Rumi
Quote taken from, "A Meeting by the River.' Ry Cooder & V.M. Bhat
Isla Burns was born in Calcutta in 1952. She travelled frequently between five cities: Bombay, Monghyr, Saharanpur, Calcutta and Gauhati. This time and these places left an indelible visual memory which later became a deep source of inspiration in her sculptures.
In 1963 she attended a convent school in Scotland. Edinburgh. Edinburgh, with its international festival of culture was another important exposure to painting and sculpture as well as theatre and music. During her last two years at the convent she became a day student and enrolled in night classes at the Edinburgh College of Art. She studied drawing and sculpture.
ln 197o her mother took a job at The Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton as a radiation oncologist specializing in breast cancer. She arrived in Edmonton in January 1970 and immediately enrolled in the Alberta College of Art (now the Alberta University of the Arts (AUArts)) in Calgary where she studied under Katie Ohe and Ole Holmstead. She concentrated mainly on figurative sculpture and later abstract sculpture. It her third year she took an apprenticeship welding course at SAIT. After working with numerous materials, clay, plaster, wood, plastic and resin she discovered steel. This was a major turning point and her love for this material continues to this day.
In 1975 she went to the University of Alberta to take an MVA in Sculpture, working in steel but also continuing with her interest in portraiture and the figure.
In 1978, the year she graduated she received the Beta Sigma Phi Award in Art and Design.
Isla was offered a job after graduating at EBCO industries in Richmond BC. EBCO had recently been contracted by Boeing in Seattle to fabricate freight carriers. The job included riveting and welding Aluminum. She was the first female EBCO had ever hired as a welder. The respect of her foreman lead to her teaching riveting to other employees. She established a studio in Vancouver and started making sculpture.
A year later she moved to Saskatoon where she also worked as a welder repairing centrifuges for the oil patch. She established another studio and was soon showing at Art Placement and had a large sculpture purchased by the Mendel Gallery.
In 1983 she returned to Edmonton and started teaching at the University of Alberta. She has taught there for 3o years.
In 1991 she was awarded a commission from City Hall in Edmonton to make a 3 ton stainless steel sculpture.
In 2002 she received an Award for Excellence from the Alberta college of Art and Design (AUArts). Additionally, in 2002 she was accepted into The Royal Canadian Academy. In 2013 she was inducted into the Cultural Hall of Fame in Edmonton.
Born: Calcutta, India. 1952
Education.
1969 Graduated from St Margaret’s Convent. Edinburgh Scotland.
1968 - 69 External student. Edinburgh College of Art. Scotland.
1970 - 74 Diploma in Sculpture. Alberta College of Art. Calgary. AB.
1975 - 78 Master of Visual Arts. Sculpture. University of Alberta. Edmonton.
Awards & Recognition.
1978 Beta Sigma Phi Award in Art & Design. University of Alberta. Edmonton.
2002 Award for Excellence. Alberta College of Art & Design. Calgary.
2002 Accepted into: The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.
2013 Accepted into: City of Edmonton’s Arts & Culture Hall of Fame.
Professional Experience.
Contract teaching at U of A. Edmonton.
1983 - 85 Visual Fundamentals & BFA Drawing.
1989 - 90 Figurative Sculpture.
1993 - 94 Figurative and Abstract Sculpture.
1996 - 05 Visual Fundamentals. An introduction to Sculpture & 3 Dimensional Design.
2001 Abstract Steel & Wood Sculpture.
2006 - 09 Augustana College. Camrose, Alberta. Sculpture
2006 - 10 Figurative Sculpture. University of Alberta.
2013 Augustana College. Camrose. Alberta.
Workshops.
1984 Triangle Artist’s Workshop. Pine Plains. New York. USA
1985 Collaboration in Clay. The Works. Edmonton. AB
1986 Hardingham Sculpture Workshop. Norwich. England.
1987 Triangle Artist’s Workshop. Barcelona. Spain
1995 Visiting Artist. International Ceramic Workshop. Red Deer College. AB
Selected Exhibitions.
1980 “Eight Sculptors” (Traveling Exhibition) Art Placement. Saskatoon. Saskatchewan
1982 “Seven Sculptors” Studio Exhibition. Edmonton. Alberta
1983 “Canadian Contemporary Art- The Current Generation.” EAG. Alberta
1984 “Triangle Artist’s Workshop.” Pine Plains. New York. USA
1986-90 “Sculpture by Invitation.” EAG. Alberta
1986 “Hardingham Sculpture Workshop” Sainsbury Centre for the Visual Arts.
The University of East Anglia. Norwich, England
1987 “Triangle” Barcelona. Spain
1987 “Solo Exhibition” EAG. Alberta
1988 “Recent Sculptures” Paul Kuhn Fine Arts. Calgary. Alberta
1989 “Exotic Steel” FAB Gallery. U of A. Alberta.
1990 “Objects & Structures, 3 Dimensional Still Lives” EAG. Alberta
1990/94
2000 “Solo Exhibitions” Paul Kuhn Fine Arts. Calgary. Alberta
1991 “Spectrum 91 – Women in Sculpture” Triangle Gallery. Curated by Katie Ohe.
