D’Arcy Wilson explores colonial understanding of the natural world with Fredericton performance and workshop March 2 and 3.
Fredericton’s artist-run centre, Connexion ARC, will present work by Newfoundland-based artist D’Arcy Wilson this weekend. Wilson presents her work, The Memorialist: Keynote Address, in the style of a public lecture, at Odell Park Lodge in Fredericton, 6 p.m. on Friday, March 2. This event is all ages and open to everyone.
On Saturday March 3, Wilson will lead a full-day workshop, titled Depository Park, from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at Odell Park Lodge.
“Connexion is super excited to present D’Arcy Wilson’s work in Fredericton,” said Connexion ARC’s Kelly Pleau. “As an artist-run centre operating without a fixed location, we are drawn to projects that activate alternative venues for presenting and participating in contemporary arts practices.
“The Memorialist: Keynote Address and Depository Park are both situated in and across locations that are unique to Fredericton’s traditional art experience,” said Pleau. “The Memorialist: Keynote Address will take place at the intimate setting of Odell Lodge, surrounded by the old growth forest of Odell Park. Depository Park is a field-study workshop that will take participants on a walking tour of several places chosen by the artist to highlight specific themes in her work such as the archive, research facilities, animal sanctuaries, and the urban outdoors.”
About The Performance:
The Memorialist: Keynote Address combines performance and poetry, sparked by research on North America’s first public zoo, Downs’ Zoological Gardens in Halifax. Downs’ Zoological Gardens signaled the western world’s first attempts at placing wild animals in captive settings, designed to imitate the wilderness. Wilson will be addressing how such “living museums” have come to represent a broken bridge between the colonial settler and the natural world.
About The Workshop:
Depository Park is a multi-site, hands-on workshop for visual artists and creative thinkers. Commencing from within Odell Park, participants will engage their manners of observation and response to urban nature, through a process of creative reflection and by collecting memorabilia.
All materials will be provided. Prior to the workshop, participants will receive readings and an information pamphlet prepared by the workshop leader. Please dress appropriately for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. Lunch will be shared — please let us know if you have any food allergies/intolerance or dietary restrictions.
About the Artist:
D’Arcy Wilson (MFA University of Calgary ’08, BFA Mount Allison University ’05) is an interdisciplinary artist whose work probes ecological angst and anxiety through the lens of Settler culture, often considering Western culture’s fraught relationship with wildlife. D’Arcy has collaborated with wildlife rehabilitation centers, natural history museums, school choirs, and more. She has participated in numerous artist residencies and exhibitions across Canada. In 2016 she initiated and curated Saltbox Contemporary Arts Festival; a festival of performance art in Corner Brook, NL. D’Arcy is based in Corner Brook, where she is Assistant Professor in the Visual Arts Program at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Grenfell Campus.
Registration for the workshop is $10 for members of Connexion Artist-Run Centre, $12 for non-members. Space is limited, please register by e-mailing info@connexionarc.org before March 1st, 2018.
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