Debbie Muttart has a perfect vantage point.
From her desk at the top of the stairs, she has watched 460 different exhibitions come to life at the Confederation Centre Art Gallery over the past 24 years.
The gallery receptionist also has met hundreds of artists and led hundreds of tours.
“It’s been a huge learning and growing experience. I study the (works) that go up because I get asked questions about them,” said the resident of Cavendish.
Muttart said she knows the whereabouts of each and every piece of art in a given show.
“A work could be on the third floor, over to the side, and I have to know it. So, I write everything down.”
However, working with art is only part of her job.
Muttart also acts as a one-person tourist information centre, calling cabs and giving directions to visitors who are heading toward various Charlottetown attractions.
Once, she helped a lost cruise ship passenger who was distraught after being separated from her group.
“They were up the street enjoying ice cream at Cows. I just made a phone call and found out where they were.”
A few years ago, Muttart even greeted Canadian superstar Brian Adams and gave him a guided tour of the gallery when he was in Charlottetown.
“There was no one in the gallery that day. Things were peaceful and calm for Brian.”
Now, after welcoming thousands of visitors from all corners of the world, gallery staff members are recognizing her with an exhibition of her own.
“It feels wonderful,” said Muttart.
The Debbie Show: Views from the Desk, will be on view until April 12 in the Lower East Gallery space, next to her desk.
The exhibition is extensive. It ranges from animal portraits by Lindee Climo (Bathsheba) and Alex Colville (Prize Cow) and Canadian photographer Shari Hatt (47 Dogs) to George Thresher’s Yankee Gale of 1851, a storm that caused major destruction along P.E.I.’s North Shore.
Among her favourites are several Group of Seven paintings.
“They remind me of my father’s cottage down in Milltown Cross.”
Another one of her picks is Backyard by Marion Wagschal. The realistic painting shows a man sitting outside on a lawn chair while his wife seeks shelter from the sun, under a tree.
“When I was doing the research, I discovered the man in the image had a vacant stare like Alzheimer's patients sometimes have. My father had that stare. He had Alzheimer’s,” said Muttart, who chose the painting to bring the disease into the forefront.
In fact, she’s dedicated the entire show to her late father, Ronald B. MacLean Sr., who taught her to love nature.
Mounting the show was a collaborative process, said Jill MacRae, who co-curated the show with Andrew Cairns.
“We started by having Debbie talk about some of her favourite pieces, over the years…Then we had Debbie peruse collections publications and old exhibition photographs to jog her memory and expand her selection,” said MacRae.
Finally, the curators spent time in the vault pulling additional pieces based on what types of work Muttart was drawn to.
“We spent time looking at and discussing these works with Debbie and ended up with a final list that was a healthy mix of old and modern, sculpture and two-dimensional work, landscapes, portraits and abstracts.”
They even gave Muttart homework to do.
“I had to write essays about each of the artworks I picked and why I picked them.”
On Wednesday, looking at the colourful walls around her, she said she is pleased with the outcome.
“There’s a feeling of self-satisfaction. I feel like I accomplished something that was in the back of my mind for years. I feel like here I am.”
Debbie Muttart fast facts
- Favourite artists: Aganetha Dyck, Mitchell Wiebe, Carl Phillis, Brian Burke, Henry Purdy, Brenda Whiteway and Sarah Saunders
- Favourite bands: Eminem, Drake, Brian Adams
- Favourite food: Homemade chicken dinner with dressing.
- Five things to take to a desert island: Fire, cover, books, flares and materials to build a raft.
- Appreciation: Goes to gallery staff for their work in helping make The Debbie Show a reality, as well as to Fraser McCallum, Deborah Vail and her immediate family.
Need to know
- ArtTalks begin Thursday, Feb. 6, with curator Pan Wendt, who will introduce visitors to his latest exhibition, Artists by Artists, which probes the question of what it means to be an artist, by looking at portraits of artists. Wendt will also guide a tour of the exhibition, which includes work by Lionel Stevenson, Richard Furlong, Bruno Bobak and the late Carl Phillis.
- Jill MacRae, co-curator of The Debbie Show: Views from the Desk, will lead ArtTalk on Thursday, Feb. 13, introducing long-time gallery receptionist Debbie Muttart and touring visitors through the selection of her favourite works from the CCAG Permanent Collection.
- Evan Furness, CCAG visual arts educator, will host ArtTalk on Thursday Feb, 20. Furness will introduce Victor Cicansky: The Gardener’s Universe, a retrospective of nearly 100 bronze and ceramic works by the acclaimed Canadian artist.
- Each of the talks runs 12-12:30 p.m. at the gallery. There is no admission.