Calgary. Alberta
1992 “Solo exhibition” EAG. Alberta
1995 “The other Alberta Sculpture” Carlton University Art Gallery. Ottawa. Ontario
1995 “Hardingham Workshops” 1986 -95.” Christ Church Mansion Lawns. Ipswich.UK
1995/00
2001/03 “ Solo Exhibitions” The Vanderleelie Gallery. Edmonton. Alberta
1996 “Modes of Abstraction, Disrepresentation” EAG. Alberta
2001 “Beyond Craft” The art Gallery of South West Manitoba. Manitoba
2001 “Recent Sculpture” Gallery One. Toronto. Ontario
2001 “75th Anniversary Exhibition” ACAD. Calgary. Alberta
2002 “5 Degrees of Separation” Art Gallery of Calgary. Calgary. Alberta
2003 “Migrations in the Third Dimension in Canada and the Cyclades”
The Cultural Foundation of Tinos. Tinos. Greece
2004 “ Form-Space-Concept-Metaphor: Contemporary Alberta Sculpture”
Special Art Exhibition Celebrating the centennial of Alberta. Triangle Gallery.
Calgary. Alberta
2005 “Metal Works” A collaborative exhibition with Karen Cantine. The Vanderleelie
Gallery. Edmonton. Alberta
2007 “Fireworks” A collaborative exhibition with Karen Cantine. Peter Robertson
Gallery. Edmonton. Alberta
2009 “Forms of Worship” Algoma Gallery. Sault Saint Marie. Ontario
2010 “Wrought Iron” Peter Robertson Gallery. Edmonton. Alberta
2010 “ A Renaissance” Group Show. Enterprise Square Gallery. Edmonton. Alberta
2012 “Samskara” Peter Robertson Gallery. Edmonton. Alberta
2014 “Regions of Distinction” Edmonton Members of the RCA. Enterprise Square.
Edmonton. AGA.
2014 “90 x 90. Celebrating Art in Alberta” AGA 90th Anniversary. Alberta
2017 “Tempered Steel”, Peter Robertson Gallery, Edmonton, AB
Selected Publications, Books & Promotion
1987 “Isla Burns & Lyle Lis” EAG. Update Magazine. Russel Bingham.
1987 “Isla Burns & lyle Lis At the EAG” Art Post. Lelde Muchlenbachs.
1989 “ Of Earth and Steel: Taming the Prairie in Canada” Vol.12 Practicing the Arts in
Canada. Dr Caterina Pizanias.
1993 “ The Place of Sculpture” Border Crossings. Vol.12. Number 3. Lelde
Muchlenbachs.
1994 “Steel Magnolias” Globe & Mail. 7th of May. John Bently Mays.
1995 “Alberta Sculptors come in from the Cultural Cold” Arts Books and Ideas.
Ottawa Citizen. March 12th. Alan King.
2004 “Dissident Acts. Spirit & Matter” Artichoke. Spring. Dr Caterina Pizanias.
2004 “Migrations” Galleries West. Fall/Winter. Dr Caterina Pizanias.
2004 “Torch Songs” Katie Ohe & Isla Burns” Legacy Magazine. Winter.
Patricia Myers.
2006 “Art Spots” CBC Documentary. Janice Ryan
2006 “An Alberta Chronicle” Book. Mary-Beth Laviolette.
2007 “Alberta Art and Artist’s” Book. Patricia Ainslie & Mary-Beth Laviolette.
2010 “Arts Section” Phabrik Magazine. Sandra Sing Fernandes.
2010 “ Wrought Iron” Edmonton Journal. Janice Ryan
2012 “ Abstract Metal Sculpture Shines in Isla Burns Exhibit.” GIG CITY. Stuart
Adams.
2012 “Studio Inside” Edmonton Journal. Janice Ryan.
2017 “Living and vegetative work.” Isla Burns explores organic qualities of metal sculpture
Vue Weekly. Stephan Boissonneault.
2017 “The Artist’s Studio.” black dog publishing. Book. Joseph Hartman
Public Collections.
City of Calgary. AB
City of Edmonton. AB
The Alberta Foundation of the Arts. AB
Grant MacEwan University. AB
University of Calgary. AB
University of Alberta. AB
The Mendel Art Gallery. Saskatoon. Sask.
The Art Gallery of Alberta. AB
Canada Council Art Bank. Ottawa. Ont.
The Canadiana Fund. Ottawa. Ont.
The Glenbow Museum. Calgary. AB
Augustana University. Camrose. AB
City of Barcelona. Spain
Visual Art Collection. Foreign Affairs & international Trade. Ottawa. Ont
Public Commissions.
The City of Edmonton. City Hall. AB
The University of Alberta. AB
Abu Dhabi. UAE
Private Collections.
Edmonton. AB
Calgary. AB
Saskatoon. Sask.
Toronto.Ont.
Victoria. BC
Sault Saint Marie.Ont.
Dubai. UAE
Barcelona.Spain
London. UK
Norwich.UK
Private Collections
Edmonton. AB
Calgary. AB
Saskatoon. Sask.
Toronto.Ont.
Victoria. BC
Sault Saint Marie.Ont.
Dubai. UAE
Barcelona.Spain
London. UK
Norwich.UK
International Women’s Day Group Exhibition e-Catalog 2021
International Women’s Day Group Exhibition 2021: #ChooseToChallenge
International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements or rally for women’s equality.