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DISCUSSION FORUMS
* Discussion forum registration is sold out.
InFest features five thematic discussion forums with 15 speakers from
Canada and other regions of the world. The topics represent issues that
are of primary concern to Artist Run Centres, and that have implications
for their future progress and prosperity. Each discussion forum will be
led by a moderator and will be followed by smaller informal group discussions
to further develop the ideas presented by the speakers. A respondent will
summarize the issues at the beginning of each day.
Respondents:
Warren Arcan is a multidisciplinary artist. He’s worked as an artist-educator
with numerous community-based organizations that use film, video, theatre
and writing in training and community development, primarily in Aboriginal
communities.
Judy Radul is an artist and educator. A consideration of forms and conditions
of performance informs her practice, which includes video, installation,
photo-graphy, live actions and audio works. Several recent installations
have focused on observing actors and directors in rehearsal.
Mutations: What are Artist Run Centres?
Thursday, February 26
Artist Run Centres are emerging at a rapid pace and in all corners of
the globe. It is a phenomenon with shared goals that exist within a variety
of structures and mandates. This forum will explore the shifting definitions
of what might constitute an Artist Run Centre, the purpose they serve,
their contributions to culture, how they define and develop audiences,
and where the work of Artist Run Centres is positioned within the larger
art system
Moderator: Lorna Brown, Artspeak, Vancouver
Lorna Brown is Director/Curator of Artspeak Artist Run Centre, founded
in 1986. Brown is also a practicing artist who has exhibited across Canada
since 1983. She has been involved with Artist Run Centres since the early
1980s when she was a board member and participating artist of Society
of Noncommercial Culture, a Vancouver organization that presented large
scale projects in public places. Artspeak presents an exhibition and reading
program that encourages a dialogue crossing the boundaries between visual
art and writing. It has an ambitious publishing program of books, CDs
and videos.
Speakers: Bastien Gilbert, Regroupement des centres d’artistes autogérés
du Québec, Montréal
Bastien Gilbert is Executive Director and co-founder of RCAAQ, a service
organization that represents more than 50 ARCs in Québec. Established
in 1986, he has contributed to building this organization into a vital
information and lobbying network that provides support and promotion of
contemporary visual art and its practice in Québec and Canada.
Through his longtime involvement with RCAAQ, Gilbert is well versed in
the variety of ARCs that exist across Canada. RCAAQ’s website hosts
an extensive archive of Canadian ARCs.
Jin-suk Suh, Alternative Space LOOP, Seoul
Jin-suk Suh is Director for one of Seoul’s most active ARCs, Alternative
Space LOOP, which was founded in 1999. LOOP presents a program of exhibitions,
workshops, and performances. Jin-suk Suh is involved in the organization
of In-Between, a two day conference/exhibition in 2004, sponsored by LOOP,
that is inviting 30 ARCs from around the world to discuss the achievement
of ARCs and administrative practices. Jin-suk Suh is well connected with
the burgeoning ARC scene in Asia and is initiating networking systems
to strengthen the role of ARCs in Asia.
Sofie Sweger, United Net-Works, Stockholm
Sofie Sweger has broad knowledge of Artist Run Centres as director and
founder of United Net-Works an archive, network and platform for contemporary
artists, artist groups, artists organizations, independent curators and
other arts professionals. Based in Stockholm, United Net-Works seeks to
investigate new forms of collaboration and communication within contemporary
art. Swegers previous projects include: organizer of FESARS (First European
Seminar for Artist Run Spaces) 1999 in collaboration with artist Per Hüttner
and Konstakuten. 1999-2001 she was co-director of Konstakuten (The Art
Emergency Room) - an artist led exhibition and project space based in
Stockholm. She is presently working on the project United Net-Works on
the Road 2003-2005 a national and international tour of United Net-Works
activities and mobile archive that is also being presented at InFest.
Survival of the Fittest: Funding and Artist Run Centres
Thursday, February 26
Funding is a primary concern for the stability of Artist Run Centres,
and this forum will bring together speakers from three centres that take
different approaches to achieving their financial needs. What are some
successful models? What are the differences between funding from private
and public sources, and what is the impact on programs and the accessibility
of the art to its audiences? How can funding be stabilized, and how does
one adjust to shifts in funding sources?
Moderator: Glenn Alteen, Grunt Gallery, Vancouver
Glenn Alteen is Director and Founder of Grunt Gallery which opened in
1984. Grunt Gallery is one of the most community based ARCs in Vancouver
and has a strong reputation for its support of First Nations artists and
Performance Art. Grunt is also the organizing institution of Live Vancouver,
a biennial of performance art. Alteen moved the Grunt from a small institution
to one that was able to purchase its own space, and has attracted a diverse
funding base for its various projects.
