About
Interested in a career in the arts and culture? Are you a student or a recent graduate, and are you looking to expand your community, connect with like-minded individuals, and explore your professional options? If this resonates with you, join the Hart House Art Committee's artWORK Workshop Series and Conference from September 2023 to March 2024. Designed specifically for students and recent graduates, this transformative series of events is your gateway to exploring diverse careers in arts and culture.
Immerse yourself in a dynamic program featuring interactive workshops, insightful discussions, and inspiring speakers. This series will introduce you to the many possibilities of a career in arts and culture. Come to one event or all six, and you will find a vibrant community of artists, curators, and industry experts.
Join us at the artWORK Workshop Series and Conference, and shape your future in the world of arts and culture!
Schedules
artWORK Workshop 1
Art Grant Writing with Nina Platiša
September 18, 2023, 6-7:30 pm
Bickersteth Room (3030), Hart House
This participatory workshop will provide you with a chance to learn about how to prepare an artist’s grant. Topics covered will include understanding eligibility criteria, preparing a proposal, creating a budget and organizing support material.
Musical artist Nina Platiša will share her experience and the resources that helped her create successful grant applications for the Canada Council for the Arts and Ontario Arts Council. This workshop is helpful to artists planning on submitting a grant application in the near future.
artWORK Workshop 2
Artist Talk with Morris Lum
October 19, 2023, 6-7:30 pm
Music Room (2006), Hart House
In this talk, artist Morris Lum will discuss his photographic practice. Building, Reshaping, Remodeling, 11 years of Chinatown. A photographic series.
artWORK Conference
Emily Chudnovsky, Justin Pape, Don Russell, Amanda White
November 23, 2023, 6:30-8 pm
Donald Burwash Room (2005), Hart House
Join us for an evening of thought-provoking discussions. We are thrilled to feature esteemed speakers Amanda White from the Centre for Sustainable Curating, Don Russell, Emily Chudnovsky from the U of T Trash Team, and Justin Pape. Explore connections between art, the environment, and the climate crisis as our panellists share their insights, practices, and experiences. Don't miss this opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations and discover how art could plant a seed and initiate change.
artWORK Workshop 3
Learn about Artist-Run Centres at 401 Richmond Building
January 25, 2024, 5:30-7 pm
4012 Richmond, Toronto
Come and learn about artist-run centres at 401 Richmond Building. For this artWORK session, we will meet at YYZ Artists’ Outlet (located within the 401 Richmond Building) for refreshments and conversation about artist-run culture in Canada, led by Ana Barajas – the director of YYZ. We will also have a tour of the January exhibitions at YYZ (featuring artists Heidi Holmes & Zinnia Naqvi) and will then explore some of the other galleries and spaces in 401 Richmond Building.
Artist-run centres are galleries and art spaces developed by and for artists since the 1960s. Most follow the not-for-profit arts organization model, do not charge admission fees, pay artists for their contributions (exhibitions, presentations, performances) are non-commercial and de-emphasize the selling of artwork.
artWORK Workshop 4
Art Crawl
March 8, 2024, 2-4:30 pm
Meet at Mercer Union (1286 Bloor St West, Toronto)
Mercer Union, on view Lover's Wind by Parastoo Anoushahpour, Faraz Anoushahpour, and Ryan Ferko and Jealousy: Now the House is Empty by Sukaina Kubba
Gallery TPW, on view What We Hold by Meera Margaret Singh, curated by Noa Bronstein
Daniel Faria Gallery, on view BLACK EXODUS: WINTER ARRIVAL by Oluseye
Join us for an art crawl through Toronto's vibrant contemporary art scene. Our journey will encompass three venues, Mercer Union, Gallery TPW, and Daniel Faria Gallery, guided by insightful perspectives in each space.
Our first stop, Mercer Union, is one of the biggest artist-run initiatives in Toronto. Here, we'll explore new commissions and engage in conversations sparked by the center's commitment to critical inquiry. Expect to encounter works that challenge and expand our understanding of contemporary art practices, championing Canadian and international talents at various stages of their careers.
Next, we venture into Gallery TPW, an institution revered for its new, generative, and exploratory art practices since its formation in 1977. Gallery TPW distinguishes itself through a profound engagement with how art accrues meaning and the role of institutional choices in this process.
