In June of 2023 I was the Artist in Residence at Atelier Circulaire, a prominent printmaking workshop in Montréal, Québec. During this studio residency, I worked on a series of etchings that will be bound into an artist book with my writing and incorporated into my 2024 Graduate Thesis Exhibition at Tandem Press, UW-Madison. This project involves observing dental records and cast impressions, which within this body of work serve as a symbol for extraction at the human-scale and more broadly as a symbol of extraction in the world; altered landscapes, uprooted communities, and the cost of extractive industry. The imagery and traditional techniques used are reminiscent of 18th century surgical and dental manuscripts, however I am pairing my own reflections and prose with the printed copper etchings to embed personal associations and new context. My exhibition of this work will be on view at Tandem Press from April 15th – May 10th, 2024.
During my time at Atelier Circulaire, I received technical support and guidance from the studio team including Jonny Rueda and worked closely with Paule Mainguy, the printer and coordinator of the Intaglio area, to learn alternative adhesion and printing techniques with chine-collé for a complex layered image with Japanese paper. At the end of my time at the atelier, I had an exhibition of my works created while in residence alongside a recently created animated print sequence. My residency period overlapped with the International Printmaking Biennial held in Trois-Rivières, and I was able to attend with Canadian artist, Guy Langevin, as a guide. I met many international artists there whose work I have long admired and visited several other printmaking facilities in Québec. I am incredibly grateful for the support I received through the School of Education Summer Research and Residency Award, which made this experience possible.