We talked with Avenue Edmonton’s Ana Maria de la Fuente about Parka Patio:
Executive director Todd Janes knows people may think having a party outside in minus -20°C weather is a little crazy, but he thinks it’s time to embrace the realities of the city’s climate and have some fun with it.
The party is “taking the idea of loving winter and mixing it with truly Latitude flair,” he says.
Read the preview on their blog, and join the conversation on twitter at #yegparka.
My time as Writer-in-Residence is just over half way through, and I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. I began this residency about a week after having given the oral defense of my master’s thesis, and only a couple of days after formally submitting the written component to the University. What drew me to the project initially was how I could potentially write about whatever interested me; how it enabled me to keep writing about visual arts and culture but with a different voice; and the opportunity to write about and engage with accessible community based arts initiatives.
One of the biggest challenges I’ve encountered is the writing. Not the actual putting words to paper, but choosing what to write about and then making decisions about how to write. After spending the past 10+ years writing academic papers where the topic is usually dictated by the course, the transition to writing about whatever I’d like is not so easy. I can write seventy-five words, five hundred words, a thousand words on just about any given topic, but the freedom of choice is something with which I find myself struggling. In addition, figuring out who I’m writing for is just as difficult. Of course I’m not writing for an academic audience, but I suspect most people who visit blogs via artist-run centres (and the like) know their way around the content of my posts.
Yet as per the position, I have the freedom to write about anything I want, in the style and length of my choosing. I can write brief, topical entries, or a through examination of something theoretical. I can use colloquialisms. No one from Latitude has ever asked me to write about a particular topic, or about an exhibition in one of their galleries, or to promote the programming they offer. Even this post, which extols the virtues of Latitude’s Writer-in-Residence program, was something that I chose and wrote without needing to consult anyone about. Though unfamiliar to me, I am learning to embrace this freedom. My own experiences, as well as those shared with me by others, speak to this uncommon feature of paid work and the unlikelihood of it happening again soon.
The recognition that this is my halfway point has me evaluating what I had set out to accomplish, what I have done, and what I would still like to do in my remaining residency. This process has led to some revelations, both expected and unexpected. I have some projects and collaborations in store for the near future, which will be revealed as they come to fruition. What I can say with certainty is that I’m grateful for the opportunities afforded to me by Latitude 53 and Todd Janes (the executive director), which couldn’t of have been better timed. The openness with which my ideas have been welcomed and encouraged is exciting.
Most importantly, the reading, reflecting and writing that I have been doing as part of this residency have led me to contemplate more broadly about what my next steps will be, both as a writer and beyond. I’m definitely in the period of reflection and transition that accompanies post graduate work. While I’m not looking for a destination, so far this residency has afforded me the luxury of time and play, which have helped me to discover more about what I want in life. And for that, I am sincere when I say Thank You, Todd Janes.
Tomorrow—Tuesday 25 October—our very own Todd Janes will join more than 90 artists and cultural workers who will descend upon Ottawa to meet with MPs and Senators and advocate for support for art in Canada. The Canadian Arts Coalition explains why the arts and continued funding are so important—find out more at canadianartscoalition.com.
Latitude 53 Video Podcast
Latitude 53’s executive director, Todd Janes, responds to recent cuts to Alberta arts funding. Support the arts in your community—Volunteer. Donate.
Our first patio evening gets underway in just a half-hour from now! Vue’s David Berry wrote a preview in this week’s paper:
“People have been contacting us since April or May, the first time we had nice weather, asking when the patio series started,” Todd Janes, executive director of Latitude 53, admits with a chuckle. “But we had to tell them that we wanted to make sure it wasn’t going to snow again.”
The anticipation among Edmonton’s art and sun-kissed socializing crowd is as indicative of the success of Latitude 53’s Rooftop Patio Series—finally entering its fourth year this Thursday and running until the start of Fringe in August—as it is of that inextinguishable Edmontonian urge to finally shake off sweaters and coats and soak up what little summer we have. Beginning soon after Latitude found its new, rooftop-patio-adorned digs, Janes admits it’s as much about giving people a chance to enjoy a rare Edmonton treat as it is about finding new and interesting ways to expose people to contemporary art.
Read the whole thing at the Vue Weekly website and then come join us on the patio!
Today’s cover story in SEE Magazine is all about the National Portrait Gallery.
Traditionally portraiture was used exclusively by nobility to immortalize their legacy.
“Now everyone does a portrait whether it’s your Facebook profile or LinkedIn even Myspace,” Todd Janes, curator of Latitude 53 says, noting that technology has made portraiture more democratic. “If we look at PDAs (and) Android phones, people are utilizing that portraiture in different kinds of ways. In historical context that would represent your essence, now it might just be for that minute rather than your life time.”
Andrew Paul spoke with Todd Janes here at the gallery as well as artist-curators Fish Griwkowsky and Kristy Trinier about the importance of portraiture, the political imperatives of the project and a few of the works themselves.
Kristy Trinier also gives a more thorough explanation of the historical and aesthetic issues she hinted at in yesterday’s video. Check it out!
Our Executive Director, Todd Janes, is nominated for a Rozsa Foundation award for Excellence in Arts Management. He talked to CJSR’s ArtBeats about the award and what he does at Latitude 53 every day.
If you’re curious about how we do things here at the gallery, have a listen over at the Rosza website.
Fish Griwkowsky went to the Banff Centre this past week for CARFAC’s National Conference for Visual Artists, where our very own Todd Janes was honoured with an award. He writes in SEE this week about the position of Artist-Run Centres like Latitude 53 in today’s national landscape.