Speakers: Barbara Hunt, Artists Space, New York
Barbara Hunt is Executive Director of Artists Space. Founded in 1972,
it is one of the first alternative spaces in New York and continues its
original mandate of providing a space for new art by emerging artists.
Many of the USA’s most highly respected artists had their early exhibitions
at Artists Space. Its board of directors con-sists primarily of artists,
many who are prominent on the international scene. Artists Space has weathered
various changes in funding sources and has now developed a highly diverse
and stable financial plan. It not only has a balance between private and
public funding, but has also ventured into entrepreneurial enterprises.
Deirdre Kelly, Cubitt, London
Deirdre Kelly is the Administrator for Cubbitt, founded in 1995, an artist-run
gallery and studios controlled by its members, a community of artists
dedicated to enlivening London's cultural scene. Cubitt promotes national
and international developments in visual culture through exhibitions,
lectures, symposia, performances screenings, educational and publishing
projects. Cubitt has recently undergone structural development. After
years of self-funding and occasional project funding, Cubitt's gallery
program has, since April 2001, received fixed-term funding from the London
Arts Council. Cubbitt represents an ARC that has moved from one-off funding
sources to the stability of state funding.
Gonzalo Lebrija, Oficina para Proyectos de Arte, Guadalajara
Gonzalo Lebrija is one of three artists who administer OPA, which is governed
by a board of directors. OPA is situated on the 23rd floor of Guadalarjara’s
tallest office tower. In two exhibitions spaces, they present a program
of exhibitions, screenings, and host a virtual museum library. With a
panoramic view of the city, the exhibition program facilitates propositions
between art and the city. OPA is distinct in that they are exclusively
funded by pri-vate sources from foundations, corporations and individ-uals.
They have no intentions of applying for state funds.
Breeding Ground: Writing and Criticism in Artist Run Culture
Friday, February 27
Writing and criticism generates discourse and keeps the artistic community
vital and dynamic. This forum will probe into how artist run culture is
sustained through writing and criticism, how it can establish a place
for Artist Run Centres in history, some of the models available to achieve
it, and whether a distinct form of criticism is emerging in artist run
culture.
Moderator: Ashok Mathur, Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design, Vancouver
Ashok Mathur is Head of Critical and Cultural Studies at ECIAD. He is
also a writer, theorist and editor. His novel Once Upon an Elephant is
being adapted for film. He has written extensively within the artist run
scene especially in relation to identity politics. Mathur’s essays
on critical theory have been widely published and he has participated
on numerous panel discussions.
Speakers: Justin Waddell, YYZ Artists’ Outlet, Toronto
Justin Waddell is an artist and Director of Programming at YYZ Artists'
Outlet, a non-profit ARC founded in 1979. Aside from its ambitious exhibition
program, YYZ considers its publications as a crucial forum for artists,
critics, writers and curators to express and discuss their views. YYZ
endeavors to distribute their books beyond the ARC community and making
them available to a wider public. Prior to YYZ, Justin has worked with
various publications including ‘Prefix Photo’ and ‘Lola
Magazine’ and is currently a board member of the Gendai Gallery at
the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre.
Brett Jones, West Space, Melbourne
Brett Jones is an artist who co-founded West Space with Sarah Stubbs in
1993 where he continues in his position as Chair. Brett has exhibited
in non-commerical galleries in Australia and Hong Kong since completing
studies at art school in 1990. His practice extends to project co-ordination
and management, writing, and presenting papers. His work and committment
to publishing has resulted in writing for, and management and production
of various publications including the magazine 'Dialogue' (1996-2000),
'Artists Talk: Issues Facing Australian Artists' (2000), 'Space Traffic'
(2002), 'Artists/Artist-run Spaces' (1998-2003).
Leung Chi Wo, Para/Site, Hong Kong
Leung Chi Wo is an artist and founding member of Para/Site, founded in
1996, and Hong Kong’s most internationally recognized ARC. Para/Site
was invited to participate as an Artist Run Centre in the 2002 Gwangju
Biennale and the 2003 Venice Bienniale. Para/Site is not only a showcase
for exhibitions, but also a generator for promoting contemporary art.
Leung Chi Wo is central to the encouragement of critical writing in Hong
Kong both through his founding P/S magazine published by Para/Site, his
own writing, and through Para/Site’s setting up critical writing
workshops. He was also involved in organizing Space Traffic, a conference
of ARCs that took place in 2001 and editing the post-conference publication.
