Aganetha Dyck (born September 12, 1937) is a Canadian sculptor residing in

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

. Dyck is best known for her work with live

honeybee A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus ''Apis'' of the bee clade, all native to mainland Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the c ...

s, that build

honeycomb A honeycomb is a mass of Triangular prismatic honeycomb#Hexagonal prismatic honeycomb, hexagonal prismatic cells built from beeswax by honey bees in their beehive, nests to contain their brood (eggs, larvae, and pupae) and stores of honey and pol ...

on objects that she introduces to honeybee

hives Hives, also known as urticaria, is a kind of skin rash with red or flesh-colored, raised, itchy bumps. Hives may burn or sting. The patches of rash may appear on different body parts, with variable duration from minutes to days, and typically ...

. In 2007 Dyck was awarded both Manitoba's Arts Award of Distinction and Canada's

Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts The Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts are annual awards for achievements in visual and media arts in Canada. Up to eight awards are presented annually, each with a prize amount of $25,000. Created in 2000 by then Governor General ...

Personal life

Dyck was born Aganetha Rempel, in 1937, to

Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

parents in

Marquette, Manitoba Marquette is an unincorporated community in the Rural Municipality of Woodlands in the Interlake Region of Manitoba, Canada. It is located approximately 46 kilometres (29 miles) northwest of Winnipeg. History The post office opened in 1871 as ...

, a

French-Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French colonists first arriving in France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of French Canadians live in the prov ...

farming town 50 km north of Winnipeg. She married Peter Dyck, a Mennonite merchant from Winnipeg, in 1958. The family moved to

Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Prince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada, after Saskatoon and Regina, Saskatchewan, Regina. It is situated near the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway ...

, in 1972 where Aganetha Dyck enrolled in art courses. At the Prince Albert Community College Dyck studied pottery, batik, Salish weaving, and art criticism. While at Prince Albert, Dyck had the opportunity to be mentored by Professor George Glen and studied

Art History Art history is the study of Work of art, artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Tradit ...

. The family returned to Winnipeg in 1976. Between 1980 and 1982 Dyck studied Art History at the

University of Winnipeg The University of Winnipeg (UWinnipeg, UW, or U of W) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It offers undergraduate programs in art, business, economics, education, science and applied health as well as graduate progra ...

Career

Dyck's early work is described as transforming domestic processes into fine art, thereby validating activities that are traditionally considered feminine. In her early work, Dyck used household materials such as buttons, wool fabrics, and cigarettes. ''Close Knit'', completed between 1975 - 1981, took inspiration from a dryer accident with a piece made of wool. Various pieces of wool clothing were then intentionally shrunk for this work. A 1984

Winnipeg Art Gallery The Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) is an art museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Its permanent collection includes over 24,000 works from Canadian, Indigenous Canadian, and international artists. The museum also holds the world's largest collect ...

exhibition of Dyck's work featured several hundred jars of buttons prepared and cooked using different culinary techniques. After accidentally felting some of her woven work, she began to design felt sculptures, such as ''Close Knit'' ((1975‑1981)), ''Skirt Issue'' (1981) and ''Forest'' (1975‑1981), as well as sculptures that combined felt art with

found objects A found object (a calque from the French ''objet trouvé''), or found art, is art created from undisguised, but often modified, items or products that are not normally considered materials from which art is made, often because they already have ...

, such as ''23 Suitcases'' (1981). Dyck is best known for her work with honeybees, which began in 1989 when she rented beehives, and is described by her as a collaboration. She was inspired when she came across a store sign made out of honeycomb. Dyck places objects into beehives, or beehives into objects, and allows insects to build honeycomb on the objects, sometimes over the course of years. This work is considered to be exemplified by ''Glass Dress: Lady in Waiting'' (1992‑1998), currently held at the

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's National museums of Canada, national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the List of large ...

. The work took 10 beekeeping seasons to create. Another collaboration with bees is ''Hockey Night in Canada'' (1995 - 2000) where various pieces of sports equipment are turned into beehives. (Her work with honeybees has drawn attention from the press, and Dyck has been featured in the ''CBC'' television show ''

The Nature of Things ''The Nature of Things'' (formerly, ''The Nature of Things with David Suzuki'') is a Canadian television series of documentary programs. It debuted on CBC Television on 6 November 1960. Many of the programs document nature and the effect th ...

'', with

David Suzuki David Takayoshi Suzuki (born March 24, 1936) is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster, and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a PhD in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department at the ...

. Dyck has collaborated with beekeepers and entomologists in making her sculptures. In addition to appreciating the beauty of the honeycomb, Dyck hopes that "people will realize the importance of the honeybees' work." Even as Dyck began her artistic practice by referencing the domestic objects and tasks with which she was most familiar, she continued to employ traditional signifiers of womanhood through the collaborative creation of honey-comb encrusted high heels, handbags, and even a wedding gown. Dyck's work with bees has been featured in

Troyes Troyes () is a Communes of France, commune and the capital of the Departments of France, department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within ...

, Paris,

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

, and at the

Yorkshire Sculpture Park The Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) is an art gallery, with both open-air and indoor exhibition spaces, in West Bretton, Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It shows work by British and international artists, including Henry Moore and Barb ...

in England. A selection of her awards includes the

Manitoba Arts Council The Manitoba Arts Council (MAC; ) is a provincial crown corporation whose purpose is to promote the arts. The Council awards grants to professional artists and arts organizations in Manitoba in all art forms; it also provides related creative act ...