Our final destination is the Daniel Faria Gallery. Since 2011, the gallery has been a cornerstone of Toronto's art community, known for its materially curious and conceptually rigorous exhibitions. Celebrating its rich history and vibrant future, this visit promises a glimpse into the gallery's dynamic program and contribution to the contemporary art landscape.
artWORK Workshop 5
Finding Fibers Workshop with Emily Chudnovsky and Norwin Anne
March 28, 2024, 6:30-9 pm
Donald Burwash Room (2005), Hart House
Join textile-based artists Emily Chudnovsky and Norwin Anne for a hands-on evening with a discussion on re-use and re-invention. Participants will be guided through the process of retrieving materials from old clothing to create wet-felted designs. These repurposed designs can then be used as your very own art piece, wall decorations or even patches for your clothes.
This workshop accompanies Emily Chudnovsky’s exhibition Unwoven Strands, which features textile-based pieces incorporating microfibers from industrial and household textile waste. Microfibers are one of the most common types of plastic found in our environment. These pieces will be on display on the main floor of Hart House through March 2024.
Speakers
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Norwin Anne
Multidisciplinary Artist/Designer, (Re)maker, and Eco-Culture Communicator
Norwin Anne is a Filipinx multidisciplinary artist/designer, (re)maker and eco-culture communicator. They studied Fashion Techniques & Design at George Brown College with a waste-conscious approach and slow fashion mentality. Primarily working with secondhand materials, they started focusing on textile waste as a research study during school which evolved into learning more about waste generally to understand its environmental impacts and beyond. They want to continue developing their ideas and merge their knowledge of fashion with other subjects by creating wearable art and installations to visually translate complex topics through culture jamming. They always prioritize using discarded materials and found objects in their work, they’re dedicated to this kind of art-making and enjoy the intuitive process of creating conceptual or functional things from what’s seen as useless — it initiates this challenge of exploring different alternatives and they try their best to avoid using new items as much as possible.
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Ana Barajas
Born in Mexico City, Mexico, Ana Barajas holds a BFA from OCAD University in Sculpture/Installation. She received a MVA, Curatorial and a MA, Modern Art History from the University of Toronto and a Professional Certificate, Collections Management from the University of Victoria. As the Director of YYZ Artists’ Outlet, Barajas has managed more than one-hundred exhibitions to date. Independent curatorial projects include It takes everyone to know no one in 2011 at the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery, Art Museum, University of Toronto; The 19th Hole at Cuchifritos Gallery+Project Space, NY in 2014; the group exhibition Disappearing Act at the Thames Art Gallery, Chatham-Kent in 2017; Susan Schelle: Selected Works at Gallery Stratford and McMaster Museum of Art, Hamilton in 2018.
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Emily Chudnovsky
Emily Chudnovsky holds a Master of Fine art from the Glasgow School of Art and an Undergraduate combined Honours degree from the University of Kings College in Contemporary Studies and Gender and Women’s Studies. Her site-specific research has taken place in Scotland, California, Yukon and Ontario. Her artistic practice consists of collecting organic remnants and synthetic decay in order to draw out new iterations, connections and regenerations through sculpture-based installations. Her carefully considered use of discarded materials in her immediate environment calls into question our human-made demarcations of nature and waste. Most recently, Chudnovsky installed a public floating installation in Lake Ontario in collaboration with Ports Toronto and The University of Toronto Trash Team. She is currently living and making work in Toronto, Canada.
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Morris Lum
Morris Lum, (b. 1983, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago) is a Toronto-based photographer and artist whose work explores the hybrid identities of the Chinese Canadian community and the transformation of Chinatowns across the North America through photography, documentary practices and archival materials. Lum’s work has been exhibited and screened across Canada, and the United States and has received numerous accolades including CONTACT Photography Festival Burtynsky Grant (2023) and the A&E Short Filmmakers Award (2010). Lum hold a Masters of Fina Arts in Documentary Media from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) and is an Assistant Professor in the Visual Studies department in the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design.
