Western Voices in Canadian Art

"Western Voices in Canadian Art is a massive undertaking that offers a comprehensive overview of Western Canadian art and a fascinating read. It is doubtful that anyone else could have written it. Pat Bovey has spent her life working with western art and this book goes beyond the general range of well-documented and familiar artists. The author’s personal narrative and experiences as museum director, curator, art writer, etc. and her work directly with the artists add enormous richness to the text. The book describes both historical work and the work of contemporary artists (many of whom are, unlike those historical figures that the author describes, not well-known to a larger audience and often not included in the survey texts of Canadian art.) In a number of cases, the author relies, along with her substantive research, on personal conversations with the artists, and her great familiarity with the work in her discussion. It is a must-read that offers a new and often personal account of the history and diversity of Western Canadian art."

Joyce Zemans

"Written by Patricia Bovey, whose long and distinguished career as a gallery director and curator has uniquely positioned her to undertake this work, Western Voices is a much-needed counter-balance to previous Canadian art histories weighted towards the cultural centres of Toronto and Montreal."

Preview Magazine

"In this comprehensive new book, Patricia Bovey, an art historian, academic, gallery director and just-retired Manitoba senator, addresses this marginalization, not just by focusing on visual art in the West, but also by challenging the conventional structures and approaches that have historically divided art into the centre and the margins." Alison Gillmor

"[Bovey] celebrates western Canadian art. It has been dynamic, inventive, modern, diverse, and brilliant. It is local, regional and universal in its styles and idioms. Her book is an impressive tribute to her subject." Allen Mills, Prairie History