What creative spaces for artists?
As part of her residency at the Guido Molinari Foundation, Fiona Annis is reflecting on the significance of working, in 2024, in the studio bequeathed by Molinari, which he acquired in the 1980s – and in a completely different real estate context.
Jonathan Villeneuve, meanwhile, co-founded the organization Ateliers Belleville with Alexis Bellavance in 2015. In December 2022, Ateliers Belleville acquired 545 Legendre Ouest, bringing to fruition the vision the organization has been pursuing since 2018: the establishment of a mixed, self-managed cultural hub (Le LAB-545) within a building acquired under collective ownership.
Take part in the meeting of these two realities in the form of first-hand accounts, and contribute to the discussion on this special occasion, held in Guido Molinari’s former studio – and Fiona Annis’ temporary one.
Thursday, February 8, 2024, 6 p.m.
Free, no reservation required.
Facebook event: https://fb.me/e/1AOOVblnt.
About
Jonathan Villeneuve is an artist and cultural entrepreneur.
For nearly 20 years, he has been creating installations and public artworks activated by digital and electromechanical technologies. His works move, emit light and produce sound, leaving visitors to surmise their imaginary function. At times subtle, at others prominent, the temporal and technological dimensions are nevertheless always at work.
Holder of a Master’s degree in Open-Media from Concordia University, he has presented his work in a number of venues and events in Quebec (L’œil de poisson; Oboro, B-312; La chambre blanche; Espace Virtuel; Festival de musique actuelle de Victoriaville ; Festival Aires Libre), in Canada (Stride Gallery, Calgary; Grunt Gallery, Vancouver; Eastern Edge Gallery, St-Jean; Galerie Sans Nom, Moncton) and internationally, notably in Norway (Piksel Festival, Bergen), Italy (Festival 404, Trieste) and Germany (KunstKraftWerk, Leipzig, Lab-30, Augsburg). In 2014, he took part in the Triennial of Media Art at the National Museum of Art, Beijing, at the invitation of the Molior organization. Since 2015, he has focused primarily on public art projects, notably for the École de cirque and the new Amphithéâtre de Québec. More recently, he was invited to create permanent works for the Quebec National Assembly and Parc Jean Drapeau in Montreal. The recipient of numerous creative grants, he has also carried out creative residencies in Canada, Finland and Germany. Born in 1980, he lives and works in Montreal.
He also has nearly 15 years’ experience in managing collective workshops for artists and craftspeople.
In 2015, he co-founded the organization Ateliers Belleville with Alexis Bellavance, with whom he has shared general management since its inception. His responsibilities include financial management and strategic development.
Ateliers Belleville (OBNL) is an artistic and social hub for research and creation whose mission is to foster the growth and influence of independent artistic practices through a range of resources dedicated to independent artists and craftspeople in the visual arts and fine crafts (affordable studio spaces, tool and machinery sharing, cultural programming, training and mentoring).
On December 23, 2022, Ateliers Belleville acquired 545 Legendre Ouest, bringing to fruition the vision the organization had been pursuing since 2018, namely the establishment of a mixed, self-managed cultural hub (Le LAB-545) within a building acquired under collective ownership.
Since the beginning of 2023, over 60 new independent artists and craftspeople have joined the organization, which now boasts over 80 occupying members. In less than a year, LAB-545 has already welcomed several visual, performance, dance and audio art productions, as well as student projects from UQAM and Concordia.
Photos: Jezabel Plamondon (left), Mike Patten (right).
