A New Space for Art Discussion
By: Claire Lamb, Production Assistant.
As a member of the production crew for this year’s festival I was prepared for the labour-intensive elements of the job. I knew that the long, odd, and somewhat unpredictable hours in the sun were what I had signed up for and that was what I was excited for. What I had not anticipated however were the personal and genuine interactions with each of the artists that the festival has allowed the opportunity for. I don’t think there is a single intern at the Works who hasn’t had a good individual conversation with at least one of the artists involved.
As a resident of Edmonton for several months out of the year I try to be as involved in the arts community as possible. Attending exhibitions, artist talks and slowly starting to recognize faces among the crowds is what I had become used to. As rewarding as that can be, it’s an entirely different environment for talking about art. Being a part of the Works Team felt like I was suddenly equipped to talk with the artists about the inner-workings and behind the scenes elements of the exhibitions in spaces that I couldn’t before. Especially during the pre-festival set up of the exhibitions on the legislature grounds. Whether it was transporting installation pieces for Kasie Campbell, moving all of Emmanuel Osahor’s plants for In Search of Eden from The Works Office to site or driving Yong Fei Guan’s sculptures across town; we were all physically involved in putting these exhibits together and it was humbling to get that recognition from each of the artists involved.
Even though we are all at different points in our artistic careers, we are all continually learning from each other and it really felt like we were all part of one large team.
About the author: Claire Lamb is a visual arts student, currently in her third year of studies at the Augustana campus of the University of Alberta in Camrose, Alberta. She has been an active participant of the Strathcona County Art scene for the past 5 years and her works have been chosen to be a part of the County’s temporary art collection on two occasions. She was awarded a Fine Arts scholarship for her entrance portfolio into the U of A and a continuing Fine Arts scholarship for her work at the end of her second year in the program. She has a keen interest in the theatre community and hopes to translate her skills as a visual artist to theatre design following her degree.