Artists in Studio / Artistes en studio
"Artists in Studio" is a long-term series of environmental portraits documenting artists working in their studios. As a backlash against mass production, there is currently increased demand for locally sourced artisanal goods that are produced with environmental impact in mind. The work of each freelance artist involves a wide range of activities, from the front facing work of production and exhibition, to the behind-the-scenes work of the creation of ideas and grant writing, and a range of administrative tasks such as social media and accounting.
The first chapter of this project explores the subculture of freelance artists, ranging from a female woodworker to a male leather artisan and a non-binary craftsperson. Working collaboratively with each artist, this chapter addresses aspects of their work that they wanted to highlight through images and interviews, including details of their work process, challenges they faced when starting as an artist, and their current vision of their work. The current chapter of "Artists in Studio" focuses on the experiences of women, trans, and non-binary artists and explores the realities of precarity, mental load, and invisible labour of artists through photos and audio interviews. This chapter investigates the diversity of work done by each artist, looking at how each task contributes to the mental load of the artist, and exploring the idea of invisible labour throughout. "Artists in Studio" examines how these artists allocate their time, energy, and emotional labour to maintain a balance between each of these activities.
Blog post with Montreal sculptor Margot Silvestro (Urban Panache).
Blog post with Montreal clothing designer Perrine Hurrel (Bunny and Claude).
Blog post with Montreal illustrator Kristy Boisvert (Foxpoint Paper Illustrations).
Blog post with Edmonton leather maker Artem Biziaev (Northlift Belts).
Blog post with Ottawa artisan Tessa Gibson (City Witch).
Blog post with Montreal woodworker Ashley West de Haas (Houtwerk Design).