September 5, 2024: How do words and music make a space come alive? 

A new multimedia public art initiative integrating works by Indigenous artists Deantha Edmunds and Douglas Walbourne-Gough, invites reflection on place, meaning, community and belonging.

Singer-composer Deantha Edmunds and poet Douglas Walbourne-Gough will kick off the next season of the ‘What is Somewhere?’ series about place, headlining a workshop on Wednesday September 11^th, about how different forms of art can animate place. The pair have been collaborating with visual artist and recent Grenfell Master of Fine Arts grad Erienne Rennick on a public art piece

The work graces the balcony at Grenfell’s Fine Arts Building that had been closed to the public for decades and has now been restored and re-opened.

The new artwork features Walbourne-Gough’s haunting poem “Herd,” from the forthcoming book “Island” (Goose Lane Editions), in conjunction with “Returning,” a new musical composition from Edmunds. Rennick undertook the visual design and creation, while the audio was produced by Louis McDonald at 62 Broadway.

Organized by Grenfell Fine Arts Dean Peter Ride, the Somewhere? series is designed to engage the community about the meaning of place and spaces, and fosters connections through dialogue and arts practice on themes of culture, creativity, and belonging. 

“When artists place work somewhere, it gives us a way to connect with stories, emotions, or values that we might not otherwise think about,” said Dr. Ride. “Having work by two Indigenous artists on the balcony is especially significant because it reminds us, as we stand there looking out across the city, about the complex cultural landscape and heritage of the area in which we live.”

At the workshop, the artists will be joined by Jenny Brake, artist and Interim Chief, Qalipu First Nation, and Nigel Jenkins, owner and manager, 62 Broadway, for a lively conversation about public art, place, and community belonging.

Following the workshop, all are welcome to join a campus celebration to officially launch the balcony and unveil the public art piece.

 

Details:

• Workshop September 11^th: 3:30-6:00pm (Doors at 3:30, Start at 4:00) – RSVP here
• Campus celebration September 11^th: 6:00-8:00pm (remarks at 6:30pm) - Facebook event page

 

This project is made possible thanks to support from Memorial University's Office of Public Engagement and SiteLines, a collaboration between Research and Graduate Studies at OCAD University (ocadu.ca) and the Canada Council for the Arts, supporting BIPOC artists. We are grateful for the support of Grenfell’s Office of Engagement and the Marketing and Communications team, and local sponsors 62 Broadway and Colemans. The Somewhere? series was launched in partnership with the Rotary Arts Centre.