werkwerkwerkwerk-workshops!

I've said it many times before: inspiring others to try collage is one of my very top favourite things. I'm so grateful to Sarah at the Westboro Brainery for reaching out and giving me the chance to host my first workshop so I could see how fun it was.  And, and, and, also so grateful for everyone who's come out to cut and paste with me.

If you've been following my work and want to get in on the fun, I have two more workshops coming up in December!  One will be at the Hashtag Gallery, where I'll be showing my work for the first time in Toronto (!!!), and the next will be back at the awesome Possible Worlds shop in Ottawa.  Follow the links below to register in the city that suits you.  The Ottawa workshop is already nearly half sold out due to the waiting list from last time, so if you missed your chance before, it's time to get on it!  

TORONTO: Hashtag Gallery - Saturday Dec 3, 3:00-5:30 PM
OTTAWA: Possible Worlds Shop - Monday Dec 12, 6:30-9:00 PM

So looking forward to this!

Cornucopia

It's been a fruitful summer of consistent, thoughtful making.  Here's where you can catch me or my work this fall: 

• Teaching a workshop at Possible Worlds on Thursday October 20th.
  Breaking news from shop/art space co-owner Melanie Yugo: the workshop has entirely sold out (nearly within 24 hours of being announced)!!  I'm so grateful to everyone who signed up.  If all goes well, another workshop around Christmas or New Year's is a possibility.  I'll do my best to make sure this is a hit so we can have another.  'Till then, make sure to follow Possible Worlds on facebook to be the first to hear about cool workshops (collage and otherwise) and brilliant art shows.
   
• In the company of six other fantastic local collage artists in my curated show as part of Chinatown Remixed until October 29th
  Curating Improbable Treasures is something I'm incredibly proud of. Seven artists, a spectrum of approaches to collage, a cheeky theme pulled from Patti Smith's M-Train, and a carefully chosen venue in the heart of Chinatown.  The opening was last weekend, but you have until the 29th to catch the show inside Little Latin America (764 Somerset St W). Store hours are 10-6 Monday to Saturday; closed Sundays.
   
• On the walls of one of the best places in Ottawa: The Manx! 
  A week before hanging the group show for Remixed, I hung Small Worlds at the Manx.  It's a solo show of collage explorations created over the summer, most of which dig into my architecture school roots.  It's on until October 16th, and I do hope you'll come join me for a drink that night for the show's closing (there was just too much happening in September to have an opening!). I'll update with a proper event page in the coming days.
  
  I'm going into October feeling pretty accomplished and really proud in the work I put out.  I hope you get a chance to check out these three very different venues and enjoy the exhibits (I'd love to hear what you think!). Now that all this work is out in the world, it's back to cutting and pasting and dreaming up projects for the new year.

Intro to Collage with the Westboro Brainery

Earlier on in the year, Sarah Banks of the Westboro Brainery discovered my #100daysofcutandpaste project on instagram and asked if I'd be interested in leading a workshop on my work.  With a bit of reluctance (anyone who knows me knows public speaking isn't at all my forte), I agreed and began thinking up ways to lead people through my thought and design processes to make minimalist, poetic handcut collages.

By the end of the two hours we had in the Dovercourt Community Centre's art studio, it was safe to say that the sold-out workshop was a success. The participants went home with original works that they'd never have imagined creating, and I was able to share my way of seeing along with some fundamentals of design to a group made up of accountants, nurses, RMTS, Brainery regulars, and the just plain curious - it was a lot of fun!

Since this was the first time I've been in front of an audience since pretty much my Master's close to five years ago, there were definitely nerves for me to get over, and things to learn about leading this particular workshop for next time.  Which brings me to: next time!  I'm so psyched and flattered that there appears to be such a demand for my workshop.  Sarah and I have loosely agreed that I'll be back at the Brainery in the fall for round two - so I hope you follow them on twitter @WestboroBrain to be the first to sign up!  I'm also  exploring more opportunities to host workshops throughout the summer - keep checking in, or follow me on instagram and twitter @kristinasees for the latest on that.  I'm so happy to be sharing knowledge and getting everyone in on the collage fun - looking forward to playing more together!

All photos courtesy Sarah Banks of the Westboro Brainery