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Forest City Gallery Welcomes New Executive Director
Forest City Gallery is excited to welcome Londoner Adi Berardini to the role of Gallery Executive Director. Adi Berardini (she/they) is an artist, writer, and editor. She has an MA in Art History from Western University and a BFA in Cultural + Critical Practice from Emily Carr University. She is the founder and editor of the publication Femme Art Review, which provides space for women and LGBTQ2S+ writers to reflect on art and culture. You can find more of her writing through Femme Art Review, VANDOCUMENT, LIVE Biennale, and Issue Mag. Their illustrations have also been published in Free Lit Magazine and EVENT Magazine.In the spirit of introducing them into this new role, Adi and departing ED Ruth Skinner recently carried out the following conversation. RS: Hello Adi! I would like to say formally that it's truly exciting that you'll be taking the helm of FCG in the Executive Director role. Would you give us a little background about your relationship with London and the arts communities here, and your history with FCG? AB: Thank you for the warm welcome, Ruth! I am from London, Ontario, and went to H.B. Beal Secondary. I moved back here around 6 years ago after studying in Vancouver at Emily Carr University of Art & Design. I was on the Board of Directors at Forest City Gallery from 2019-2021. I was a Member at Large and the Volunteer and Membership Coordinator. I learned a lot about Artist-Run Centres and enjoyed connecting with other artists in London and beyond through being involved with FCG. It was such a valuable experience! I also run a publication called Femme Art Review and we recently had our 5th anniversary party at Forest City Gallery this past August. I appreciate the space that Forest City Gallery provides for artists and creatives in the city. You already juggle so many roles: artist, advocate, publisher, and community builder. From your publisher position, you’ve created in Femme Art Review an important publication for centering women and LGBTQ2S+ perspectives. This is an incredible achievement that blends art and culture, as well as theory and practice, into accessible conversations and texts. It’s a beacon of community building that reflects your day-to-day involvement in the community. Can you speak a bit as to why it felt like a good time to move into a leadership role with FCG? How do you see some of your existing roles and passions enfolded into this new position? That’s a great question. Although I hope to continue Femme Art Review in the capacity I can, I felt a bit at a crossroads with it. I feel like by moving into this role at Forest City Gallery, I will be able to collaborate with artists and support their artistic practice in a different way which intrigues me. Although working on Femme Art Review is quite collaborative it’s often through either email or video chat. Also, a lot of the art writing and interviews I do are engaging with artists about an exhibition after or during their current show has been up. In this position, I look forward to supporting artists to help bring their artistic vision to life in the earlier stages of this process. Read the rest of Adi and Ruth's conversation on our website.
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Hear Here: Brian Ruryk, Goon, Nudes, and the Gloved Rats
Saturday, July 6th8PM$5 at the door
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FCG’s daytime hours are on pause until our July 11th opening (see below), but we’re looking forward to returning with our July 6th Hear Here, guest curated/programmed by Sophia Rose and featuring avant garde, harsh noise and electronic noise from London and Toronto! Brian Ruryk (Toronto avant garde) Brian Ruryk has been manipulating the concepts of sound since the 80s. Free jangled guitar notes spray over a live collage of junk percussion & chaos. Tape samples squeal out amongst herky jerky clatter of Ruryk’s eclectic set up. Much like the coming together of puzzle pieces in a way in which they do not fit, then experiencing the process in which the puzzler, instead of sorting the pieces, just cuts & mangles them to create a new image. Nudes (London Harsh Noise)Nudes are an experimental duo out of London, Ontario. Their sound spans from harsh noise to ambient clicks and hums, flirting with power electronics and noisecore.GoonGoon are a gooncore electronic noise duo from London, Goontario. The Gloved RatsFeaturing a debut set from The Gloved Rats, a contemporary-experimental-electro-electronica INM (Intelligent N.O.R.K Music) collective. To say the least, the gloved rats have a very eclectic discography, ranging from a cry for help “N.O.R.K”, to the descent into madness called “Descent Into Madness.” Forest City Gallery’s Hear Here series is generously supported by Chris and Lina Bowden through the Cambia Development Foundation. |
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Image courtesy of Lucas Morneau.
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Queer Newfoundland Hockey League (QNHL)
Lucas MorneauJuly 11 - August 22, 2024Opening Reception July 11, 7-9 PM
Queer Newfoundland Hockey League (QNHL) is a fictional hockey league made up of 14 teams, all of which use pejoratives used against the 2SLGBTQIA+ community as team names. QNHL uses these pejoratives to reclaim the words often used against queer individuals both on and off the ice. These pejoratives, such as sissy and fag, are also often used against individuals who do not conform to the hegemonic masculinity often assigned to sports – teammates often cannot be emotional, cannot draw attention to themselves, nor talk about personal issues without fear of reprisal.
Each jersey is hand crocheted and rughooked, using craft practices often delegated as “women’s work”. Some jerseys are rughooked using pantyhose worn by drag performers, referencing the history of rughooking in Newfoundland and the Grenfell Mission’s use of stockings from women around rural communities in the province.
The jerseys are paired with 10 crochet goalie masks, stylized as doilies. These goalie doilies reference the introduction of the goalie mask and its first full-time NHL user Jacques Plante, who was ridiculed and mocked for wearing a mask after sustaining serious injuries during a game. Many players and fans questioned Plante’s bravery and dedication to the game due to his mask.
QNHL, by reclaiming these pejoratives, aims to deconstruct homophobia in sports and sports culture and critique the existing hegemonic masculinity in sports culture. By bringing awareness to the toxic elements of the current hegemonic masculinity, QNHL aims to create a new, positive, and accepting masculinity for sports enthusiast.
This work has been supported by ArtsNL.
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Upcoming Events, Calls and OpportunitiesModern Fuel Call for Submissions for Syphon 9.0: Rituals(Deadline July 5) Opening Reception: The Landscape Show, Westland Gallery(July 6, 1-3PM) Opening Reception: 33rd Annual Pride London Festival Art Show, TAP(July 6, 6:30 - 9:30) Hear Here: Hear Here: Brian Ruryk, Nudes, Goon, The Gloved Rats, Forest City Gallery(July 6, 8PM) Print London - TOMPE2024 Submission Call (deadline July 8) Canada Council for the Arts - Strategic Innovation Fund: Seed Grants(Deadline July 10) Opening Reception: Lucas Morneau, Queer Newfoundland Hockey League (QNHL), FCG(July 11, 7-9PM) Opening Reception: Seven Morabito, Reverie - Dark Spots Painting, Good Sport Gallery(July 12, 7-9PM) Opening Reception: Ben Benedict, Variations In Landscape, Satellite Gallery(July 18, 5-7PM)
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Our mailing address is:1025 Elias Street, London, Ontario, N5W 3P6, Canada FCG's programs and exhibitions are free and accessible to all thanks to the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, London Arts Council, and the London Community Foundation. We are grateful to our artists, members, volunteers, donors, and community partners. Our operations rely on your generous and dedicated support. Please consider becoming a member of FCG.For information on our programming, or for other general inquiries please contact the gallery at info@forestcitygallery.com Copyright © 2023 Forest City Gallery. All rights reserved.You received this email because you subscribed to our list. You can unsubscribe at any time.
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