Group Art Show & Research Dissemination Event
Date: September 5th
Location: Espace Transmission
5435 Av. des Érables Montréal / Tiohtià:ke
Coming together through shared experiences in education and artistic practice, we explore our lives as both teachers and artists through the creation of new work responding to the prompt and metaphor of the River of Life(Gonsalves, et al., 2023). These works are visual representations of our trajectories as Queer Teaching Artists, taking the form of an “illustration” of a river. We work as guest artists in both urban and rural secondary schools across Ontario and/or Quebec. We align with Booth’s definition of a Teaching Artist as someone who “awakens the artistry in others—practicing artists who yearn to do more than simply make works of art” (2023, p. 31).
Our queer and intersectional identities meaningfully inform and shape the work we have created. The exhibition includes collage, textiles, comics, painting, found poetry, film, drawing, digital projection, and installation. Since these works were created as part of Melissa-Ann Pereira Ledo’s PhD research project, Ledo’s accompanying vignettes are displayed alongside each river. These were created through poetic inquiry by rearranging words and phrases, changing spacing and line breaks, and making additions and deletions to interview transcripts (Butler-Kisber, 2020). In addition, Ledo created visual field notes (Jellema et al., 2023), or visual narrative responses to each interview, and this series of drawings is also on display.
Through narrative inquiry, and specifically the visual storytelling made possible by the River of Life method, we were invited to reflect on and share our experiences as Queer Teaching Artists. As our narratives converged around common challenges, successes, and our “wish lists” for educational change, these insights were translated into actionable resources for fostering safe(r) and more affirming school environments. Our co-constructed anti-oppressive resources, designed to support secondary schools in strengthening anti-oppressive practices, will also be shared at this event.
An art sale, artistic performances, and snacks will also be offered.
A bar with beverages available for purchase will also be on site.
Schedule
Vernissage schedule:
| 4pm – 5pm : Show opening // ambient soundscape by Naman Cale |
| 5pm – 6pm : Performances by Luca Cusmano and Gabrielle Helene Coulter |
| 6pm – 7pm : Special sound/video installation/performance by Naman Cale EARTHVIEW An immersive audio and video installation with live musical performance, this work combines sampled audio, imagery from the International Space Station cameras, and vibraphone and synthesizer improvisation to explore the personal and emotional resonance evoked by extreme distant perspectives on our natural earthly environment – contrasted with consonant and dissonant harmonies and audio textures inspired by the same stimulus. |
Unable to make it to the vernissage? Dislike crowds? Please join us during the day instead! The space will also be open on September 5th from 11am-3pm
Accessibility of show:
Bathrooms are wheelchair accessible
All food snacks provided will be gluten free, with vegan options
The main entrance door has one micro step up
Weather permitting, we will have the far right garage door open, fully wheelchair accessible
We will have 20 chairs available in the space, priority seating
Service animals are permitted in space
Space has AC
Parking paid available: in front 12 places and 5 facing
Bus lines: 47 and 27
Earplugs and fidgets available
Please note that six of the artworks are hung on a mezzanine only accessible by stairs.
These specific works will also be projected on a screen at the bottom of the stairs for folks unable to access the works by the staircase.
We will also have volunteers on site available to answer any questions!