Monday, September 22, 2014

The Politics of Being Ugly - Artist Spotlight - Caitlyn Chisamore

As we lead up to the opening of our upcoming show - The Politics of Being Ugly - we wanted to show a little love for our participating artists and share a little bit about their work and websites with you. To see the work live make sure to attend the show running Sept. 23rd - 30th at Norman Felix Gallery - 445 Adelaide Street West in Toronto! 

First up, OCAD University Alumni Caitlyn Chisamore!


Take a quick read of Caitlyn's artists statement, her work is so haunting and beautiful. Caitlyn will be showing a new series of work at the show. A little break away from her focus on the figure. We are so excited to see what she has been working on. 



"Intimacy, attachment and comfort are explored as I attempt to unravel the human desire for love and companionship. These connections are drenched with emotional, physical and psychological implications that are adaptable and transformative. 

Touch is a prominant theme in my work and I often use it to communicate an emotional affect through physical presence. I wish to capture a narrative approach to interpreting how familiarity relates to time and affection."



(Image credit - C. Chisamore, 'Residue') 
www.caitlynchisamore.com

Tuesday, September 09, 2014

Please Join Us!


 
The Politics of Being Ugly
Tuesday, September 23rd until Tuesday, September 30th, 2014
Norman Felix Gallery
445 Adelaide Street West, Toronto, Ontario M5V 1T1

Opening Reception - Thursday, September 25th, 6-9pm with a brief reading at 7pm

Gallery Hours - Monday - Saturday 11:30am - 6:00pm

Pairing a literary book-launch with a collective art show, Megan A. Skyvington and Tara Lee Towers of Woman King Collective have partnered with author Kayla Altman to curate “The Politics of Being Ugly”. Together, Kayla and Woman King will create a space that honours the fundamentally human link between the visual and the narrative; this exhibition will be an opportunity for artists across multiple disciplines to exhibit and reclaim their own accounts of the uncanny. This show will not only be a traditional art show but will be presented in conjunction with the launch of Kayla’s first book of prose (which inspired the title and theme of this show).

Featuring the work of:
Caitlyn Chisamore / Elija Montgomery / Erin Mccutcheon / Josie MacLachlan/ Kayla Altman/ Kenneth Chou / Marianne Jette in partnership with Charlotte Moffatt / Meghan Barry / Michael Rennick/ Monique Medeiros/ Natasha Gouveia/ Savannah Snook/ Stephanie Kloibhofer/ Suharu Ogawa

and Woman King Collective's
Megan A. Skyvington
and
Tara Lee Towers

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Call for Entry


We are happy to announce that we will be curating a show this summer! Please see below for information on how you can participate.


The Politics of Being Ugly  
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS 

ABOUT THE SHOW –  
BOOK LAUNCH + ART SHOW:  

Pairing a literary book-launch with a collective art show, Megan A. Skyvington and Tara Lee Towers of Woman King Collective have partnered with author Kayla Altman to curate “The Politics of Being Ugly”. Together, Kayla and Woman King will create a space that honours the fundamentally human link between the visual and the narrative; this exhibition will be an opportunity for artists across multiple disciplines to exhibit and reclaim their own accounts of the uncanny. This show will not only be a traditional art show but will be presented in conjunction with the launch of Kayla’s first book of prose (which inspired the title and theme of this show).  

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:  

Artists, designers and craftspeople are invited to participate in the latest group show presented by Woman King Collective in partnership with author, Kayla Altman. The Politics of Being Ugly will focus on handmade, theme driven work that looks at the imperfect, the uncomfortable, the hilarious and the magic that is human (and maybe not so human) imperfection in all forms. This work will ask questions and invite open discussion. As always, Woman King Collective is committed to showcasing emerging work that confronts the implications of its making. 


