Helen Christou Gallery
2,365 Cups of Coffee
January 10 – March 22, 2025

Curator: David Smith

Works from the ULethbridge Art Collection

A personal expression of gratitude to Jon Oxley.

For nearly every workday over the past eleven years, our gallery manager, Jon Oxley, has asked if I’d like a coffee. He knows that his preferred ratio of grounds to water is a bit too strong for me after 3 p.m. if I still want to sleep that night. Yet, without fail, Jon comes to find me around 2:50 p.m., ensuring I meet my self-imposed deadline for a mid-afternoon break. His coffee, brewed in a cork-handled pour-over maker with dark roasted beans, is occasionally accompanied by a Christmas orange, a farmer’s market carrot, or a chocolate chip cookie from London Road Market.

The UofL art collection contains several works that evoke the ritual of coffee or tea. Among the most literal is Victor Spinski’s ceramic sculpture of a toppled mug, spilling a glossy puddle of coffee. Mary Shannon Will’s functional ceramic mugs were designed for just such purposes. Other works, like Van Christou’s photograph or Garry Kennedy’s painting on the end wall, may require more imagination to connect to this theme, but they resonate with me in the context of this exhibition.

By January 2025, Jon and I will have shared eleven years of full-time work at the gallery. Assuming we’ve never taken vacations at the same time (and factoring in holidays), that means we’ve likely shared around 2,365 cups of coffee. The coffee breaks I’ll remember most fondly, however, are those shared in the gallery—when the works for my next show are installed, but the doors haven’t yet opened to the public. In those quiet, anticipatory moments, Jon has always made me feel valued, offering everything I need to do my job with ease.

This exhibition is a personal expression of gratitude to Jon, who has made each day better—with coffee, and so much more.

David Smith
Assistant Curator / Preparator