78 - North Shore News — Friday, March 3, 2000 rik thr ani artist's eyes ur group to ke led by art instructor Kiff Holland EVERY spring, artist Kiff Holland finds himself in a New York state of mind. “You know what [ love? I love Central Park because it’s a walking person’s park. | love the bus ride on Madison Avenue, going up to Harlem. And I love Greenwich Village because it’s got all the con- temporary galleries and the pubs and clubs too.” Twice a year since "91, the acclaimed water- colourist whose canvases hang at Harrison Galleries has played tour guide to the world’s art centre, escorting art lovers to New York and sharing with them his enthusiasm for the city. YOne tour, this year held in January, is strict- ly for students of graphic design and illustra- aon at Capilano College, where he teaches. But the other, May 25 to June 1, is open to all ear’s tour is being o: id by Ruth Payne, Veual arts reondinnion er West Vancouver's Ferry Building Gallery. Holland is both a working artist and an art educator. And it’s that combination that lends his tour-guiding abilities a special appeal, says Payne. “I really do consider him the best,” says Payne, who has known the artist for several years and considers him “a terrific art educator, a fine art critic and an art historian.” “You get all of this on tour and you’re hav- ing it delivered to you in a light-hearted jovial way.” In fact, Holland's inimitable style of story- telling and energetic personality are chief sell- ing points of the tour. “He just weaves a yarn,” says Payne. “Wherever that guy is going, I want to go.” The tour is well suited to travellers who enjoy “the creature comforts,” says Holland. In past years, the group has lodged at the YMCA on 47th Avenue. The accommodations were secure, safe and central but there were complaints about cramped quarters and objec- tions to shared bathrcom facilities so this year’s tour has moved to more posh surround- ings, the Roosevelt Hotel, at 45th and Madison Avenue, one of the city’s gran: dames which has recently undergone a 560 million ocak ; for th enough people sign up for the tour, Holland is hoping to book 3 suite at the hotel so he can carry on the “¥™ tradition where “every night we would have a hallway party, a happy hour when everybody would compar: notes. People going to » the shows would meet up before going out. It’s just a nice time to Swap stoiics.” The tour offers art lover a full slate of museum and gallery visits. The first full day in New York, a Friday, the group visits the Frick Collecticn, ‘housed in the mansion between Madison and Fifth avenues of the late industrialist Henry Clay Frick. The collection is a “helluva good introduction to art,” says Holland, because Frick had eclectic, and expen- sive, tastes. The collection includes three paintings by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer, two of which are now thought to be fakes. y’re on the suspect list,” says Holland, who mentions the Vermeers not to point fingers but to enlighten his group’s critical viewing skills. “The whole point is that 1 want peuple to start seeing through artists’ eves,” he says. Also on the Friday, the group pays a visit to che nearby Scciety of Hlustrators for lunch in the dinizg_ hall, with the work of Norman Rockwell and other famous illustrators as a backdrop. The next day, Saturday, the group goes on an adventure to Spanish Harlem, to view the work of Sarolla, a turn-of-the century artist from Madrid who produced “killer, killer work,” says Holland with characteristic enthu- . siasm. Then the artist takes his charges on the subway to Greenwich Village, where the after- noon is spent exploring the city’s contempo- rary galleries. Greenwich is the artist’s favourite part of town. “It’s got a whole load of stuff I like. It’s got contemporary galleries and pubs and clubs.” Sunday is a free day — for shopping or vis- iting one or more of the many tourist attrac- tions. Monday will see the tour group visit the Museum of Modern Art and lunch at the Carnegie Deli. Tuesday is the Brooklyn Murcum. Wednesday, it’s the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where the group will visit one of the private viewing rooms to browse the museum's extensive collection of watercolours by Singer Sargent and Sarolla. But art isn’t ali that this trip is about. Holland also likes to shares his tips on explor- ing the city’s culinary fare, an experience that can eat up the dollar pretty fast. “I know a wonderful Italian place between Eighth and Ninth avenues in the theatre dis- trict that is hellishly expensive but f also know where to eat for six bucks, at a noodle joint that’s also very good,” he says. 900 Join Kiff Holland and Ruth Payne at a wine and cheese evening to learn more details about the New York art tour, 7 p.m. at the Ferry Building Gallery, on Thursday, March 16. If you go: Included in the tour cost of $2,395 is return airfare on Cathay Pacific, hotel accommodation (price is based on dou- ble occupancy), admission fees to all art gal- leries and museums, transportation to and from the airport in New York and cancellation insurance. Not included in the cost are meals and subway (approximately $25 a day) and entertainment, such as Broadway shows. For more information, contact Ruth Payne at the Ferry Building Gallery, 925-7266. To book, call 925-7270. Quote ID# 14668 when booking. ee uF photo Kift Mottand ARTIST Kiff Holland makes sure that participants i in his art tour of New York have jheir tit of fine art but have fun too. This year’s tour is May 25 to June 1. _ 4 eee | NEWS Cindy ‘Geodinan KIFF Holland draws on his experience as a working artist and art educator to lead yearly tours of New York City’s galleries and museums.