Respondent Series | Curator Talk by Alyssa Fearon
Curating and the Diaspora
Thursday, February 6, 2020 | 7PM
Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art | 1, 460 Portage Ave | Winnipeg MB | Canada
Plug In ICA is pleased to present Curating and the Diaspora, a talk by curator Alyssa Fearon on Thursday, February 6th at 7pm. Envisioning a public art institution that prioritizes the perspectives of historically under-represented communities, Alyssa will discuss her curatorial practice and how it relates to the context of the Canadian Prairies. Having recently moved from Toronto to take on the position of curator at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba (AGSM) in Brandon, Alyssa is interested in cultural policies and structures and how they produce and/or limit the conditions in which arts communities thrive. Using an approach to curatorial work that incorporates collaboration, social practice, and Afro-diasporic knowledge systems, Alyssa considers how this framework can be used to reimagine the role of the institution in supporting critical artistic exploration. She will also discuss upcoming programming at the AGSM, with plans to focus on Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (BIPOC) women/non-binary artists of the Prairies in 2020. Alyssa’s talk, Curating and the Diaspora, is part of Plug In’s Respondent Series, and will engage our exhibition that is presently on view, NeuroSpeculative AfroFeminism by Hyphen-Labs, to discuss the impact of such programming in relation to Alyssa’s curatorial strategies and vision.
Alyssa Fearon is a curator, educator and arts worker. She currently holds the position of Curator at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba in Brandon, Manitoba and recently began as Co-Lead of the Equity and Diversity working group at the Canadian Arts Coalition, a volunteer-run policy research group. In 2018, she was curator of the inaugural Scarborough zone of Nuit Blanche Toronto. Alyssa has also held positions at the Art Gallery of Ontario and Independent Curators International, and has taught at the University of Toronto Scarborough, York University, and Brandon University. She holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business and an MA Art History from York University. She is a Salzburg Global Fellow.
This talk is available in our online video archive.
Associated Programming:
Solo Exhibition | NeuroSpeculative AfroFeminism by Hyphen-Labs | January 24 – March 22, 2020
Acknowledgments
Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art recognizes we are in the territories of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Dakota, Dene, Métis, and Oji-Cree Nations. Plug In ICA is situated in Treaty 1 territory, the ancestral and traditional homeland of Anishinaabeg peoples. Treaty 1 was signed in 1871, taking this territory from seven local Anishinaabeg First Nations in order to make the land available for settler use and ownership (Referenced from the University of Winnipeg).
Plug In ICA extends gratitude to our artists, generous donors, valued members and dedicated volunteers, with special thanks to our Director’s Circle.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Manitoba Arts Council and Winnipeg Arts Council. We could not operate without their continued financial investment and lobbying efforts.
Plug In ICA relies on community support to remain free and accessible to all, and enables us to continue to present excellent programs. Please consider becoming a member of Plug In ICA and a donor here https://plugin.org/support or by contacting Angela Forget: angela@plugin.org.
For more information on exhibitions and public programs contact Nasrin Himada at nasrin@plugin.org
For general information please contact: info@plugin.org or call 1.204.942.1043.