Border Crossings (magazine)
Encyclopedia
Border Crossings is a magazine
published quarterly from Manitoba
, Canada
. It investigates contemporary Canadian and International art and culture. The editor, Meeka Walsh, specializes in rarefied articles and interviews about contemporary Canadian and international art and culture. The magazine is known for its intensive interviews as well as by reviewing artists' profiles, portfolios of drawings and photographs. It provides its readers the opportunity to explore various forms of arts including painting
s, performances
, architecture
, sculpture
and films.
in the English department. During this time a group of professors at St. Johns College were toying with the idea of starting a literary press, and thus began the Turnstone Press in 1975. It was because of this literary press that Arts Manitoba became into existence.
Arts Manitoba had originally intended to be a bi-monthly magazine, which soon proved difficult. By the winter of 1978 they began listing the magazine as “Special Double issues” which would eventually turn into the quarterly publications it is today.
The magazine almost met its end in 1978 when owners were confronted with massive debt. However, in 1982 it had a second chance. A small group got together (which included Meeka Walsh) and agreed that Arts Manitoba was worth reviving. They were aware that in order for the magazine to be successful they needed government funding and they needed to restructure the magazine.
Eventually the members of the board realized that their current magazine title restricted their literary audience. Their first step to a new title was Volume 4, Number 4 titled “Special Canada/U.S. issue”. Only a few issues later the title had made the transition to “Border Crossings: A Quarterly Magazine of the Arts from Manitoba”.
In 1993 Meeka Walsh became the official editor of Border Crossings. Her first issue as editor was titled “Silencers” featuring the painter, sculptor and performance artist, Gathie Falk.
Over the years the magazine has explored themes like War, Drawing, Animals, Art and Technology, Multiculturism, Landscape, Love, Circus and many more. Each issue the magazine uses thematic qualities already present in art and culture to help give a comprehensive view of art in context with the rest of the world.
Robert attended the University of Saskatchewan
, in Saskatoon, from 1967–1971 as an undergraduate in the department of English where he received his Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree. He then attended the University of Manitoba where he worked towards his Masters from 1971–1972 and 1972-1974 at the same school earning a Ph.D.
Upon graduation he began a busy professional career. From 1988 to 1992 he was a member of the Board of Directors for the Western Magazine Awards Foundation, as well as a Member of the Canada Council Advisory Panel on Book and Periodical Publishing from 1990 to 1992. In 1991, he was the External English Examiner for the Position of Head, in the Writing and Publications Section of Canada Council.
Along with spending 25 years as an art critic for CBC, he has also contributed to Art news
, Modern Painters
, and Art Review
. He to this day still regularly contributes to The Globe and Mail. All this work has been well recognized as it has gotten him countless awards, honours and grants in his field of work. Examples are the nominations and medals in the National Magazine Awards, and in the Western Magazine Awards.
While working for CBC
for 25 years he started the magazine Border Crossings and has this to say on the topic: "I’ve always been a border crosser, and the magazine was based on the premise that artists never looked at only one thing."
Along with still working on his magazine today with his partner Meeka Walsh he is spending his winters in Guelph, Ontario
where he is currently also a Professor in the MFA program at the University of Guelph
where he spends the winter semester teaching.
Robert Enright was the founding editor of Border Crossing, during his years at border crossing, the magazine received 41 nominations at the National and Western Magazine Awards, including five Gold Medals as "Magazine of the Year. He himself has won multiple awards on his editorial skill including entertainment and culture, film reviews. In 2005, he became a member of the Order of Canada
and he is currently an Art professor at University of Guelph
.
Meeka Walsh (1993–present)
Meeka Walsh is a gold and silver medalist for her critical writing at the National and Western Magazine Awards in Canada. She has contributed essays to a number of catalogues and books published in Canada and the United States, most recently on Sarah Anne Johnson (On Transit, Visual Narratives in North America, 2005), April Gornik
(Danese, New York, 2005), and on the drawings of Leon Golub
(Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York and Anthony Reynolds, London, 2004). She is also the editor of the books The Body, its Lesson and Camouflage: The Photographs of Diana Thorneycroft, and Don Reichert: A Life in Work. She has written on the work of Robert Frank
, Mary Ellen Mark
, Diana Michener, Barbara Norfleet, Howard Ursuliak and Diana Thorneycroft.
