Isabelle welcomes two special guests today, Yves Larocque and Mónica Márquez, owners and facilitators of Walk the arts, an artistic company that oversees the administration of BRAVO-ARTS, in Ottawa. We met on International Women’s Day at Algoma University where we recorded this conversation. This special episode then, marks the end of a long process for Isabelle, as a recent member of BRAVO-Arts (Bureau de regroupement des artistes visuels de l’Ontario), she facilitated the installation of pentadécagone and welcomed two artists Doris Lamontagne and Nancy Brandsma who came to Sault Ste. Marie to install this multi-video exhibition. It is important to note that this exhibit was important for our northern Ontario town because according to Michael Burtch, former Curator of the Art Gallery of Algoma, the last visual exhibition in French was in 1987; Sans Démarcation regrouped English-speaking Ontarians and French-Speaking Quebeckers 32 years ago while pentadécagone was in French only. It was also a significant event for 180 Projects, a small Ad Hoc Collective working hard to bring alternative voices to Sault Ste. Marie. This multi-video exhibit also brought ACCANO (The African Caribbean Canadian Association of Northern Ontario) to 180 Projects for the first time. Finally, pentadécagone served as a point of beginning and of social change for a small but very essential number of Franco-Ontarian women to come and view art completely in French. Many people contributed to this installation: Jacky Dupuis, Lon Granger, Katy Huckson, Taylor Jolin, Andrea Pinheiro, Miranda Bouchard, Ray Fox, Lisa Meschino, thank you so much for helping in your own way to this successful exhibition.
We decided to do the podcast in English in order to mix our voices to the others in this podcast.
Links:
https://www.walkthearts.com
https://www.bravoart.org/publications/edition-bravo-livre-catalogue-depliants/133-pentadecagone-2016
https://www.sootoday.com/local-entertainment/pentadecagone-1213571
https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1151757/exposition-artiste-visuel-francophone-sault-ste-marie
http://oneeightyprojects.ca