FCCS alumna Heather Leier will be the next Artist in Residence in Studio 111, located in the Rotary Centre for the Arts.
Heather Leier graduated with her BFA at UBCO’s FCCS in 2012, and went on to pursue her MFA in printmaking at the University of Alberta. She now resides in Corner Brook Newfoundland and continues to work on her art practice.
From May to August, Heather will travel by vehicle from Corner Brook, Newfoundland to Vancouver, BC and back with the purpose of conducting phenomenological research for her project On Being Young Woman. By wearing solely a uniform labeled “Young Women” as she exists with, travels through, and intervenes in a variety of Canadian cities and rural spaces, Heather will explore the ways she is labeled and how her age and gender affect her specific experiences and understandings of place.
Throughout June, Heather will occupy Studio 111 with her findings as she considers her Canadian travel experience through the organization of the Young Lady’s Archive of Canadian Experience.
Studio 111 is supported by the University of British Columbia Okanagan Faculty of Creative & Critical Studies and co-organized by the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art. Toby Lawrence, a PhD student in FCCS, has been working over the last eight months to bring activities into this space that are not confined to the parameter of conventional art galleries.
“In Kelowna, exhibition and project space for emerging artists is very limited. Studio 111 provides an important public platform for exhibition, experimentation, and arts-based research.” Says Lawrence. “Throughout June and July, Studio 111 will be occupied by UBCO alumni and current graduate students: Heather Leier, Mariel Belanger, and a collaboration between Krista Arias, Lindsay Harris, and Juana Ochoa.”
Until June 24, the public will have the opportunity to speak directly to Leier about the latest developments in her project, On Being a Young Woman, and her experiences travelling across the country, framed by the project’s intentions. Leier welcomes ongoing dialogue, and will host Open Studio hours from 12-3pm, Tuesdays to Thursdays.
For more information, contact Toby Lawrence, curator/facilitator at ubcostudio111@gmail.com
Studio 111, Rotary Centre for the Arts, 111-421 Cawston Ave., Kelowna, BC