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Two artists have been announced as the 2024 City of Guelph Artists-in-Residence, HAUI and Tracey-Mae Chambers. Both artists will invite community into their creative practices over the summer months and throughout Culture Days, taking place September 20 to October 13.
Introducing the 2024 Artists-in-Residence
HAUI
HAUI is a Stratford-based award-winning mixed-media artist, who directs, devises and designs cross-disciplinary works for stage, screen and visual mediums. Known for rejecting categorizations, HAUI amplifies overlooked themes, myths, histories and perspectives through an unconventional, diverse lens.
HAUI will explore the true story of “Aunt” Harriet Miller, who lived in the Sisters of St. Joseph’s Hospital for almost a decade in her senior years. At the time of her passing in 1932, Harriet had lost her memory and immediate family, leaving many details about her life unknown. Through collaborative research* and an interpretive exploration, HAUI will use spoken word and surrealism to evoke the experience of memory loss, while illuminating understandings of Harriet’s life and creating a connection between the past and present. HAUI will collaborate with spoken word poet, artist and musician Ahdri Zhina Mandiela to amplify Harriet’s voice and celebrate the power of Black healing. Harriet’s story will be shared through a multi-media installation in a public space in the city during Culture Days.
Research contributed by scholars Dr. Jade Ferguson and Deirdre McCorkindale, St. Joseph’s Health Centre, and Guelph Museums.
Tracey-Mae Chambers
Tracey-Mae Chambers is a Toronto-based artist and proud citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario, creating site-specific installations. Deeply influenced by her personal history, Chambers’ installations invite audiences to contemplate identity, belonging, decolonization and reconciliation. Since discovering her Métis heritage in adulthood, Chambers has embarked on a quest for harmony with the natural world, where she found solace in the vessel as a metaphor for individual journeys, continually filling and refilling one’s narrative.
Tracey-Mae Chambers will bring her #HopeAndHealingCanada project back to Guelph. Since 2021, Chambers has created #HopeAndHealingCanada installations across the country. For the Artist-in-Residence program, she will engage the Guelph community in conversations centered in truth and reconciliation through community weaving workshops and pop-up textile installations for all to enjoy. Chambers also plans to involve local sewing, knitting and crochet groups, as well as the Métis Nation of Ontario Grand River Métis Council.
Culture Days Artists-in-Residence events
Join the artists in their final events of their residencies during Guelph’s Culture Days!
Tracey-Mae Chambers: Artist Talk and Single-Day Exhibition
Sunday, September 22, 1–4 p.m., location to be announced. Tracey-Mae Chambers will present an artist talk and single-day exhibition of the community weavings created throughout her residency. Attendees are welcome to drop by between 1–2 p.m. or 3–4 p.m. to meet and mingle with the artist and view the community weavings, and to stay for the artist talk starting at 2 p.m. to learn about her #HopeAndHealingCanada project which centers identity, decolonization, and reconciliation. Register for the free Tracey-Mae Chambers Artist Talk and Single-Day Exhibition
HAUI: Opening Reception and Artist Panel
Thursday, October 3, 6–8 p.m., St Joseph’s Health Centre Guelph. Join HAUI at an opening reception and artist panel for “Amplifying Harriet Miller’s Voice: A Celebration of Femininity, Blackness, and Healing”. The evening will showcase the first screening of the multi-media project, co-produced by b current and produced by Public Domain Theatre x HAUI, that explores the true story of “Aunt” Harriet Miller. The opening panel will feature HAUI and collaborator Ahdri Zhina Mandiela, along with contributors from the Guelph Black Heritage Society and St. Joseph’s Health Centre Guelph, who will share Harriet Miller’s story and discuss memory loss, Black history and healing, and how the project came to be.
The exhibition will be open for all to drop in, experience, and reflect on, October 4-5 (9 a.m.–4 p.m.) and October 6 (11:30 a.m.–4 p.m.). Register to attend the free HAUI Opening Reception and Artist Panel.
How to participate in the 2024 Artists-in-Residence projects
Tracey-Mae Chambers #HopeAndHealingCanada
Community weaving events
Join Tracey-Mae in the starting conversations about reconciliation by participating in a community weaving. Add your favorite colour from the provided pre-cut pieces and weave our community together!
Drop-in round 4” weaving events
Participate in drop-in round weaving and weave a 4’’ round you can take home! Adult accompaniment required for children under 16. All supplies are provided.
#HopeAndHealingCanada upcoming event
- September 16: Royal City Park near the gazebo.
- 1:30-5:30 p.m., Community weaving
#HopeAndHealingCanada event date archive
- June 23: Rockwood Conservation Area
- July 6: Guelph Civic Museum
- July 7: Rockwood Conservation Area
- July 13: Guelph Public Library, West End Branch
- July 14: Art Gallery of Guelph
- July 21: Hillside Festival
- August 24: Guelph Public Library, Westminster Square Branch
- August 30: Cinema in the City, Riverside Park
About the Artist-in-Residence program
The City of Guelph offers the Artist-in-Residence program to broaden the community’s experience of the arts, inviting artists to engage with the public and showcase their creative practices while animating public spaces. The program aligns with the vision of Guelph’s Culture Plan, fostering innovation through creativity, curiosity and collaborative expression.
Each spring, a public Call to Artists is issued for Expressions of Interest in the program. Artists and art collectives working in all mediums and modes of expression are encouraged to apply. The proposals are juried by the Public Art Advisory Committee, and shortlisted candidates are invited to submit a more detailed proposal for consideration and final selection of the successful artist(s). Artists-in-Residence develop and deliver a project that includes public engagement throughout the summer months and during Culture Days in the fall.
For more information
For questions and interest in the projects, please contact:
Cultural Programs & Events Coordinator
Museums & Culture, Public Services
City of Guelph
[email protected]