© 2024 Union Gallery | All Rights Reserved
October 11 | November 15 | December 5, 2023
Virtual Program | 6–7:30pm
Free + open to all
Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre and Union Gallery are pleased to co-present the 2023–2024 Professional Development Series. Taking place over the Fall and Winter seasons, the series includes free workshops facilitated by arts professionals and local artists, 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 communities.
This fall we look at topics including writing an artist statement, preparing a portfolio, and applying to artist residencies.
with Mercedes Maduka, hosted online by Modern Fuel
In this workshop, Mercedes Emeka-Maduka shares her tips, techniques and process for creating an artist statement from initial brainstorming to a final polished statement.
Mercedes Emeka-Maduka is a Nigerian-born multidisciplinary artist living and practicing in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Treaty 1). Her personal history of migration and displacement informs her work. She incorporates recognizable travel plastic bags known to her as “Ghana must-go bags” in most of her works. Maduka holds a BFA from the University of Manitoba and has exhibited artwork nationally and internationally. She has received grants and awards from Canada Council for the Arts, the Manitoba Arts Council and the Winnipeg Arts Council.
with Emily Pittman, hosted online by Union Gallery
In this workshop artist and writer Emily Pittman will break down portfolio best practices, how to access and use online tools, and why portfolios are helpful ways to share your artwork. We will discuss sustainable ways to keep your portfolio up-to-date with your practice, and the basic do’s and don’ts, so that when you present your portfolio people pay attention.
Emily Pittman is a visual artist and writer based in St. John’s, NL. She earned an Honours BA (with Distinction) majoring in Studio Art and English from the University of Guelph. Emily grew up in Clarenville, NL, and moved to St. John’s in May 2016. Emily was a finalist for Arts NL’s 2019 Emerging Artist Award and has exhibited at venues including The Rooms, Eastern Edge Gallery (St. John’s) and Boarding House Gallery (Guelph), and created a mural for Bonavista’s Church Street Festival (St. John’s) in 2019. She has been featured on the cover of Visual Arts News, as well as in Newfoundland Quarterly, Riddle Fence, The Overcast, and The Telegram. Emily co-founded The Gathered Gallery, an independently-run visual arts and curatorial writing blog the Gathered Gallery.
At this workshop, Holly Chang discusses how to find artist residencies, and best practices for applying and applying for grants. Chang has participated in over seven artist residencies internationally and brings her experience and expertise to this workshop.
Holly Chang is a Toronto-based artist working within the mediums of photography, natural dyeing, and installation. She has recently completed her master’s degree in Communication and Culture from TMU/York University. Her thesis was focused on developing new ways of retelling the stories of Chinese Canadians. Her artistic work explores the themes of her second-generation identity as a mixed-race person. She maintains cultural ties with her cross-cultural identity and draws on her hybrid background for inspiration.
© 2024 Union Gallery | All Rights Reserved