By Giancarlo Cerquozzi
With the easing of pandemic restrictions in the province, the Ottawa School of Art Gallery is welcoming patrons back with Karen Bailey’s The Last Stable in Lowertown: Cundell Stables.
Featuring 31 works, Bailey’s exhibition is a testament to community, telling a story of perseverance and adaptability in an ever-changing world.
Bailey, who painted the official portrait of the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, 27th Governor General of Canada in 2012, is an Ottawa-based artist whose diverse artistic career has spanned four decades. From heraldic painter to war artist, Bailey is a visual storyteller with many of her paintings focusing on under-recognized or behind-the-scenes workers. Past series have highlighted the working life of servers and hairstylists and have even documented the kitchen rituals of churchgoers preparing food for community functions.
It is from this viewpoint Bailey seeks to recognize the contributions made to the city of Ottawa by the Cundell family, and their horses, over the generations. Of the collection, Bailey notes:
historically, humans’ relationship with animals has been economic, passionate and complex. In examining issues of equine service in urban setting we are confronted with nostalgia and the inevitability of change. Horses evoke a mix of strong emotional responses: curiosity, empathy, a yearning for the past and awe. In The Last Stable in Lowertown, the public are offered an opportunity to confront these emotions using art and essay as a medium for understanding […]
A family-run enterprise since 1890, the Cundell family initially dealt horses on Heney Street. In 1948, the stable moved to its current location at 113-115 York Street. Now under the management of third-generation horseman, John Cundell, and his partner Patty Newton, Cundell Stables is the last stable in Lowertown.
When Bailey moved to her new condo in the ByWard Market, she was delighted to discover her unique neighbours: a long-established horse stable nestled amongst modern condominiums, hotels, and city towers. The Stables — located quite literally at the bottom of Bailey’s condo building — captivated her, quickly becoming the focus of her works. Bailey was welcomed by the Cundell family into the stable where she began documenting the day-to-day routines of equine care.
The collection of works took Bailey almost two years to create. Prior to pandemic lockdowns, Bailey painted from life using her portable easel. Whether taking in the sensorial rituals of the Stables or experiencing Cundell wagon rides through the grounds of Rideau Hall, Bailey captured the dynamic essence of the Cundell family and their horses. When she was no longer able to visit the Stables in person, Bailey relied on hundreds of referential photographs to create her pieces.
The horses and ponies are only one focus of Bailey’s exhibition; patrons and the people working at Cundell Stables are the other. A personal favourite of Bailey’s, Edgar Rakes the Muck depicts Edgar Huneault loading and leveling manure. Every three weeks, Huneault removes the muck from Cundell Stables, hauling it to his own property where he grows kale and turnips for the local deer to feed upon. A horse harness hand-crafted by John Cundell also features prominently within the exhibition as a sculptural focal point.
In association with the exhibition, and in collaboration with local historian Marc Aubin, a bilingual catalogue documenting the history of the Cundell family has been developed. The 126-page catalogue, which includes Bailey’s exhibition paintings, is available for purchase at the Ottawa School of Art Gallery. Exhibition paintings are also available for purchase, directly through Karen Bailey.
The Last Stable in Lowertown: Cundell Stables is on display at the Ottawa School of Art Gallery – ByWard Market Campus, located at 35 George Street until February 27, 2022. For more information about the exhibition, and hours of operation, you can visit the Ottawa School of Art’s website www.artottawa.ca or Bailey’s website www.karenbailey.ca