"Studies in Solitude" - Agnes Etherington Artist Residency

Studios in Solitude is a micro-residency program probing solitude’s dual potential as both a disruptive force and site of historic privilege. This past year has required artists to repeatedly pause, pivot and adapt their practices. In recognition of this precarious backdrop for artmaking, and in keeping with Agnes’s new iterative style of programming that emphasizes the social and civic function of the gallery, this micro-residency offers Agnes’s space and resources to support solitary contemplation or creation without the pressure of productivity. Participating artists-in-residence are site-specific theatre artist Mo Horner, multimedia and beadwork artist Shelby Lisk, graphic artist ck nosun and multimedia installation artist Vivian Sheng.

My photography featured on LENSCRATCH

“A year ago, Spirit: Focus on Indigenous, Art, Artists and Issues, was launched featuring artists Will Wilson, Shelley Niro, Meryl McMaster, Kiliii Yuyan, Donna Garcia, Pat Kane, Jeremy Dennis, and the collaboration of Kali Spitzer and Bubzee.

The objective was to elevate Indigenous voices and highlight Indigenous issues, as well as create opportunities for the artists, with the end goal being securing purchases of Indigenous artwork within mainstream museums’ permanent collections.

Today, we celebrate Indigenous People’s Day and continue that celebration throughout the week with Indigenous art, artists and issues at the forefront. This year we asked the participants from 2020 to nominate their fellow artists for 2021. This year’s featured artists include Pat Kane and Brian Adams (nominated by Kiliii Yuyan), Robby Dick (nominated by Kali Spitzer), Jenny Irene Miller (nominated by Jeremy Dennis), Shelby Lisk (nominated by Pat Kane), and Tonita Cervantes (nominated by Donna Garcia).”

My work was selected this year and Donna Garcia wrote a great post about my series ‘Time spent breathing with water’ which I created during an artist residency on Toronto Island in 2019:

http://lenscratch.com/2021/10/spirit-focus-on-indigenous-art-artists-and-issues-shelby-lisk/

Longlisted for the New Generation Photography Award

New Generation Photography Award

I was nominated by Patricia Deadman, curator of the Woodland Cultural Centre in Six Nations, for the New Generation Photography Award.

Established in 2017 by the National Gallery of Canada in collaboration with Scotiabank, the New Generation Photography Award celebrates young Canadians working in lens-based art.
To read more about the award visit the National Gallery of Canada’s website here.

Karsh-Masson Continuum Exhibition award

2022 Karsh Continuum artists selected

The City of Ottawa is pleased to announce that local artists Stéphane Alexis, Shelby Lisk, and Neeko Paluzzi have been selected by 2019 Karsh Award laureate Andrew Wright for the 2022 Karsh Continuum exhibition and mentorship opportunity. This exhibition opens on February 10, 2022, at the Karsh-Masson Gallery in Ottawa.

About the Karsh Award

The City of Ottawa is proud to honour the enduring legacy of Yousuf and Malak Karsh with a commemorative award to a professional photo/lens-based artist. Created in 2003 by Ottawa City Council, the Karsh Award recognizes the Karsh brothers for their immense contribution to our city's rich cultural heritage

Every four years, a $7,500 prize is presented to a midcareer/established local artist for their outstanding body of work and significant contribution to the artistic discipline in a photo/lens-based medium.

Over the subsequent three-year period, the laureate is also invited to hold an exhibition of his/her work at the Karsh-Masson Gallery, mentor within the local artistic community and participate in the Karsh Continuum exhibition. 

To read more visit the City of Ottawa’s website here.

International database of Indigenous photographers

I’m very excited to announce that my work is now included in the Indigenous Photograph’s database among some amazing Indigenous photographers from around the world.

Summer at the drive in during COVID-19

You’re driving along winding country roads in a car full of your best friends. The windows are down; you’re blasting the radio. Or you’re at the wheel, and your excited children are in the back seat ready to fall asleep with their teddy bears — though they’re adamant that they can stay up all night. Or you’re 16 years old, you’ve just got your driver’s licence. Your high-school crush is riding shotgun, and there’s nervous energy in the air. You pull into a field surrounded by the golden rays of a summer sunset, park your car in front of the big screen, and tune your radio to the right station, anxiously waiting for the sun to go down so the movie can start.

Staff at the Drive-in Experience in Nepean pose for a photo before opening the gates to a long line of waiting cars.

Kevin and Kathy Marshall, owners of the Skylight Drive-In Pembroke.

Dawn Laing, Drew Downs, and their dog, Wilma, pose in the infamous Mustang Drive-In PEC bus. The first-time drive-in owners took possession of the Mustang Drive-In PEC (Prince Edward County) in April and showed their first movie on July 2.

Lana Pacheco sanitizes bathroom facilities before patrons arrive at the Drive-In Experience on July 4.

Staff member Tim Turiff scans a patron’s ticket on their phone at the Mustang Drive-in PEC. “Part of the reason we don't have everyone in masks, but rather face shields, is because, with hospitality and customer service, you like to see a person smile,” co-owner Dawn Laing says. “We still adhere to the rules about face covering; we've just opted to do it with something clear so you can still be greeted with a warm smile, even if you're six feet from that person.”

Patrons are directed as they enter the Drive-in Experience in Nepean on July 4. "People want to be out; they want to have something to do. So, if all they're required to do is to wear a mask, wash your hands, and wait for your turn, we've noticed that people are very, very co-operative," says Lana Pacheco, director of operations at the Drive-In Experience.