Award of Distinction (2007), Governor General`s Award in Visual and Media Arts (2007), Winnipeg's Art City Star Award (2013), Winnipeg Art Council's Making a Mark Award (2014). Dyck's show "Collaborations" was featured at Burnaby Art Gallery 2009 In 2018'', Close Knit'' was included i
''Thunderstruck: Physical Landscapes''
a Canada Council exhibition about contemporary dance. Dyck has been on the board of directors of Plug In ICA and has served as a board member and mentor in Mentoring Artists for Women's Art. The

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

Archives & Special Collections has the Aganetha Dyck Fonds. It includes textual records related to her art career, and artifacts.

Selected works

*''Close Knit'' ((1975‑1981)), Canadian Council Art Bank. *''Closest to Her'' (2007), National Gallery of Canada. *''Queen'' (2007), National Gallery of Canada. *''Glass Dress: Lady in Waiting'' (1992‑1998), National Gallery of Canada. *Hive Drawing #2 (2008), Burnaby Art Gallery.

Awards

* Manitoba's Arts Award of Distinction (2007). *

(2007). * Spotlight on 40 years: Artwork from Canada Council Art Bank (2012). * Art City Star Award, Winnipeg (2013). * Making a Mark award by the Winnipeg Arts Council (2014).

Select exhibitions

* 2009 – ''Aganetha Dyck: Collaborations'' (solo),

Burnaby Art Gallery The Burnaby Art Gallery (abbreviated as BAG) is an art museum in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. The museum is located on the northern periphery of Deer Lake Park, situated off of Deer Lake Avenue. The museum occupies Fairacres Mansion, designa ...

, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. *2011 – ''Guest Workers'' (solo),

Confederation Centre Art Gallery The Confederation Centre Art Gallery (CCAG; ) is an art museum that forms a part of the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. The art museum pavilion forms the northeast portion of the Confederation Centre ...

, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. *2014 – ''Surreal Transformations'' (two-person show with Richard Dyck),

Art Gallery of Algoma The Art Gallery of Algoma (AGA) is an art museum in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. The museum occupies a facility, situated near the shoreline of St. Marys River. The museum was formally incorporated on 7 July 1975, and in 1980, moved to it ...

, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. *2014 – ''You've Really Got a Hold on Me''
Oakville Galleries
Oakville, Ontario, Canada. *2014 – ''Aganetha Dyck: Honeybee Alterations'',

Ottawa School of Art The Ottawa School of Art is a non-profit art school in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The school offers a one-year certificate program, a three-year diploma program, art camps, and general interest courses, as well as providing exhibition sp ...

, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. *2017 – ''Cross Pollination''
516 Arts
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. *2017 – ''AlterNation''
Kamloops Art Gallery
Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. *2017 – ''Animal Intent,''

apexart Apexart (stylized as apexart) is a non-profit art space located in Lower Manhattan, New York. The organization, founded by Steven Rand in 1994, combines spaces for creative endeavor and curation to encourage experimentation and innovation. apexa ...

, New York, USA. *2019 – ''Displacement,''

Vancouver Art Gallery The Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) is an art museum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The museum occupies a adjacent to Robson Square in downtown Vancouver, making it the largest art museum in Western Canada by building size. Designed by Fr ...

, Vancouver, BC. *2019 – ''Something More Than Nothing'',

The Reach Gallery Museum The Reach Gallery Museum is a public art gallery and museum located in Abbotsford, British Columbia. It exhibits artwork from across Canada and around the world. The Reach is also the regional archival repository and houses a significant collectio ...

, Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, and touring to the Art Gallery at Evergreen Cultural Centre, Coquitlam, BC.

Collections

Dyck's work is held in the collections of the

, Ottawa, ON; the

, Burnaby, BC;

, Charlottetown, PEI; Dunlop Art Gallery, Regina, SK; Kelowna Art Gallery,

Kelowna Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan, Okanagan Valley in the British Columbia Interior, southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna ...

, BC; Oakville Galleries, Oakville, ON;

, Vancouver, BC;

, Winnipeg, MB; Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery,

Owen Sound Owen Sound (2021 Canadian Census, 2021 Census population 21,612) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat, seat of government of Grey County, it is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi River, Pottawatomi and Sydenham River ...

, ON; Saskatchewan Arts Board, Regina, SK; Manitoba Arts Council Art Bank, Winnipeg, MB; Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa, ON;

Glenbow Museum The Glenbow Museum is an art and history local museum, regional museum in the city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The museum focuses on Western Canada, Western Canadian history and culture, including Indigenous perspectives. The Glenbow was establ ...

, Calgary, AB;

Art Gallery of Guelph The Art Gallery of Guelph (AGG), formerly the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, is a public gallery and adjoining Sculpture garden in Guelph, Ontario. Its collection consists of over 9,000 works. The AGG is a nonprofit organization which focuses on r ...

, Guelph, ON; and the

Art Gallery of Windsor Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

(now Art Windsor-Essex), ON, amongst others.

References

External links

Aganetha Dyck's personal website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dyck, Aganetha 1937 births Living people Artists from Manitoba Canadian Mennonites Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts winners People from Interlake Region, Manitoba University of Winnipeg alumni 20th-century Canadian sculptors 20th-century Canadian women artists 21st-century Canadian sculptors Mennonite artists 21st-century Canadian women sculptors