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Rounding (IV): moving towards collection

Augustus Kenderdine, Joshua Bonnetta and other contributors

September 12, 2025 - March 31, 2026

Kenderdine Art Gallery

Curated by jake moore

Image credit: Augustus Kenderdine, A Colorful Bit of Prairie, 1920, oil on canvasboard. Collection of the University of Saskatchewan. Gift of Roland and Beatrice Frayling Estate, 2004.

About the Exhibition

Conceived of as a space of unlearning, teaching, activation, and processual exhibition, this fourth iteration of Rounding marks a return to the original mandate of the Kenderdine Art Gallery:to present original mandate to present the work of Augustus Kenderdine and the University of Saskatchewan Art Collection. Sharing space with an open-access media setup, furniture and library that are emblematic of Rounding’s ethos is a carefully curated selection of works by Kenderdine from the University’s collection. As both the University’s first art teacher and the namesake of the Kenderdine Art Gallery, the artist’s legacy looms large on campus and beyond. Further, the gift of the Beamish Trust, established by Kenderdine’s daughter, Florence 'May' Kenderdine Beamish, continues to fund capital expenditures and the acquisition of new work for the collection.

Beginning in May 2026, the Kenderdine Art Gallery will become the permanent site for collections display on campus. Rounding (IV): moving towards collection establishes this return in trajectory our respectful commitment to amplifying our legacy.

'Gus' Kenderdine’s romantic depictions of Saskatchewan landscapes of the early 1900s are paired with the contemporary work of Joshua Bonnetta, The Pines (2025): a multi-channel audio installation and publication which documents the sound of a forest over the course of an entire year.

Stereo recordings made from halfway up a pine tree in central New York State were collected via a continuous remote recording of 8,760 hours in duration. The recordings were manually analyzed using bioacoustic  applications and composed into four chapters, each is representative of a season, though only one hour long. 

The pairing of Bonnetta and Kenderdine presents contemporary and historical examples of artistic relations to the land, and sets the stage for public events taking place in the Rounding space, including A Topographical Summit (October 1 – 6, 2025), EARTH (December 12, 2025), and activations for the United Nations International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists beginning in January 2026.

For more information on upcoming events, please contact the Galleries at art.galleries@usask.ca

While conceived of by jake moore, Rounding is made possible through the efforts of the University of Saskatchewan Art Galleries and Collections Team:

jake moore (Director), Leah Taylor (Curator), Cole Thompson (Curator of Public Dialogue and Participation), Cayden Brooks (Institutional Memory Practitioner), Jacob Semko (Preparator), Todd Gronsdahl (Preparator) and Kelsey Pavier (Installation and Programming Assistance), Mileva Elias, Kiyanaw Bird

Programming and Events

List of events and activations taking place in the Rounding space:

October 1st - 6th, 2025

A Topographical Summit
A gathering of artists, designers, filmmakers, scientists and scholars hosted by the University of Saskatchewan Art Galleries and Collections and The School for the Arts.

October 21st, 2025

Public Art Mentorship Program: Public Art Panel
This new pilot initiative developed by the City of Saskatoon’s Public Art Advisory Committee (PAAC) is designed to raise awareness of the value and potential of permanent, temporary, and pop-up publicly-engaged art in Saskatoon by engaging local communities, supporting emerging artists, and advocating for increased municipal sponsorship of diverse public art practices. A panel discussion and info night will be taking place on October 21st from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at the Kenderdine Art Gallery, University of Saskatchewan.

Mentors: Cameron Forbes, Troy Gronsdahl, Xiao Han, Cheryl L’Hirondelle, and Laura St. Pierre

Organizers: Müveddet Al-Katib and Ella Dawn McGeough

November 6th, 2025

Community Connection through Architecture and Intentional Design
Please join us at the Kenderdine Art Gallery for a public talk with architect Thomas Payne and acoustician John O’Keefe. Together, they will share how revitalizing existing infrastructure through intentional design can activate the performing arts as a catalyst for social connection, economic growth, and civic pride.

Special thanks to Saskatoon Summer Players and Caswell Bus Barns's building developer, Crystal Bueckert, for supporting this event.

December 12th, 2025

EARTH
Earth (Okâwîmâw Askiy - ᐅᑳᐧᒫᐊᐧᐢᑭᕀ)” is a 12-hour event that follows on the heels of 2020’s You, 2021’s And, 2022’s I, 2023’s Are and 2024’s Water. It is the sixth in a series of twelve annual events taking place on December 12 from 12 noon to 12 midnight. Each year the event moves through each word of the 12-word phrase, You And I Are Water Earth Fire Air Of Life And Death,  to activate the word of the year in myriad ways.
 

February - March, 2026 (exact dates TBD)

MFA Research Presentations
A series of public research presentations by our 2nd year MFA Candidates, prior to their final thesis exhibitions in Fall 2025.

Please check back for official schedule of presentations.