a message from the mentors
Last year’s Hear/d residency saw the final weekly meetings and exhibition hosted online, due to Covid-19. This had the unexpected benefit of preparing Jillian and me to mentor this year’s fully digital residency. However, there were many aspects of the situation that were completely new, which presented unique challenges for the artists. This time we would begin the residency online, and we would work together exclusively online. Technical difficulties on video calls, the physical isolation that comes with online schooling, and the limited access to facilities were all formidable hurdles for the students this year. The artists both overcame and creatively worked with these obstacles to create their pieces for this exhibition.
Creating a community in an online space, where we all inhabit little video boxes or circular profile pictures, prone to sudden stuttering or freezing, is a big undertaking. Isolation has made me realize the role physical proximity has often played in making us feel emotionally close to others. Yet, despite this, I felt part of a deeply supportive community during this residency, a community established entirely through voice, video, text, and photos. I saw the artists work hard at being open, making time for each other, discussing struggles, and showing their progress. There were definitely some benefits to the digital space: pictures of works in progress, seeing the different spaces we were working in, and sending links and files in real-time.
I love that this residency offers the opportunity for students to create personal art that isn’t beholden to grades and more traditional critique, where pieces are created in a different context that allows it to touch the vulnerabilities, the struggles, and the healing that accompany mental wellness. I’m so grateful and impressed to see how hard everyone worked to bring this project to fruition. I’m thankful for Rocio’s fantastic guidance and Jillian’s dependable co-mentoring. I’d also like to thank the Student Association and the many other faculty members’ support, including Andrea Engele. Our guest speakers Dick Averns, Christine Klassen, and Marcello Di Cintio provided invaluable knowledge and insight to our artists. Finally, I’d like to thank the students for their introspection, perseverance and creative solutions. My biggest hope is that everyone will continue to nurture connections and discoveries they’ve made, for their own wellbeing and to support their artistic practices.
Nina Patafi
Participating in the HEAR/D Residency in 2020 was one of the most influential healing experiences in my mental health journey. I’m incredibly grateful to the AUArts Student Association for providing this one-of-a-kind opportunity. I hope that, as a mentor, I was able to give this dedicated group of artists the same kind of positive experience that I had.
What drew me back to the residency was its ability to foster a compassionate environment where you can creatively explore hard, personal topics without fear of critique or judgement. Rocio, Nina, and I worked hard to create a safe space where the residents could connect with one another and find strength in those connections, despite the limitations we faced this year.
The schedule for this year was tight and packed with material, but this group took it all in stride. In addition to weekly video meetings, the residents attended an artist talk and a critique with Dick Averns, a writing workshop, and a Q&A with the Christine Klassen gallery. Each artist took these opportunities to push their professional development further, and those benefits will go far beyond this residency.
The topic of resiliency has really come alive in these 10 artists and their work. Each one faced unique challenges over the course of the residency, and it has been so inspiring to see how everyone has lifted each other up to overcome the obstacles in their way. I feel honoured to have been a part of that, even just as a cheerleader in the background.
Jillian Cote