ANNOUNCING THE ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE FOR THE 2014 INTERGENERATIONAL LGBT ARTIST RESIDENCY

(le français suivra)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday June 12, 2014

ANNOUNCING THE ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE FOR THE 2014 INTERGENERATIONAL LGBT ARTIST RESIDENCY

I’m proud to announce the continuation of the INTERGENERATIONAL LGBT ARTIST RESIDENCY, the first intergenerational artist-in-residency program for LGBTQ artists in Canada. The residency will take place with the support of the Ontario Arts Council, private donors, and the collaboration of Artscape Gibraltar Point, on the Toronto Island July 1 to 15, 2014.

The INTERGENERATIONAL LGBT ARTIST RESIDENCY offers studio space and free room and board to artists for the duration of the two-week residency. Residents will also receive mentoring and studio visits from critically acclaimed artists, and curators, as well as collectors and art historians. Our partner is Artscape Gibraltar Point, an artist residency and retreat center nestled on the Toronto Island near Hanlan’s Point. Leading figures in Canadian contemporary art, artists, collectors, curators and art historians, will serve as mentors, who by providing residents with one-on-one studio visits and support will participate in the community the residency generates. The aim of this residency is to help create a vision and experience of LGBT longevity through shared practice, art career management training, and community building. Right now, there is no real vision for LGBTQ longevity. There is little to no plan for LGBT elder care. There is a dearth of medical investment around the aging trans body. Simultaneous to this, neither Canadian LGBTQ political history nor Canadian LGBTQ art history is taught or shared in any kind of organized or widespread way. Only a privileged few who get a certain kind of humanities education, might seek out LGBTQ art history, and this is more likely to be about American artists and American historical events. Typically this results in a fixation on that which alleges to be 'new', because there is no sense of trajectory or lineage. An explicitly Canadian artist residency with an intergenerational LGBTQ cohort can strengthen the vision and community we offer one another.

The INTERGENERATIONAL LGBT ARTIST RESIDENCY is very pleased to announce the artists for the inaugural 2014 residency:

Micha CARDENAS (Toronto, Ontario/Los Angeles, California)

Derek DUNLOP (Winnipeg, Manitoba)

Syrus Marcus WARE (Toronto, Ontario)

Micha CARDENAS is a scholar, and artist using dance, text and interactive technology. She is working on a series of movement and poetry performances, videos and an interactive online experience.

Derek DUNLOP using Queer abstraction, drawing and painting processes, he will explore three new formal approaches to making works on paper arising out of his recent work in the studio.

Syrus Marcus WARE is Syrus Marcus Ware is a visual artist, community activist, youth-advocate and educator. He is working on
large-scale painting themed around archives, LGBT storytelling and LGBT activism in Toronto.

The jurors also chose two alternates. Thanks to a generous donor, the alternates can still participate in the 2014 INTERGENERATIONAL LGBT ARTIST RESIDENCY by sharing the studios and being a part of the residency community. This will enrich the 2014 residency experience for all of the participants.

Alternates:

Alec BUTLER (Toronto, Ontario) Alec is developing “My Friend Brindley” a documentary about the late local unsung hero and historic figure Brindley, their friendship, art and activism, and the forbidden subject of death and grieving.

Joshua VETTIVELU (Thornhill, Ontario) will use the landscapes of Gibraltar Point and surrounding islands to develop land artworks, temporary sculpture and video.

We wish to thank all those who applied! We received applications from across Canada, from Halifax to the Prairies to Quebec and even California, North Carolina and Brooklyn,. Jurors were faced with the difficult task of selecting only a few among the many excellent applications. Our 2014 cohort of Artists in Residence was juried by Elisha Lim (artist), Kelly McCray (curator) and Kathleen Pirrie Adams (curator and professor, School of Image Arts, Ryerson University). Each of these award winning artist educators brings a depth of history and experience to the process, broadening the credibility and gravitas of the project. We considered a variety of criteria in the selection process in order to put together a coherent and balanced cohort of residents.

Applicants for the INTERGENERATIONAL LGBT ARTIST RESIDENCY included a broad range of ages and career points and genders. The work submitted for review was passionate, rigorous and inspired, showcasing a diverse array of mediums, and exciting practices. We hope those who were not offered a residency this year are aware of the crucial role they played in developing this project, and feel encouraged to apply again next year.

The residency will bring both new creative perspectives and prestigious art professionals together at Artscape Gibraltar Point. Located in the former Toronto Island Public and Natural Science School, Artscape Gibraltar Point offers retreat space, artist studios and accommodations for artists . A short walk from Toronto’s clothing optional beaches at Hanlan’s Point, Gibraltar Point enjoys it’s own semi private beach. The beach is shielded from the road by a stand of natural brush and trees. There are designated wooden walkways through this natural area to ensure that foot traffic does not degrade it. To the descendants of the Ojibwa, now the Mississauga First Nation, the Toronto Islands are sacred land. The tranquil, idyllic setting at Artscape Gibraltar Point is world-renowned as a centre for members of the artistic and non-profit communities to think, experiment, collaborate and share ideas.

On July 14, there will be a concluding public event which will both celebrate the achievement of the Intergenerational LGBT Artist Residency and its participants, as well as honour the donors, and raise funds for the continuation and expansion of the residency in 2015.

Please visit our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ILGBTArtistResidency and our website http://www.queerartistresidency.ca for updates about the artists and the public events. Interested parties can also donate via Paypal, on our website.

By exploring Canadian LGBT art history and artistic practice, while supporting artists and art production, we could foster communication across generational lines with this community building initiative. The INTERGENERATIONAL LGBT ARTIST RESIDENCY highlights the trajectory and longevity of LGBT art both historically and reaching into the future. We look forward to seeing you on the island!