On July 23, Macie Gagne, Ride Sullivan, Izzy Sullivan, and Max Moore play on the roof of their car (the playground, including this empty swing set, is currently closed due to COVID-19). Denice Mearns says she remembers going to this drive-in as a child and wanted to share the experience with her children and their friends, who were there to watch Shrek.

New co-owner Dawn Laing introduces herself to patrons as they enter the Mustang Drive-in PEC. “I welcome everyone and thank them for coming to the drive-in,” she says. “And when I'm doing this, I have complete gratitude that these people are choosing to leave their home and spend their evening with us, because, if they didn't do that, we would not exist.”

William McLean and Ben Rayner wait for the movie to start at the Mustang Drive-In PEC. The boys, who are now 11 years old, have been friends since pre-school and are sharing their first drive-in experience with each other and their mothers.

Olivia Chiasson and Cale Northey take in a sold-out screening of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone at the Drive-In Experience in Nepean on July 4

The movie Almost Famous being projected at the Mustang Drive-In PEC on July 25.

If you grew up in rural Ontario, chances are you remember summer nights at your local drive-in theatre. When COVID-19 closed indoor theatres across the province on March 17, drive-ins seemed like a ready-made alternative, perfect for social distancing. “Everybody kept contacting us on Facebook and email and phoning and saying, ‘Well, you should be able to open because of course we're sitting in the car, and we won't get out,’” says Kevin Marshall, who has owned the Skylight Drive-In in Pembroke with his wife, Kathy, since 2014. “It seemed to me that, under the provincial regulations, a drive-in really was the best and safest way to go, and I figured that the government would get to that point, too.”

---

To read the full story, visit TVO.org

Sarah and Ben's 2020 farm wedding

Reflecting on the year that has passed, it’s easy to think of all the moments we missed, all the celebrations we would have had and all the people we wish we were with. I have been shooting weddings for over 5 years now and my heart broke for all those couples who had to cancel their celebrations this year. As it turns out, I ended up only shooting one wedding in 2020 and I couldn’t be happier that it was this one. 

Following the news of the pandemic, our friends Sarah and Ben decided to downsize their wedding and move it into their backyard. Sure it wasn’t exactly what they had planned on, but it was absolutely beautiful. 

Despite the loved ones we're missing and the celebrations we couldn’t have, looking at these photos, it is impossible to do anything but smile at these two beautiful souls and the happiness dripping off of them. 

I hope your 2020 turned out a little something like their wedding: not exactly as planned but beautiful all the same. 

Sarah, Ben & Willow,
Thank you for being in our lives. We love you!

Rematriate: Passing the Seeds

In the spring of 2019, Ratinenhayén:thos, a group of seed savers and farmers Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, rematriated a collection of heirloom seeds from the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul, in Kingston, Ontario. In the time leading up to the rematriation*, the two groups shared knowledge of the collection, agricultural practices and solidified their commitment to one another and, most importantly, to the seeds.

“What’s special about this collection to our people is the fact that the whole collection originated out of Napanee and because we were a strong agricultural community, there’s a good chance that some of those seeds, or maybe even all of them, came from here. Since the ‘70s, these 300 varieties were grown together like a family, and that could possibly end next year, but it likely won’t because of the interest that people have shown in receiving a replication of the collection,” says Ratinenhayén:thos member, Janice Brant.

The seed sanctuary in Kingston has been cared for by the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul since 1999. 2018 was their last growing season of this collection of seeds, which has close to 300 varieties corn, bean, squash, tomatoes, flowers and herbs. Most of these seeds have been grown and saved from Foxfire Farm in Napanee, Ont. since 1974.

To symbolize this transition, the two groups spent several months creating the passing the seeds wampum belt**. The Passing the Seeds wampum belt is a record of the agreement, relationship and story of the rematriation of a collection of heirloom seeds from the Sisters of Providence in Kingston to Ratinenhayén:thos, a group of seed savers and knowledge holders, from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. 

The underlying connection that bonds the two groups of women is their spiritual and feminine intrinsic respect and grounding in nature that exists above boundaries of race and religion. The communities are working together to respect two overlapping histories for the common goal of the continuation of our seeds, food and traditions for the next generations. 

“There’s a whole art, science, and spirituality to our food ways that are inclusive of the foods, the medicines, and the seeds,” says Brant.

---

*The term “rematriation” is a reinterpretation of “repatriation”, which is often used to describe the act of giving something back to Indigenous people. By changing the word to rematriation, Ratinenhayén:thos are invoking the importance that clan mothers and women had in caring for these seeds.

**Wampum belts, Quahog shell beads bound on strings, in intricate patterns, are used as a guide to narrate Haudenosaunee history, traditions, laws, and treaties or agreements between groups. 

---

To learn more about Ratinenhayén:thos and the Kenhté:ke Seed Sanctuary:

Bay of Quinte Tourism - Meet the Growers: Kenhté:ke Seed Sanctuary & Learning Centre
https://bayofquinte.ca/tourism/kenhteke-seed-sanctuary/

For information about getting involved with the Kenhté:ke Seed Sanctuary, please visit their website: www.kenhtekeseedsanctuary.com

Rematriate: Passing the seeds - a film by Shelby Lisk
coming soon