WHO WE ARE:  

About Woman King Collective –  

Formed in 2010 Woman King is a collective of female multidisciplinary artists and designers working in Toronto. Founded by women and committed to art as a communal practice, Megan A Skyvington and Tara Lee Towers bring an unapologetically empowered female voice to Canadian art and design. Woman King’s work speaks to the construction of identity and female persona versus the reality of lived experience through installations, objects, and mixed media work that invites the viewer to reflect on individual experience, both dark and lovely. 

About Kayla Altman’s work, The Politics of Being Ugly –  

A forthcoming publication from Guernica Editions and lucky number 13 in their First Poet Series, “The Politics of Being Ugly” is a collection of short prose narratives and micro-stories. Building upon the narratives whispered throughout the book, the exhibition will be curated around the following themes and ideas:  

Take a bit of grim, a pinch of wit, and a heap of whimsy…With simultaneously grotesque and loveable losers, these tales will take you through the mythical and the everyday to a place of harsh, hilarious and uncanny reality.  



Your Politics application must include*: 

1. Cover page including: Name, Address, City, Postal/Zip Code, Country, Telephone, Email, Website, Project Title, and 25-word synopsis of project**  
2, Between 5 and 10 images of your previous work following these guidelines: Digital images: - JPEG format - Maximum of 1MB file size (each) - Maximum resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels - RGB or greyscale colour mode only  
File names must be in the following format: 01FirstnameLastname.jpg (Image number, Artists First and Last name). The image numbers must correspond to the ones in your image list. 3. Curriculum vitae & artist statement of no more than 4 standard (8.5" x 11") pages ** 
 4. A proposal of no more than 750 words describing what you intend to do or, if the work is already produced, how it fits the theme of The Politics of Being Ugly**  
5. Detailed technical requirements for your project (i.e. services, equipment necessary for your project including maintenance, electrical specifications, installation) ** 

*please do not submit more than is requested ** files must be submitted in either .doc or .pdf format 

All applications must be received by midnight on Monday, July, 28thth 2014 to womankingcollective@gmail.com. The show will run from Tuesday, September 23rd until Tuesday, September 30th at Norman Felix Gallery (which is located at 445 Adelaide Street West, Toronto, Ontario M5V 1T1) Opening reception date TBD.  

Selected artists will be notified within two weeks of the application deadline. Please note there will be a $75.00 participants fee for those who are chosen by the jury. This cost will cover incidental costs related to the gallery rental and advertising of the show.  

As a group with a focus on equity and equality Woman King encourages applications from women, Aboriginal peoples, visible minorities, persons with disabilities, and persons of all sexual orientation or gender identity.

Tuesday, March 05, 2013

Call For Entry


**DEADLINE EXTENSION - NEW DEADLINE - MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2013! - Thanks for your submissions so far!***
 
We are happy to announce that we will be curating a show this summer! Please see below for information on how you can participate.

Semblance: even better than the real thing
CALL FOR ENTRY

Semblance
Def. Noun
The outward appearance or apparent form of something, esp. when the reality is different.
Resemblance; similarity.
Def. Synonyms – likeness, appearance, resemblance, guise, similarity

 Artists, designers and craftspeople are invited to participate in the latest group show presented by Woman King Collective. Semblance: even better than the real thing will focus on handmade, theme driven work that looks at what hides beneath the surface and the stories that are told when a hidden truth is revealed or resemblance between two worlds are understood. This work will ask questions and invite open discussion. Woman King Collective is committed to showcasing emerging work that confronts the implications of its making.

About Woman King Collective:

Formed in 2010, Woman King is a group of female multidisciplinary artists and designers working in Toronto. The Collective is run by Megan A. Skyvington, Ange-line Tetrault and Tara Lee Towers.

Sharing a voice that is unapologetically feminine Woman King produces work both individually and collectively. This work is linked with the history of handmade objects, material practice and female-centric art making. The act of reclaiming is what connects the artists of Woman King in their individual practices. Whether that is the reclaiming of body as site, the history of women’s work or of the female identity as both a public and private experience.

