Kasahara Residency seeking committee members

Submitted article

Since the autumn of 2020, the Kasahara Gabriola Trust Artist in Residence program has been bringing artists to Gabriola Island – to experience the area and community while having a set time to focus on their art practice, and in turn to give the Gabriola community an opportunity to meet artists from elsewhere, learn about their practices, and see their work. This can take the form of workshops, artist talks, exhibitions, or social occasions. It is definitely a mutually beneficial program.

Sometimes it can create a relationship that extends beyond a residency period, with the artist coming back to visit or work in the community. I am lucky enough to be one such artist, having been the KGT Artist in Residence two years ago, and now doing volunteer work in support of the residency program.

There have been eight Artists in Residence so far, with very different practices includingpainting, theatre, printmaking, writing, installation, and video/media.

The selection process for the artists in residence is done by a group of volunteers who individually read through the proposals and score them on different criteria, then the group meets up to compare numbers. Following that is a discussion about the high-scoring proposals, eventually settling on which applicants will be invited to be artists in residence. It does require a bit of time, and reading, but it’s also interesting and is a valuable experience for those who are considering going through an arts-related application process themselves in the future, for things like grants, exhibitions, and other residencies.

The committee is interested in connecting with potential guest jurors from the Gabriola community who would like to participate in a round of the selection process, especially if the potential guest juror has experience in the same field as the applicants. For example, there is now a call out for two residency time slots specifically for musicians, so it would make the most sense to have at least one juror with professional experience in music.

If this sounds like something that you would be interested in participating in, please reach out to the committee via Roweena Bacchus – roweena.bacchus@gmail.com – or join us at our upcoming public event where you can meet committee members, ask questions, and find out more about the story behind the Kasahara Gabriola Trust Artist in Residence.

There will be slides of work made by past KGT artists in residence and a short video of part of an interview with Peter Baker, trustee of the residency, describing the origin of the residency.

This event is for anyone who is curious about the goings on of the KGT Artist in Residency program.

Tuesday, February 6th from 2:00-4:00pm at the GAC Hall.

Free of charge. We hope to see you there!