This research project aims to identify the emerging voices in the Canadian art scene, especially those working with new media and deploying interdisciplinary approaches. Further, the project aims to tackle the lack of representation of racialized and Indigenous artists in the field of Art History. In particular, there are gaps in knowledge and understanding of the themes, methodologies, and contributions of BIPOC artists, and research is needed to fill the gaps. I am particularly interested in the Canadian context because recent social movements such as Black Lives Matter, Idle No More and protests over residential schools have had a positive impact on the art world by generating opportunities for racialized and Indigenous artists to participate in residencies, public speaking events, and exhibit their work in artist-run centers, galleries and museums across Canada. Additionally, a number of artists who have not yet found opportunities to exhibit their work in professional art spaces, have developed their own virtual galleries or use social media such as Instagram to promote their work. By looking at the programming of Canadian art spaces and virtual galleries, this research will identify new and rising artists. Moreover, by researching artists' personal accounts and independent groups in social media, the project will fill the institutional gaps. This research will enable me to include the work of emerging Canadian artists of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds into the Art history curriculum at MacEwan.

Outputs:

• the student will produce an annotated database of emerging racialized and Indigenous artists working in Canada. 
• the student will identify key themes and methods, rather than assuming, as it is often the case, that marginalized artists engage with issues of identity and representation.

Outcomes: 

• developing a greater understanding of racialized artists, the themes they engage with, and their contributions to Canadian art history;
• updating the curriculum of ARTE 304 Theory of Contemporary Art and ARTE 324 History of Interdisciplinary Art at MacEwan;
• identifying key raising artists that can be included in the exhibition professor Vergara-Vargas will curate in Montreal in May 2024. 

• Identifying main artists run centers across Canada which produce and exhibit visual, media, and sound art; 
• Researching art programming from 2020-2023, identifying racialized artists, consulting their personal websites, reading exhibition reviews, researching virtual galleries that emerged through the pandemic and continue to grow in platforms such as Mozilla hubs;
• Identifying Canadian emerging artists using social media such as instagram and Tiktok to promote their work;
• Identifying artists activating social media in their work, for example artists developing instagram projects
• Creating a database of Canadian emerging artists, in particular racialized and Indigenous subjects

My extensive curatorial experience in Canada and internationally provides me with practical skills needed to mentor research assistants. I have curated a number of exhibitions, including ISEA2020’s Art Programme (October 2020), and Speculative Cultures: A Virtual Reality Art Exhibition (Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Gallery, Parsons School of Design, New York, 2019). I was also the artistic director of Eastern Bloc and Studio XX, two artist-run centres in Montreal. My strong understanding of gallery and artist-run centre systems in Canada will guide the student. Transferable skills include: developing sound research methodologies and tools; developing documents and documentation to gather and assess qualitative data; preparation for successful studio visit; academic writing preparation.

I will be able to support the student by providing mentorship, developing clear objectives, milestones, and a timeline, as well as documents and documentation that will help them clearly identify the tasks and the resources available to undertake this research on Canadian artists.