Ms. Walsh is interested in both documentary and in work that combines aesthetic quality with narrative invention.
designed the cover named "Perhaps the Moon Will Save Us." The cover is a collage shaped like a moon made from mixed media, blankets, plastic pearls, aluminum foil, animal pelts, packaging tape, ink and other materials.
The first 110 issues of the magazine were in a 8½×11-inch format, saddle-stitched at first, but later perfect bound. The current format is now 9×11 ¾ inches.
The layout for the magazine has been renowned for its contemporary design and high production values. The photography portfolios have contributed to the magazine’s success as well as several awards for Best Non-Fiction Feature, Manitoba Magazine of the Year and several gold medals from the Western Magazine Awards.
Each issue has several articles ranging from films to theatre, from architecture to writing, and many interviews and reviews. The magazine is typically structured with seven different sections: Bordernotes, Borderviews, Bordercolumn, interviews, articles, art pages and crossovers.
The National Magazine Awards has given Border Crossings Magazine a total of 7 gold medals, 8 silver medals and 38 honourable mentions since 1985 to the present date. NMAF is known for their recognition of excellence in content and creation of various Canadian magazines. The NMAF has a total of 47 categories of awards: 23 written, 9 visual, 7 online, 4 integrated and 4 special awards. The 4 special awards categories are: Outstanding achievement, Best New Visual Creator, Best New Magazine Writer, and Magazine of the Year.
Most of the gold and silver awards for Border Crossings were in Poetry, Illustration, Photojournalism and columns. Many of the honourable mentions were dispersed in a wide variety of categories ranging from travel, to essays to fiction and homes and gardens.
Western Magazine:
The Western Magazine Awards Foundation (WMAF) has presented Border Crossings with more than 55 awards in various categories including, Magazine of the Year, Best Article, Best Review and Best Photographic Feature.
The WMAF honours and celebrates excellence in western Canadian magazine writing, photography, art direction and illustration. This non-profit organization has a strong ethic to raise the profile of western Canadian magazines among readers, creators, students and advertisers. WMAF works to enhance the professional development of Canadian magazines to ensure their long-term vibrancy.
Western Publishing Association:
The Western Publishing Association (WPA) hosts an annual Maggie awards ceremony and has awarded Border Crossings 2 Maggies.
The WPA takes pride in promoting the pursuit of excellence among publishing professionals. For over 58 years, WPA celebrated excellence to deserving individuals and companies in a wide variety of categories. The awards ceremony is known as the “most prestigious publishing event in the West.” With hundreds of publishing professionals gathered together, the trademark of the ceremony is a visually high-tech creative multimedia show which features entries from the current year.
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
published quarterly from Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It investigates contemporary Canadian and International art and culture. The editor, Meeka Walsh, specializes in rarefied articles and interviews about contemporary Canadian and international art and culture. The magazine is known for its intensive interviews as well as by reviewing artists' profiles, portfolios of drawings and photographs. It provides its readers the opportunity to explore various forms of arts including painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
s, performances
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
, architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
and films.
History
Border Crossings was founded in 1977 by Robert Enright under a different title, Arts Manitoba. Robert Enright had returned to Manitoba in 1972 to do his post-graduate studies at the University of ManitobaUniversity of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
in the English department. During this time a group of professors at St. Johns College were toying with the idea of starting a literary press, and thus began the Turnstone Press in 1975. It was because of this literary press that Arts Manitoba became into existence.
Arts Manitoba had originally intended to be a bi-monthly magazine, which soon proved difficult. By the winter of 1978 they began listing the magazine as “Special Double issues” which would eventually turn into the quarterly publications it is today.
The magazine almost met its end in 1978 when owners were confronted with massive debt. However, in 1982 it had a second chance. A small group got together (which included Meeka Walsh) and agreed that Arts Manitoba was worth reviving. They were aware that in order for the magazine to be successful they needed government funding and they needed to restructure the magazine.
