Dr. Devon Smither Receives Funding to Study Legacy of Artist-Run Centres in Canada

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Devon Smither

University of Lethbridge Faculty of Fine Arts Associate Dean Dr. Devon Smither has been awarded a major grant to study the legacy and impact of artist-run centres in Canada.

Smither has received more than $300,000 from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council for her work, Parallel: The History and Archives of Artist-Run Centres in Canada.

“Smither, along with Dr. Amber Berson (Concordia University) and a research team from across Canada, will investigate the histories of ARCs in Canada through research in archives, oral histories and institutional records,” according to the news release.

“Artist-run centres emerged in the late 1960s and 1970s, providing essential opportunities for artists, fostering alternative exhibition practices and have been at the forefront of promoting equity and diversity in the arts. 

“ARCs play a crucial role in building regional arts communities and often feature dematerializing practices such as performance, conceptual and video art. Despite their significant impact, researchers say the histories of ARCs have been marginalized in modern art history, museum and cultural studies.”

The project aims to honour the legacy of the country’s artist-run centres and maintain them for future generations. 

Smither notes in the release that artist-run centres “have historically been at the forefront of promoting equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility, reflecting conversations gaining prominence in the global contemporary art world.”

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 “While artist-run centres have been central to the development of the arts in Canada — they are the connective tissue between artists from across this huge country, to borrow A.A. Bronson’s words — very little has been written about their history, certainly not in a comprehensive way,” Smither said. 

Source: University of Lethbridge

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