When Hilary Moon (Alderson) is told to “say cheese” for the camera, the phrase brings more than a smile to her face; it brings a wealth of memories.
Looking at pictures of cheddar and Gruyere cheese on display in the Support Services Building at The University of Western Ontario reminds Moon of the restaurant and cheese boutique she operated on Talbot Street in London, located where the John Labatt Centre now stands.
The prints are part of a short-term “pocket exhibition” of the McIntosh Gallery.
Say Cheese restaurant and boutique owner Hilary Moon (Alderson) reunites with friend and former patron Eric Atkinson during the reception for the “Say Cheese Again” McIntosh Gallery pocket exhibition in the Support Services Building.
The specialty shop became a collecting ground for local artists living and working in the area. On any given day, Moon could be found sharing specialty cheese dishes and trading philosophies with her artistic patrons.
“I was having an ongoing philosophical discussion with one of the artists about what is an artist. I happen to be an artist with cheese. His thought was artists have a special sensitivity,” she says.
The artist believed Moon’s business profitability got in the way of her art.
To test this idea, Moon asked a group of eight London artists to create a portfolio of cheese-inspired prints with the restaurant’s name, Say Cheese, included in the art piece. One of the artists, Rudolf Bikkers, agreed to print the artists’ creations and Moon covered the cost of the paper.
In 1973, the colourful prints were put on display in the eatery. The limited edition included 200 copies of the eight prints and the entire package was sold for $12.95 – the cost of the paper.
A copy of the prints was acquired by the McIntosh Gallery in 1995 for its original price.
“This portfolio is part of the academic mission to integrate scholarship with the collection,” says exhibit curator and master of art history student Carrie Kitzul.
This is the first time since the McIntosh Gallery acquired the exhibit that it has been put on display and six of the eight prints are featured.
“My eye was drawn to ‘Say Cheese,’ says Kitzul. “I thought it was an interesting piece of London’s history.”
The so-called ‘pocket exhibitions,’ initiated by the McIntosh Gallery, allow for its collection to be on display “out where the people are,” says Acting Director Judith Rodger.
Keeping with the gallery’s academic mission, the pocket exhibitions provide an opportunity for students interested in a career as a curator to gain practical experience, she adds.
Say Cheese, which opened in 1969 and hosted artists and cheese connoisseurs alike for 28 years, was a mainstay in the London area.
“All the people eventually went there for coffee and cheese on a Saturday morning,” say artist Eric Atkinson. “It was a meeting place.”
Atkinson lent his talents to the pool of artists commissioned to create a print for Say Cheese. Inspired by Gruyere cheese, he created a print based on the rounded pale, yellow cheese with holes which “reminded me of chromosomes.”
Other artists featured in the exhibit are Michael Durham, Duncan de Kergommeaux, Rudolf Bikkers, Benedict Linssen and Hendrikus Bervoets.
Although Say Cheese has closed its doors, Moon is happy its memory remains.
“I’m reminded of Say Cheese everyday in the city,” says Moon. “Cheese was my passion since I was very young.
“It was a place that the community enjoyed.”
Another pocket exhibition curated by PhD candidate Matthew Smith is on display in University College, outside the dean’s office.