Eventually the members of the board realized that their current magazine title restricted their literary audience. Their first step to a new title was Volume 4, Number 4 titled “Special Canada/U.S. issue”. Only a few issues later the title had made the transition to “Border Crossings: A Quarterly Magazine of the Arts from Manitoba”.
In 1993 Meeka Walsh became the official editor of Border Crossings. Her first issue as editor was titled “Silencers” featuring the painter, sculptor and performance artist, Gathie Falk.
Over the years the magazine has explored themes like War, Drawing, Animals, Art and Technology, Multiculturism, Landscape, Love, Circus and many more. Each issue the magazine uses thematic qualities already present in art and culture to help give a comprehensive view of art in context with the rest of the world.
Founder
Robert Enright is a well-respected Canadian journalist that is considered to be one of the finest cultural journalists in the country. He is the founder and the editor-at-large for a highly successful, and to some, considered one of the world’s most respected arts magazine, Border Crossings.Robert attended the University of Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
, in Saskatoon, from 1967–1971 as an undergraduate in the department of English where he received his Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree. He then attended the University of Manitoba where he worked towards his Masters from 1971–1972 and 1972-1974 at the same school earning a Ph.D.
Upon graduation he began a busy professional career. From 1988 to 1992 he was a member of the Board of Directors for the Western Magazine Awards Foundation, as well as a Member of the Canada Council Advisory Panel on Book and Periodical Publishing from 1990 to 1992. In 1991, he was the External English Examiner for the Position of Head, in the Writing and Publications Section of Canada Council.
Along with spending 25 years as an art critic for CBC, he has also contributed to Art news
ARTnews
ARTnews is an arts magazine based in New York, founded by James Clarence Hyde in 1902 as Hyde’s Weekly Art News. It is published 11 times a year.ARTnews covers all art, from ancient to Post-modernism...
, Modern Painters
Modern Painters (magazine)
Modern Painters is a monthly art magazine published in New York City by Louise Blouin Media. The magazine is published 10 times per year; it includes profiles on two international artists per issue; columns by international contributors; interviews with and articles by contemporary artists and...
, and Art Review
ArtReview
-Publication:ArtReview covers established and emerging artists in a mixture of international exhibition reviews, artist profiles, city art tours and artist commissions, including artist projects published as supplements to the regular edition of the magazine...
. He to this day still regularly contributes to The Globe and Mail. All this work has been well recognized as it has gotten him countless awards, honours and grants in his field of work. Examples are the nominations and medals in the National Magazine Awards, and in the Western Magazine Awards.
While working for CBC
CBC Radio
CBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
for 25 years he started the magazine Border Crossings and has this to say on the topic: "I’ve always been a border crosser, and the magazine was based on the premise that artists never looked at only one thing."
Along with still working on his magazine today with his partner Meeka Walsh he is spending his winters in Guelph, Ontario
Guelph
Guelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...
where he is currently also a Professor in the MFA program at the University of Guelph
University of Guelph
The University of Guelph, also known as U of G, is a comprehensive public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College, the Macdonald Institute, and the Ontario Veterinary College...
where he spends the winter semester teaching.
Editors-in-Chief
Robert Enright (1982–1992)Robert Enright was the founding editor of Border Crossing, during his years at border crossing, the magazine received 41 nominations at the National and Western Magazine Awards, including five Gold Medals as "Magazine of the Year. He himself has won multiple awards on his editorial skill including entertainment and culture, film reviews. In 2005, he became a member of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
and he is currently an Art professor at University of Guelph
University of Guelph
The University of Guelph, also known as U of G, is a comprehensive public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College, the Macdonald Institute, and the Ontario Veterinary College...
.
Meeka Walsh (1993–present)
Meeka Walsh is a gold and silver medalist for her critical writing at the National and Western Magazine Awards in Canada. She has contributed essays to a number of catalogues and books published in Canada and the United States, most recently on Sarah Anne Johnson (On Transit, Visual Narratives in North America, 2005), April Gornik
April Gornik
April Gornik is an American artist, known for her American landscape paintings.Her work Storm and Fires is included into the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, as well as in many other national museums and private collections.In 2007, The Smithsonian Art Collectors Program...