Migratory Patterns: Internationalism and International Exchange
Friday, February 27
The impact of globalization is troublesome territory when it comes to
culture. What is the relationship of international exchange to globalization,
and what are the hazards and benefits that accompany the export of national
identities? What is the impact of international residencies on artists
and the cultural life of cities? Do Artist Run Centres advance an approach
to internationalism that is different from the large scale Biennales?
Moderator: Hank Bull, Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary
Asian Art, Vancouver
Hank Bull is an artist who has been involved with the Western Front, one
of Vancouver’s pioneering Artist Run Centres, since 1973. He has
been committed to international and cultural development through performance
art, video, radio, and telecommunications. He has travelled widely, collaborated
with artists from around the world, and organized cultural exchange projects.
In 1999 he co-founded the Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary
Asian Art (Centre A) and now serves as its Director.
Speakers: Fiona Boundy, Gasworks, London
Fiona Boundy is Gallery Director for Gasworks, an institution that began
in 1994 as an ARC with an international mandate. With one of the most
diverse international programs in the UK, it has hosted more than 100
artists from 50 countries. Gasworks presents up to 7 exhibitions a year
and profiles mid-career international artists and UK artists who have
received little exposure in England.
Claudia Fontes, Trama, Buenos Aires
Claudia Fontes is General Coordinator of Trama, established in 2000 by
an open team of artists. Trama is an international programme for the exchange
of artistic thought and organizes debates, workshops, lectures and artists’
public presentations. The activities are meant to strengthen links amongst
the local artists’ community and the international community, and
promote the formation of different international exchange channels, which
flow in south-south, south-north and north-south axes. Trama is part of
RAIN, an international network of 8 artist’s initiatives funded by
the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam.
Jean Mailloux, La Chambre Blanche, Québec City
Jean Mailloux is Programming Coordinator of La Chambre Blanche. In 1982,
La Chambre Blanche developed one of the first national and international
artist-in-residency programmes in Canada. By 1997, this programme, which
provides a living and working space for six weeks, became the source of
all its exhibitions. The public is invited to follow the entire production
process through to exhibition and to interact with artists from around
the world. In 2000, La Chambre Blanche added a Web Production Laboratory
residency which invites artists to conceive projects for the internet.
Metamorphosis: The Artist as Curator
Saturday, February 28
Increasingly, exhibitions and even programs in Artist Run Centres are
curated by artists. This forum will examine whether the artist as curator
is a new model that has an impact on curatorial practices, whether the
artist/curator model differs in terms of serving the artist, how the process
might be a departure from that of larger institutions, and how the artist
as curator is now entering the larger art system.
Moderator: Laiwan, Artist/Educator, Vancouver
Laiwan is an interdisciplinary artist and writer who has exhibited in
Canada, the USA and Europe. She has also initiated various curatorial
projects. In 1983, she founded the Or Gallery in Vancouver which has a
program of changing curators every three years, curators who are always
artists, and who are free to express their own sensibilities, and thus
keeping its program dynamic.
Speakers: Jonathan Middleton, Western Front, Vancouver
Jonathan Middleton is an interdisciplinary artist and curator. His film
work has been screened at several film festivals, including the Chicago
International Film Festival and the Vancouver International Film Festival.
He has served as a board member on arts organizations such as Artspeak
Gallery, Kokoro Dance Theatre Society, and Projectile Publishing Society.
Since 1996, Middleton has also recently curated work for exhibitions in
Montréal, Hong Kong, Seattle, and Berlin.
Matthew Higgs, California College of Arts, Wattis Institute for Contemporary
Arts, San Francisco
Matthew Higgs is an artist and Curator at the Wattis Institute for Contemporary
Arts. Previously he was the Associate Director of Exhibitions at the Institute
of Contemporary Arts in London, England. During the 1990s, he was a central
figure in the London Artist Run Centre scene both as artist and curator.
Over the past 10 years he has organized more than 100 projects with artists,
including exhibitions in Canada, USA, UK, Austria, Spain, and Hungary.
Stephen Hobbs, the trinity session, Johannesburg
Stephen Hobbs is an artist, curator and writer. From 1994 to 2000, he
was Director of the Market Theatre Galleries in Johannesburg and he has
exhibited his artwork in South Africa, Europe and North America. The trinity
session was founded in 2001 by three artists who collectively produce
public art projects, exhibitions, research and writing. In 2004, the trinity
session will be opening in a new gallery space as part of an urban renewal
project in downtown Johannesburg where the program will focus on a dialogue
between art and its environs. Hobbs, as a curator, approaches his practice
from the perspective of an artist.
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