Speak to Me: Curator and Artist VignettesIn the Studio with Kelly Lycan

Griffin Art Projects is excited to present a sneak peek into the studio and practice of Vancouver-based artist Kelly Lycan!

Vancouver-based artist Kelly Lycan will be participating in an artist residency at Griffin Art Projects from September - November 2020, in conjunction with the upcoming exhibition NOW BULLETIN: Artworks, Letters and Printed Matter from the Garry Neill Kennedy Collection 1968 – 2019.

Throughout her residency, Lycan, in partnership with Artists for Kids, will lead a three-part mini course as part of Griffin Art Projects' Youth Mentorship Program. The course, titled Projects +: Repurposing the 'Projects Class' of 1968-1972, will ask students to engage with and respond to conceptual art ideas from the 60’s and 70’s, as well as to Griffin’s exhibition, which will archive and display some of these concepts.

This course presents participants with a thoughtful introduction to the world of contemporary conceptual art and invites students to embrace a collaborative, experimental and socially engaged approach to artmaking, while also following physical distancing protocol. Over the course of three Saturdays, students will work towards a final exhibition to be presented at Griffin Art Projects in January 2021.

This course is partially based on David Askevold's Projects Class that was originally taught at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design from 1969-1972. It was known for its innovative approach to engaging visiting artists with students enrolled in the curriculum. Askevold invited artists to submit projects that he and his students would then carry out. Projects + Class will address the model of the original course as well as engage with Garry Neill Kennedy's personal art collection as seen in the exhibition Now Bulletin. Students will spend time with his work and collection experiencing the importance of interpersonal relationships to artmaking.