10 Years for Fine Arts Magazine Galleries West

Fine arts magazine reaches milestone

Galleries West, the magazine that "strives to heighten awareness of the visual arts scene in Western Canada," hits its 10-year milestone with its latest issue. Publisher Tom Tait launched the indie mag a decade ago because he felt the need for a fine arts publication featuring the works, artists and galleries of Western Canada. He also had a passion and the know-how to make it happen. 

Publisher Tom Tait knows the magazine biz

The former publisher of Where Calgary magazine (which is now owned by big-gun St. Joseph's media), Tom is no stranger to magazine publishing. He's been in the biz for 30-some years, and he understands what it takes to succeed, particularly in the Alberta market. (For a detailed account of Tom's career, have a read of David Parker's column in the Herald.)

He's one of the few people who really gets how the magazine market works here, and he has not only successfully created a magazine, but a stellar custom distribution system for it. I still remember watching with amazement as Tom once flummoxed a couple of Canadian Heritage officials who could not counter his argument that a controlled circulation model is by no means inferior to a paid model. (Too bad his argument didn't take hold as controlled circ mags still do not qualify for funding through the Canadian Periodical Fund.)

The magazine is an art form in and of itself

Galleries West continues to be a fantastic advocate for the arts, and its design and presentation are an art form in and of itself. I always looked forward to seeing the newest issue arrive to the AMPA office because it was so well laid out. Kudos to art director Wendy Pease for her great work.

To this day, one of my favourite spreads is still the feature on Brian Jungen about his Prototypes for New Understanding series where the Vancouver-based artist used pieces from Nike Air Jordan sneakers to create semblances of West Coast Aboriginal masks, whales, falcons, and more. The artwork was genius, but so too was design of the story. If I remember correctly, it won a Showcase Award that year, and we had the entry hanging in our offices for years. I just loved it.

And I love that Galleries West continues to thrive. Congrats Tom; 10 years is a big deal, even if you won't toot your own horn. So I will. Rock on. You are a star.

---Colleen Seto
AMPA Blogger-in-Residence

IMPACT Mag Lets Readers Choose 20th Anniversary Cover

Choose From Top 20 IMPACT  Cover Athletes

IMPACT magazine is celebrating its 20th anniversary by asking readers to vote for their top cover athletes to grace its September 2011 issue. The magazine chose its top 20 cover athletes over the past 20 years based on their impact on sport, community and country. It was no easy task as there have been more than 140 elite athletes and sports personas who have been featured on the cover in the past two decades.

Calgary Flames Star Theo Fleury was the first to take IMPACT's cover position.

Readers Vote for Anniversary Issue Cover Athlete

Readers were asked to choose their favourites from that list. Since the end of July, readers could vote at www.impactmagazine.ca or on Facebook for the likes of Olympic medallists like Jarome Iginla, Simon Whitfield, Clara Hughes, and Mark Tewksbury. More than 3000 votes were cast, demonstrating a keen interest in IMPACT's reader community. This contest was a clever way to get readers to interact online and have a say in what happens with the print publication.

A Personal Vote for Catriona Le May Doan

It'll be interesting to see which female and which male athlete will take next month's cover. Given the many sporting heavyweights in Western Canada and in particular, Calgary, it's anybody's guess who will claim the cover. I personally voted for two-time Olympic Champion, Catriona Le May Doan. Not only is she the cream of the crop in terms of athletic achievements, she's also involved in endless community initiatives, plus she's hilarious. Okay, she happens to be a friend, but I would have voted for her regardless. Looking forward to the big reveal!

--- Colleen Seto

AMPA Blogger-in-Residence