MAKING ART WORK: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SERIES

September 2020 — March 2021
Saturdays, 1pm–3pm
Open to all
Free + virtual program


Taking place over the Fall and Winter academic terms, Making Art Work includes 6 free workshops co-facilitated by local artists and arts professionals from Union Gallery, Agnes Etherington Art Centre, and Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre. These workshops are geared towards emerging, mid-career and student artists and curators. Participants will gain enhanced experiential learning opportunities, develop a toolkit of skills in preparing for a career in the arts, and extend networks with Kingston’s contemporary art galleries.







Writing an Artist Statement
September 19, 2020, 1pm–3 pm

Facilitated by deneige nadeau, hosted by Union Gallery

Artist statements are often the most difficult and necessary writing that an artist will produce. Crafting a strong artist statement is necessary for communicating your ideas and practice to a wide-ranging audience. This workshop will provide tips and techniques for focused and clear writing, from initial brainstorming to the final polished text.

deneige nadeau is an angry dyke, a gutter philosopher, and a fucker-up-of-shit. She spends her time being an unruly student, moonlighting as a “writing consultant.”



Curatorial Practices and Methodologies
October 17, 2020, 1pm–3 pm

Facilitated by Sunny Kerr and Carina Magazzeni, hosted by Agnes

This workshop is designed to immerse participants in the processes of developing an idea for an exhibition or other curatorial program. It will include a series of presentations on different curatorial approaches. In the second half of the workshop, participants will be asked to brief a curatorial proposal (real or imaginary). Participants will leave with the beginning stages of a proposal that they can continue to build upon.

Sunny Kerr has developed numerous exhibitions, acquisitions, programs, texts and publications in his role as Curator of Contemporary Art at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre. His approach to curating focuses on emergent issues and practices in contemporary art, as well as experimental formats of presentation and participation. He brings an artist’s background to a curatorial practice developed through public sited intervention. His recent exhibitions include inventive work with collections and projects by artists such as Brendan Fernandes, Richard Ibghy and Marilou Lemmens, Chris Kline, Yam Lau, Tau Lewis and Walter Scott. Kerr completed his BFA at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University and earned his MFA at York University in 2006. He has taught at several Canadian universities and is currently a PhD Candidate in Cultural Studies at Queen’s and a lecturer in the Screen Cultures and Curatorial Studies graduate program.

Carina Magazzeni is a femme settler of Italian-Scottish descent, born and raised in Onguiaahra/Niagara and currently based in Katarokwi/Kingston, situated on Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe territory. Magazzeni is the Director of Union Gallery at Queen’s University and maintains an independent curatorial practice. She holds an MA in Cultural Studies from Queen’s University, a Graduate Diploma in Event Management from Niagara College, and a BA Honours in History of Art and Visual Culture with a Concentration in Curatorial Studies from Brock University. Recent curatorial projects include, more light than heat: Teresa Carlesimo with Michael DiRisio (Rodman Hall Art Centre, Brock University); Let’s Talk About Sex, bb co-curated with Erin Sutherland (Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queen’s University); Many Voices: Indigenous Art co-curated with Tania Willard (Bellevue House National Historic Site).



Preparing for Public Art Calls
November 21, 2020, 1pm–3 pm

Facilitated by Taylor Norris, hosted by Modern Fuel

Join Taylor Norris, Public Art Coordinator for the City of Kingston to participate in a workshop on applying for Public Art opportunities in Kingston and beyond. Taylor will cover the submissions process for both temporary and permanent public art calls, including best practices and answering frequently asked questions artists commonly face in the application process.

Taylor Norris is an artist, arts administrator, public servant, and activist based in Kingston, Ontario. Currently serving as the Public Art Coordinator for the City of Kingston, Taylor actively works to create accessible visual contemporary art and artist opportunities in a local and regional context. Taylor also holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Arts Administration from the University of Ottawa, as well as a Diploma in Media Art from Sheridan College. As a queer fifth generation Wolfe Islander of settler and Métis ancestry, Taylor is an active participant in many different communities and is always seeking opportunities for collaboration through the arts and environmental initiatives.



