Luminato Festival Toronto is excited to announce the fall 2020 Artists in Residence (AIR) program, with a cohort of 10 Artists, each established in their creative practice. An 8-week program, the Fall AIR is focused on Artists who are interested in expanding or challenging ideas of Indigeneity, and pushing their creative process and potential through relationships with their peers; the cohort is led by Curatorial Associate, Denise Bolduc.

Launched in July 2020, Luminato’s AIR renews, establishes and supports deepened relationships with Ontario artists. The Artists in the Fall cohort will gather weekly, online, from across the province - whether in their studios and living rooms, or on the lands that inspire and inform their work. The program includes guest exchanges, check-ins and sharings, to support and enhance the participants’ work on their individual projects.

“Following Associate Artistic Director Dian Marie Bridge’s Summer AIR program design, I undertook a similar, rigorous selection process, gathering an extensive and impressive list of artists through research of various arts-based web and social media sites, as well as connecting with a number of respected leaders in the arts community”, said Bolduc. “The process moved to a shorter list of conversations with over 20 artists from across the province. With the curatorial context, and the generous guidance of established, multidisciplinary artist and cultural leader Jani Lauzon, I am proud of the final selection of this dynamic group.”

“This Fall residency is a self-determined exchange and process, where artists are offered this time to imagine, and dream beyond the present realities and narratives. I am inspired by each artists’ drive and their commitment to their practice, exploring Indigenous ideologies, the complexities of identity, story(ies), land relations, and other Indigenous worldviews. Their shared experiences and wisdom will create a combined synergy, deepening their relationships as peers and their individual creative practice. At the heart of this residency is their collective commitment to participate with a generosity of spirit, mutual respect and reciprocity, with the utmost intention to lift themselves and each other”, continued Bolduc. 

By sharing the different approaches that artists take to their work, skills can be transposed between practices, influencing artistic work in ways that reflect each other while also addressing the nature and scale of Luminato; large, visionary, multi-media works that explore challenging ideas. Although participation in AIR is not tied to any final product, there is potential for future project development with Luminato. 

Artists in Residence: Fall 2020

October 26 – December 18, 2020 

• Brian Solomon - Dance, Choreography, Visual Art, Film
• Christa Couture - Writer, Singer-Songwriter, Broadcaster, Cyborg
• Christian Chapman - Visual Art, Film, Maker
• Christine Friday - Dance, Choreography, Film
• Greyson Gritt - Singer-Songwriter, Music Composer
• Jessica Lea Fleming - Film, Theatre, Playwright
• Michaela Washburn - Actor, Spoken Word, Writer, Clown
• Nick Sherman - Singer-Songwriter, Musician
• Syreeta Hector - Dance, Choreography, Educator
• Taqralik Partridge - Spoken Word, Poet, Maker

Cohort leader Denise Bolduc worked with Associate Artistic Director Dian Marie Bridge, Curatorial Associate Rosina Kazi and key advisor Jani Lauzon in the selection of the participants. Her research included sourcing artists who have worked with Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance, Native Earth Performing Arts, Native Women in the Arts, Indigenous Music Summit, Muskrat Magazine and ANDPVA, Bolduc wishes to acknowledge Keith Barker, Ange Loft, Bushra Junaid, Erika Iserhoff, Lisa Myers, Patti Shaughnessy and many other organizations and individuals for their support in the selection process.

For more information about this program and the Artists please visit:luminatofestival.com.