Through an exploration into objects, materials and spaces this group of designers and artists will redefine the myth of womanhood. Our work looks into our interactions with industrial design, traditional craft and body as subject from an entirely female perspective. Woman King exemplifies the capacity for Canadian women in art and design, among other creative disciplines, to effect a change of perception and a message of empowerment through their work.


Your Semblance application must include*:

// Cover page including: Name, Address, City, Postal/Zip Code, Country, Telephone, Email, Website, Project Title, and 25-word synopsis of project**

// Between 5 and 10 images of your previous work following these guidelines:
Digital images:
- JPEG format
- Maximum of 1MB file size (each)
- Maximum resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels
- RGB or greyscale colour mode only

File names must be in the following format: 01FirstnameLastname.jpg (Image number, Artists First and Last name). The image numbers must correspond to the ones in your image list.
// Curriculum vitae & artist statement of no more than 4 standard (8.5" x 11") pages **
// A proposal of no more than 750 words describing what you intend to do or, if the work is already produced, how it fits the theme of Semblance**
// Detailed technical requirements for your project (i.e. services, equipment necessary for your project including maintenance, electrical specifications, installation) **
*please do not submit more than is requested
** files must be submitted in either .doc or .pdf format

All applications must be received by midnight on Monday, April 15th, 2013 to womankingcollective@gmail.com. The show will be launched in summer 2013. ***DEADLINE EXTENSION - NEW DEADLINE - MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2013!

Selected artists will be notified within two weeks of the application deadline. Please note there will be a $75.00 participants’ fee for those who are chosen by the jury. This cost will cover incidental costs related to the gallery rental and advertising of the show.

As a group with a focus on equity and equality Woman King encourages applications from women, Aboriginal peoples, visible minorities, persons with disabilities, and persons of all sexual orientation or gender identity.


Wednesday, February 06, 2013

Toronto Design Week 2013 - What We Wore

So the last couple weeks have been crazy, but we wanted to give you a sneak peek at a really important element of Design Week, what we wore!! We will be updating the blog and our website with lots more of our project for Come Up To My Room, Dwell over the next couple weeks, so stay tuned and thanks for your support!
Tara Lee

Megan
Ange-line
xo WKC

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Eat, Sleep, Make!

We are sorry for the lack of posts lately but we have been busy preparing to take part in the 10th Anniversary of Come Up To My Room at the Gladstone Hotel! We are very excited about our work and look forward to sharing it with you all!

A little bit about our installation (we will be in room 204
):
Dwell explores the evolution of familiar spaces as reflections of our life cycles. The home is a site where we are created, grow, transform, and inevitably break free from.

About the event:
Thurs Jan 24 - Sun 27, 2013

Exhibition Hours: Thurs 6-8pm, Fri 11am-8pm, Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 11am-5pm
Venue: Ballroom + 2nd Floor Gallery
Opening Reception: Sat Jan 26, 2013 | 7-11pm
Love Design Party: Sat Jan 26, 2013 | 10pm-2:30am
25 installations, 40 Artists, 4000 people all in under 4 days
Coinciding with Toronto Design Offsite Festival and the Interior Design Show

If you would like to visit the show to see the work more intimately and have the opportunity to interact with the artists we would recommend you visit on Thursday, Friday and during the day in Saturday or Sunday. If you are looking for a fun party to attend then we hope to see you Saturday night during the opening reception followed by the Love Design Party (space will be limited so arrive early for these two events as they reach capacity quickly!). 
xo Woman Kings

Wednesday, January 02, 2013

Golden Glittery Magic


To celebrate the first few days of the new year we're sharing Ange's blog post celbrating the glittering magic of this time of year:

I’m a bit of a Grinch when it comes to the holidays. With that said, there is a soft spot deep down inside where I love seeing all the lights strung on trees, the dreamy window displays and all the golden glitter your heart's desire. It brightens the bareness and grayness of late fall and early winter.  
xoxo
Ange-line
All images found on Pinterest.