Exhibition Submissions
January 16, 2021, 1pm–3 pm

Facilitated by Anne-Sophie Grenier, hosted by Modern Fuel

In this workshop, Anne-Sophie Grenier guides participants through a sample submission for exhibition process, covering artist bios, statements, exhibition proposals and documentation. Learn how to find and keep track of calls for submissions, what to include and what to leave out, writing tips and how to answer frequently asked questions artists commonly face in the application process.

Anne-Sophie Grenier is the Executive Director of Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre. She holds a Masters of Management in International Arts Management, from Southern Methodist University and HEC Montréal. In her graduate studies, she focused on the role that art co-ops and artist-run centres play in fostering innovation and creative placemaking. She also holds a B.A. in Communications Studies (Video Production) with a minor in Political Science from Concordia University and a Diploma of College Studies in Commerce from Champlain College. Her career has brought her across many different fields—from communications for a non-profit operating in Canada and Uganda, to documentary television production, and the production of major music, arts, and sporting events. Anne-Sophie is also a practicing performing artist and video producer.



Preparing for Public Art Calls
November 21, 2020, 1pm–3 pm

Facilitated by Taylor Norris, hosted by Modern Fuel

Join Taylor Norris, Public Art Coordinator for the City of Kingston to participate in a workshop on applying for Public Art opportunities in Kingston and beyond. Taylor will cover the submissions process for both temporary and permanent public art calls, including best practices and answering frequently asked questions artists commonly face in the application process.

Taylor Norris is an artist, arts administrator, public servant, and activist based in Kingston, Ontario. Currently serving as the Public Art Coordinator for the City of Kingston, Taylor actively works to create accessible visual contemporary art and artist opportunities in a local and regional context. Taylor also holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Arts Administration from the University of Ottawa, as well as a Diploma in Media Art from Sheridan College. As a queer fifth generation Wolfe Islander of settler and Métis ancestry, Taylor is an active participant in many different communities and is always seeking opportunities for collaboration through the arts and environmental initiatives.



Packing and Shipping Artworks
February 6, 2021, 1pm–3 pm

Facilitated by Leah Cox and Jennifer Nicoll, hosted by Agnes

Leah Cox, Exhibition Coordinator, and Jenn Nicoll, Collections Manager/Exhibition Coordinator, share best practices and tips for packing and shipping artwork. They discuss all the materials used at the Agnes to wrap and secure invaluable artworks from our permanent collection. Learn which materials are best and which to avoid altogether. They provide suggestions to help you choose the best shipping methods for your art.

Leah Cox is a Kingston-based museum professional. After graduating from Ryerson with a BAH in Arts and Contemporary Studies (History) she pursued a post graduate certificate in Museum Management and Curatorship from Fleming College (2012) which led to work at various cultural institutions including the Toronto International Film Festival and CBC Toronto’s Libraries and Archives. In her current role as Exhibition Coordinator for the Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Cox tackles everything from large scale nationally touring exhibitions (Leiden circa 1630: Rembrandt Emerges) to the safe installation of collection-based shows at the Agnes (Nocturne).

Jennifer Nicoll has been the Collections Manager/Exhibition Coordinator at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre since 2007, overseeing care of the permanent collection including shipping, housing and ensuring safe packing of artworks. She has worked previously as the Education Officer at the Woodstock Museum NHS in Woodstock Ontario and completed a Mellon fellowship in the Conservation laboratory at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne Vermont. Jennifer obtained a BAH in Classical Studies at Queen’s University and a diploma in Collections Conservation and Management from Fleming College.



Exhibition Installation
March 6, 2021, 1pm–3 pm

Facilitated by Scott Wallis, hosted by Union Gallery

This workshop covers the basics of artwork preparation and installation. Topics range from framing and hanging hardware, display fixtures and devices, to principles of exhibition design. And, with the diversity of media and installation approaches of contemporary art, generous time is given to questions and comments from attendees.

Scott Wallis has worked as a preparator at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre since 2000. He is also a visual artist, and has been exhibiting his work since the early 1990s. Scott holds a B.A.H. in Philosophy and English from Queen’s University.