Accession 99-38 and 2000-11 - Jack Sures

• multiple media

These papers were kept by the donor until transferred to the University of Regina Archives and Special Collections. The donor agreement is dated 17 February 2000 and is applied to all accruals in this fonds.

The Jack Sures fonds contains 6.30 metres of material with dates spanning from 1949 to 1999,offering an in-depth resource regarding the career of a prominent Canadian artist, educator and innovator in the realm of ceramics. Sures’ career at the University of Regina lasted over thirty years, enriching the lives of countless colleagues and students.
In the last fifty years Sures has been an inventor and entrepreneur, starting the first ceramics studio in Winnipeg where he built a kiln and pottery wheels. He has traveled to England, Japan, Hungary, Grenada and all over the United States exploring educational institutions, contemporary exhibitions and historical displays of ceramics. Upon joining the University of Regina faculty in 1965 Sures’ instigated both the ceramics and printmaking program, contributing to the formation of the Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts programs. His unwavering support of his students has extended past the completion of their degrees, maintaining contact and offering recommendations for grants and employment. The material in these fonds detail these experiences through extensive correspondence, exhibition catalogues, kiln design diagrams, as well as Sures’ written narrations of these interactions. Jack Sures has participated in numerous major ceramics competitions, winning prestigious international awards and earning site-specific commissions. Among these accomplishments are large scale murals at the Sturdy Stone Provincial Office Building, The Canadian Museum of Civilization, and a terrazzo floor at the Wascana Rehabilitation Centre. His efforts have been formally recognized by many organizations, including but not limited to the bestowment of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit, The Order of Canada, multiple travel grants, and awards given by the University of Regina regarding excellence in teaching and excellence in research. Sures has also participated in many juried ceramic competitions as both a consultant and a participant. Within these fonds are comprehensive examples of proposals, nominations, contracts, press clippings, architectural diagrams, processes documentation in slides and photographs, as well as the artists’ written interpretations of his contributions and experiences. In his dedication to enriching the lives of others, Sures’ has been involved with several artist organizations including but not limited to the Canadian Council for the Environmental Arts, the Saskatchewan Craft Council, the Canadian Craftsman Association, and the Canadian Guild of Potters. Though not all of these organizations are existent today, the detailed correspondence, minutes and meeting agendas offer a unique glimpse into the climate and concerns of Canadian artists in the last fifty years.
Within this fonds are over 3600 slides, 700 photographic prints, and 1000 negatives, offering in- depth documentation of Jack Sures’ work and exhibitions. This material covers a variety of other topics including his travels in Japan, other artists’ work, award ceremonies, and his family and friends. There are also several video tapes and three 8 millimetre films which offer interviews, documentation of commissions, and footage of his family members. Over the years Sures kept notebooks and scrapbooks which contain his sketches, notes, early diagrams of his commissions and kiln design as well as clippings from magazines and newspapers. These items offer researchers a glimpse at the early stages of the artists’ ideas and projects as well as his influences and thought processes. There are a number of unique oversized items included in the Jack Sures fonds, including large architectural drawings from the sites of two major commissions: The Wascana Rehabilitation Centre and The Canadian Museum of Civilization. In addition to the architectural diagrams, there are four hand drawn diagrams of Jack Sures’ design for the concourse floor at the Wascana Rehabilitation Centre. There are also seventy-six oversize artworks created by jack Sures between 1958-1961. The works range from printmaking techniques to painting and drawing, all of them produced on paper or cardboard. There are twenty additional oversized artworks (on paper) included in this fonds which have been attributed to other artists. The Jack Sures records are in excellent physical condition with the exception of a small portion of the photographs and handwritten documents. The fonds have been arranged into four series: Catalogues, Invites and Publications; Personal and Professional Files; Audio-Visual Material; Oversize Materials. Within each of these broad series designations there are detailed sub-series which are arranged alphabetically. The individual contents of the files have been arranged by date when possible. A brief description of each series is provided, followed by a comprehensive box listing. In some cases additional appendices have been created to provide thorough descriptions of the file contents.