- Don Mabie
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Don Mabie, also known as Chuck Stake, is an artist based in Nakusp, British Columbia who has been performing, drawing, assembling, trading and mailing art since the early 1970s.
Mabie adopted the name Chuck Stake in 1972 when he became involved with Correspondence/MailArt (CMA) and is the name he uses for most of his art activities including Artist Trading Cards (ATCs). Mabie has performed at documenta 8 in Kassel, Germany; Zürich, Switzerland; Los Angeles, USA; and on numerous occasions in Calgary, Alberta, at the Glenbow, the Illingworth Kerr Gallery, the Nickle Arts Museum, the Muttart Gallery (now the Art Gallery of Calgary), Truck, Ten Foot Henry's, The Night Gallery and The New Gallery — he is credited with presenting the first performance work in Calgary, Alberta back in 1968.
His contributions to the Calgary community have been varied: he was a co-founder of The Parachute Centre for Cultural Affairs, spent ten years operating The New Gallery (then, Clouds 'n' Water/OFF CENTRE CENTRE); he published Image and Information; he has taught at the Department of Art at the University of Calgary and currently at the Alberta College of Art and Design; he has initiated a vital artist's trading cards network; has had numerous exhibitions including a retrospective at Illingworth Kerr Gallery in Calgary, Alberta.
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Don Mabie (AKA Chuck Stake) was born in Calgary on January 9, 1947.
He graduated from the Alberta College of Art (Calgary) in Fine Art Painting in 1969; he did post graduate work at the Instituto Allende, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in 1970. He lived in Toronto from 1970 through 1974; during this time he spent six months touring extensively in Europe --- he return to Calgary in 1974 and lived there until 2006 when he moved to Nakusp, BC.
Mabie has been drawing, performing, assembling, trading and mailing art for almost four decades. He has had more than twenty solo exhibitions in Canada and Europe. He has participated in numerous group exhibitions and performance events across Canada, in the United States, Mexico, Europe and Japan.
In August, 2006 Mabie had a one-person exhibition entitled ART and LIFE at the The Kootenay Gallery of Art, History and Science in Castlegar, BC. In January, 2007 he participated in HIT OR MISS: An Exhibition of Contemporary Drawing, a group exhibition at the Triangle Gallery of Visual Arts in Calgary.
As a member of the international performance collaborative The Nomads he performed at the arts festival documenta 8 in Kassel, Germany in 1987. As well he has performed in Zürich, Switzerland; at the INTER DADA Festival in San Francisco, USA; and on numerous occasions in Calgary at the Glenbow Museum, Illingworth Kerr Gallery, Nickle Arts Museum, Muttart Gallery (now Art Gallery of Calgary), Truck, Ten Foot Henry's, The Night Gallery and The New Gallery. He is credited with presenting the first performance work in Calgary in 1968.
Mabie has been an active participant in the international mail-art network since 1971 and has organized some 25 mail-art exhibitions as well as participating in hundreds of mail-art exhibitions and publications. He founded Chuck Stake Enterprizes in Toronto in 1972 and became Chuck Stake at that time. He has focused his attention on Artist Trading Cards since 1997 and has helped initiate a vital Artist's Trading Card network in Calgary, Canada and internationally. In 2002 Mabie took The First International Biennial of Artist Trading Cards to South Australia (SA) and toured SA in February 2003 and presented a series of ATC Lectures/Workshops.
His contributions to the Calgary community are varied: he was a co-founder of The Parachute Centre for Cultural Affairs, spent ten years operating The New Gallery (then, Clouds 'n' Water/OFF CENTRE CENTRE); he published Images and Information (sort of an art magazine); he has taught at the Department of Art at the University of Calgary and taught for 14 years as a Sessional Instructor at the Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD); he initiated a vital Artist's Trading Card network in Calgary and Canada. His exhibitions include a retrospective at Calgary's Illingworth Kerr Gallery in 1996; the exhibition was accompanied by an extensive catalogue that included two essays on his work.
In 2000 he was nominated for the Canada Council for the Arts Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts.
In May, 2001 Mabie was a recipient of the Alberta College of Art & Design Board of Governors' Award of Excellence for his lifetime contribution to the arts in Alberta.
In June, 2002 he received one of the 75 Anniversary Alberta College of Art & Design Alumni Awards of Distinction by Alberta Lieutenant Governor the Honourable Lois Hole.
Mabie has presented lectures at various institutions, including: Ontario College of Art, University of Manitoba, University of Saskatchewan (Regina), University of Lethbridge, Edmonton Art Gallery, Glenbow Museum, University of Calgary, Alberta College of Art & Design, Medicine Hat Museum, Dallas Public Library (Dallas, Texas) and The Kootenay Gallery of Art, History and Science.
He is represented in numerous private and public collections in Canada, the United States and Europe.
Categories:- Artists from British Columbia
- Canadian performance artists
- Living people
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