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Justin Pape
Justin Pape is a designer currently located in Toronto, CA. He is one half of the creative studio PACHlab, curator of Project 107 Gallery, runs a small label called Colony Collapse Editions and records music under the name Extempore. With over 20 years of design experience, he has worked with a vast array of clients and mediums across North America, and has created objects and merchandise collected around the world. Referred to by past employers as a “Swiss-army knife”, his flexibility enables him to take on diverse requests and deliver creative turnkey solutions leading to reduction of stress, budget and timelines.
His current work is focused on a process-oriented exploration of natural, unconventional and/or repurposed materials, delving into topics of the environment and consumption, while rethinking the role of design in the future. By leaning into storytelling, each project is based around certain materials and their narrative. Questioning the value we assign to objects, the materials we choose to use and our habits of disposal, he is able to implement design processes that lessen their impact on our environment, and focus on materials that hold a narrative, inviting contemplation of their journey.
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Nina Platiša
Artist
Meet Nina: A war child who moved to Canada over 20 years ago from the former Yugoslavia, Nina is an emerging musician, songwriter, producer and recording artist. She is well on her way to having a successful career in music, with her migration experience and her family story informing her art. In this residency, she will launch her new album: Za Klavir: For the Piano, an impressive collection of 26 original compositions that blend minimal, contemporary and classical roots with elements of Balkan folk music. Nina is also offering workshops where she will share the resources that helped her create winning grant applications to the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council.
Nina Platiša was born in Belgrade, former Yugoslavia. She is a lifelong pianist who began composing music at the age of seventeen. Nina’s dynamic music is emotional and introspective, spanning various forms from solo piano to electro-infused soul.
Her debut album Za Klavir: For the Piano is a collection of original compositions for solo piano. The pieces combine minimal, contemporary, and classical roots with elements of traditional Balkan folk music. Za Klavir was recorded at Port William Sound in Mountain Grove, Ontario and is due to be released in April 2023.
On the upcoming project LEVELSEVEN, Nina is the vocalist, songwriter, and producer of an album of intimate and inventive pop music. Her previously released singles I Wove A Garment For You and Your Lust are an extension of this project. Both Nina’s albums have garnered generous support from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council.
In 2021, Nina took part in the Guelph Emerging Artist Mentorship Program, in which she was the mentee of composer and musician Jeff Bird, and in 2022 she participated in Undecimals, an artist exchange project created and organized by artists. Nina has composed for several short films and her music will appear in the upcoming Canadian feature films Broken Waters and Campaign On: A Lifetime of Athletic Pursuit. A graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University and recent student of Berklee College of Music, Nina is also a proud educator, teaching piano, musical theory, and composition to students aged 6 – 76.
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Don Russell
Artist
Don Russell is a multidisciplinary artist of Acadian and Mi’kmaq heritage. Russell was born in Stephenville, Newfoundland in 1970 and currently resides in Cambridge, Ontario. Russell’s artistic practice encompasses painting, printmaking and land art where he utilizes key elements of stone and earth to create monumental installations.
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His work is represented in private, public and corporate collections across Canada, notably among them is the Governor Generals’ Residence Rideau Hall in Ottawa, the University of Toronto Law School, and the University of Guelph. -
Amanda White
Amanda White (she/her) is a white settler artist and scholar currently living and working in Tkaronto/Toronto. She is a postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Sustainable Curating in the Department of Visual Art at Western University, and is also a Co-initiator of the Creative Food Research Collaboratory. Amanda holds a PhD from Queen’s University and a MFA (Visual Art) from the University of Windsor and held a SSHRC postdoctoral fellowship at Western. Her current works-in-progress include several collaborative and solo studio-based projects, a co-edited book and a graphic novel, her work sits at the intersection of art, environmental and cultural studies with a focus on plants, food and environmental justice.
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Partners
Organizers
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Jeen Cha
Art Committee Education & Outreach Co-Chair 2023-24
Jeen Cha is a fourth-year undergraduate student double-majoring in Art History and Political Science. She’s looking forward to integrating art into student life and hopes to see you at the various workshops and conferences that will be held this year.
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Samadhi Alvarado Orozco
Art Committee Education & Outreach Co-Chair 2023-24
Samadhi Alvarado Orozco is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Art History with double minors in Visual Studies and Women and Gender Studies, passionate about art and its potential for fostering education and community.