Guelph, ON, May 29, 2024 – HAUI and Tracey-Mae Chambers, announced today as the 2024 City of Guelph Artists-in-Residence, will invite the Guelph community into their creative practices with projects that explore past, present and future lived knowledges to create community connections that will deepen and broaden our shared understandings and experiences of the place we call Guelph.
HAUI will explore the true story of Aunt Harriet, a freedom seeker who came to Guelph in the 1880s, found solace in singing, and had connections to the Sisters of St. Joseph’s Hospital. HAUI will collaborate with spoken word poet, artist and musician Ahdri Zhina Mandiela to amplify Aunt Harriet’s voice and celebrate Black femininity and the power of healing. To share Aunt Harriet’s story, HAUI will build community-centered partnerships in research and development and create a multi-media installation in a public space in the City.
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.
The City’s council-appointed Public Art Advisory Committee reviewed 54 submissions for the 2024 Artist-in-Residence program. The record-breaking number of proposals showcased a broad range of collaborative and co-creative projects.
The public can participate in the projects over the summer and throughout the Culture Days celebration taking place from September 20 to October 13. Information on project details, progress and how to participate will be posted to guelph.ca/artistinresidence as it is available.
About the artists
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.
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.
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.
For more information
Zachary Cox, Communications Officer
Strategic Communications and Community Engagement
City of Guelph
519-822-1260 extension 3656
[email protected]