Eleanor Bond facts for kids

Eleanor Bond, born on March 25, 1948, is a Canadian artist. She creates art using many different types of media. She is also an art teacher. Bond is famous for her unique way of looking at Canadian landscapes. She often shows how human actions affect nature.

Early Life and Education

Eleanor Bond was born in Winnipeg, Canada. Her father, Herbert Bond, was a pharmacist. Her mother, Mildred MacFarlane, was a teacher.

Eleanor studied at the University of Manitoba. She earned a degree from the School of Art in 1976. Before that, she studied English, different religions, and even interior design.

Exploring Art and Ideas

Eleanor Bond is known for her thought-provoking artwork. She often explores how technology and city planning affect people.

Early Works and Nature

In the early 1980s, Bond created paintings that looked like aerial views. These artworks showed natural places. They also highlighted how human activities were changing these environments.

Imaginary Cities and Landscapes

Later, Bond created art series like Work Station (1989) and Social Centres (1992). In these works, she made up cities and landscapes. She used these imaginary places to show how technology and city design impact us. Her large paintings often suggested that cities can feel like dream-like places. She also gave her early artworks long, playful titles.

Personal Stories in Art

More recently, Bond's art has become more personal. Her Mountain of Shame series (2010) includes paintings and sculptures. In this series, she explores feelings like doubt, aging, and loss. She maps these emotions onto the surfaces of her artworks.

Exhibitions and Teaching

Eleanor Bond's art has been shown all over the world. Many galleries in Canada and other countries have featured her work.

Major Exhibitions

Some of her solo shows include:

• The Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art in Rotterdam (1988 and 1995)
• The Clocktower in New York (1990)
• The Winnipeg Art Gallery (1992)
• The Museo de Arte Moderna de São Paulo in Brazil (1995)
• The Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (1998)
• The Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art in Toronto (2001)

She has also been part of many group exhibitions. These include shows at The National Gallery of Canada (1989) and the Vancouver Art Gallery (1991). Her art has also been shown at the Museum of Contemporary Art in São Paulo (1987) and the Barbican Centre in London (1991).

Teaching and Community Work

Besides creating art, Eleanor Bond is also a professor. She teaches painting and drawing to graduate students at Concordia University. She also has her own art studio in North End, Winnipeg.

Bond has given many lectures and has worked as an artist in other countries. She has also been very involved with Plug In ICA in Winnipeg since it started. Her solo show, Mountain of Shame, was the first exhibition at the new Plug In ICA gallery in 2010. This show later traveled to the Illingworth Kerr Gallery in Calgary in 2011.

Honours and Awards

• York Wilson Prize