(Danese, New York, 2005), and on the drawings of Leon Golub
Leon Golub
Leon Golub was an American painter. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, where he also studied, receiving his BA at the University of Chicago in 1942, his BFA and MFA at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1949 and 1950, respectively.He was married to and collaborated with the artist Nancy Spero...
(Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York and Anthony Reynolds, London, 2004). She is also the editor of the books The Body, its Lesson and Camouflage: The Photographs of Diana Thorneycroft, and Don Reichert: A Life in Work. She has written on the work of Robert Frank
Robert Frank
Robert Frank , born in Zürich, Switzerland, is an important figure in American photography and film. His most notable work, the 1958 photobook titled The Americans, was influential, and earned Frank comparisons to a modern-day de Tocqueville for his fresh and skeptical outsider's view of American...
, Mary Ellen Mark
Mary Ellen Mark
Mary Ellen Mark is an American photographer known for her photojournalism, portraiture, and advertising photography. She has had 16 collections of her work published and has been exhibited at galleries and museums worldwide. She has received numerous accolades, including three Robert F...
, Diana Michener, Barbara Norfleet, Howard Ursuliak and Diana Thorneycroft.
Ms. Walsh is interested in both documentary and in work that combines aesthetic quality with narrative invention.
Formatting
The Border Crossings magazine publishes quarterly in February, May, August and November. Each issue features a different cover portraying a work of art. An example of this is an issue from February 2008, Wangechi MutuWangechi Mutu
Wangechi Mutu is an artist and sculptor who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.-Early life:Originally from the Kenyan Kikuyu tribe, she was educated in Nairobi at Loreto Convent Msongari and later studied at the United World College of the Atlantic, Wales...
designed the cover named "Perhaps the Moon Will Save Us." The cover is a collage shaped like a moon made from mixed media, blankets, plastic pearls, aluminum foil, animal pelts, packaging tape, ink and other materials.
The first 110 issues of the magazine were in a 8½×11-inch format, saddle-stitched at first, but later perfect bound. The current format is now 9×11 ¾ inches.
The layout for the magazine has been renowned for its contemporary design and high production values. The photography portfolios have contributed to the magazine’s success as well as several awards for Best Non-Fiction Feature, Manitoba Magazine of the Year and several gold medals from the Western Magazine Awards.
Each issue has several articles ranging from films to theatre, from architecture to writing, and many interviews and reviews. The magazine is typically structured with seven different sections: Bordernotes, Borderviews, Bordercolumn, interviews, articles, art pages and crossovers.
Awards
National Magazine:The National Magazine Awards has given Border Crossings Magazine a total of 7 gold medals, 8 silver medals and 38 honourable mentions since 1985 to the present date. NMAF is known for their recognition of excellence in content and creation of various Canadian magazines. The NMAF has a total of 47 categories of awards: 23 written, 9 visual, 7 online, 4 integrated and 4 special awards. The 4 special awards categories are: Outstanding achievement, Best New Visual Creator, Best New Magazine Writer, and Magazine of the Year.
Most of the gold and silver awards for Border Crossings were in Poetry, Illustration, Photojournalism and columns. Many of the honourable mentions were dispersed in a wide variety of categories ranging from travel, to essays to fiction and homes and gardens.
Western Magazine:
The Western Magazine Awards Foundation (WMAF) has presented Border Crossings with more than 55 awards in various categories including, Magazine of the Year, Best Article, Best Review and Best Photographic Feature.
The WMAF honours and celebrates excellence in western Canadian magazine writing, photography, art direction and illustration. This non-profit organization has a strong ethic to raise the profile of western Canadian magazines among readers, creators, students and advertisers. WMAF works to enhance the professional development of Canadian magazines to ensure their long-term vibrancy.
Western Publishing Association:
The Western Publishing Association (WPA) hosts an annual Maggie awards ceremony and has awarded Border Crossings 2 Maggies.
The WPA takes pride in promoting the pursuit of excellence among publishing professionals. For over 58 years, WPA celebrated excellence to deserving individuals and companies in a wide variety of categories. The awards ceremony is known as the “most prestigious publishing event in the West.” With hundreds of publishing professionals gathered together, the trademark of the ceremony is a visually high-tech creative multimedia show which features entries from the current year.