THE ESTATE OF GENERAL IDEA Life & Work | Page 137

General Idea Life & Work by Sarah E.K. Smith The Body Politic: Special Police Raid Issue, February 1979. Courtesy of Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives, Toronto. The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest, c. 1580, by El Greco. Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid (P00809). The Wreck of the Hope (The Arctic Sea), 1823–24, by Caspar David Friedrich. Hamburger Kunsthalle. Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man by Marshall McLuhan, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1965. Cover design by Rudolph de Harak. Video by Artists, edited by Peggy Gale, Toronto: Art Metropole, 1976. Video still from Wavelength, 1966–67, by Michael Snow. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, purchased 1970. © Michael Snow. Acknowledgements From the author This project gave me the opportunity to connect with AA Bronson and Fern Bayer, who kindly provided pivotal insights into the development of General Idea, filling gaps in my archival research and contributing to my understanding of the group and its history. I am extremely grateful to both AA and Fern for their willingness to share. I would also like to express my sincere thanks to Philip Dombowsky, who facilitated my research into the General Idea fonds, the Art Metropole fonds and the Fern Bayer fonds at the National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives. I thank him for his time and patience during my extended research visit in 2014. While at the Library and Archives, I also benefited from the help of Cyndie Campbell, who gave me keen insights into the General Idea materials. As well, Peter Trepanier provided assistance, facilitating my access to original issues of FILE Megazine. Coinciding with my visit, Trepanier’s exhibition Then Again: A Celebration of Art Metropole’s 40th Anniversary was on display. This served as a perfect backdrop to the research I was conducting. It has been a pleasure to work with the fantastic team at the Art Canada Institute during the production of the online book— including Sara Angel, Anna Hudson, Kendra Ward, Cliodna Cussen, Dominique Denis, Eve Renaud, Meg Taylor, John Geoghegan, 137