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About i made it through the wilderness
The next iteration of “I made it through the wilderness…” will be taking place May 13-24 2024 at Island Mountain Arts in Wells BC. The first iteration of this residency, organized by artist Lisa Cristinzo, brought 17 artists from across Canada together at Artscape Gibraltar Point in Toronto to consider what it means to be a landscape painter in the midst of the climate crisis. Surrounded by the waters of Lake Ontario and under a hazy sky from wildfire smoke from Northern Quebec, participants spent 2 weeks making art, grieving for the planet, making connections to place and to each other.
This next iteration brings artists into the small historic mining community of Wells BC, territory of the Lhtako Dene, in an area with historic land use from both Dakelh and Secwépemc peoples, adjacent to the town of Barkerville– the capital of the gold rush in the Cariboo region in the 1890’s. In the same valley, nearly 100 years later, the Bowron clear cut was the largest contiguous logged area in the world in the 1990’s, with the clearcut being visible from space. Wells continues to exist because of mining and logging industries, as well as its function as a tourist destination for outdoor recreation. In a site so strongly tied to resource extraction on the landscape in a variety of ways, what does it mean for a group of landscape artists to make work about the climate crisis? As artists insert themselves into a rural landscape, we hope to explore the notion of the artist residency as its own form of extractive industry. How can we undermine this history? And as we learn about these sites of extraction from the landscape, and how can sites of mining, logging, and tourism be folded into methods of art making?
Our residency will involve numerous site visits and field work at sites of logging and mining in the region, both historic and current. Plein air painting excursions will take place throughout the Bowron Lakes Region and in the town site of Wells. Participants are invited to offer public programming during their stay at Island Mountain Arts. Our findings, and our creative responses to these site visits will be exhibited for the community in a pop-up exhibition at Island Mountain Arts at the end of our stay.
I made it through the wilderness
Somehow I made it through
Didn’t know how lost I was
Until I found you
– Madonna, Like a Virgin
Residency cost : $1095 (includes your accommodation + shared studio space in the Wells-Barkerville Elementary School)
Artists are responsible to get themselves to the Quesnel Airport, Prince George Airport, or directly to Island Mountain Arts in Wells BC. Shuttle service will be available for the Quesnel and Prince George airports, please coordinate with your residency hosts upon acceptance.
Artists will be hosted in the town of Wells (population 217). Please bring all art supplies necessary with you. Limited art supplies available in Quesnel, about 80km from Wells.
STUDIO/WORKSPACE & ACCOMMODATION
There are three 775 sq ft Visual Arts Studios with 12 ft ceilings that will be shared between resident artists for the duration of the residency. They are located on the 2nd floor of the Wells-Barkerville Cultural and Recreation Centre, more colloquially known as the school! Please note the school will be in session Monday to Friday during our stay on the floor below us. This is a stair-access only space.
The Visual Arts Studios feature large windows, wall space, tables for working, easels, printing/drying racks, a book press, small etching press and a community-sourced art book library. Less than 500m from the “Nest,” both boast lots of natural light and high ceilings.
All participants will be provided with private bedrooms at a variety of venues in Wells through Island Mountain Arts and local accommodations.
Artists should plan to bring all materials relevant to their practice and creation/presentation process.
Not all residency locations are wheelchair accessible. Please inquire for further details, elyssia@imarts.com.
Applications Due: EXTENDED - Feb 23rd, 2024
Applicants Notified of Decision: March 01st, 2024
IMITTW Application: https://airtable.com/appaARXYmKSarHfdf/shrUuXTgTXo0vwffG
IMA Scholarship Application: https://airtable.com/appaARXYmKSarHfdf/shrx77rWSD8b6IyDn