From major events like Nuit Blanche, to festivals such
as the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, to the diversity of galleries
at 401 Richmond, Toronto is home to an incredibly vibrant
visual arts scene.
William Huffman, TAC/F Associate Director, gives
us a closer look at a local artist-run centre, Trinity
Square Video, just one of many sources available to artists
to showcase their work.
TRINITY SQUARE VIDEO (TSV) is a not-for-profit artist-run
centre that provides artists and community organizations
access to video production support and related services.
Established in 1971, TSV’s production mandate is
complemented by an ongoing program of workshops, screenings,
exhibitions, artist residencies, festival sponsorships
and community partnerships. The organization is a vital
resource for/in the creation of professional works of
video art while playing a key role in the training and
development of emerging video talent. Of particular note
are TSV’s many community partnerships; many of these
initiatives are aimed at providing youth from diverse
backgrounds access to technology and expertise, enabling
them to tell their stories through the video medium. Several
prominent Canadian artists including John Greyson, Lisa
Steele, Ed Sinclair, Michael Balser, Kim Tomczak, Vera
Frenkel and Barbara Sternberg have created video at TSV.
TSV is part of a unique national network of not-for-profit
artist-run centres. These organizations are managed by
a Board of Directors and staff complement; all of whom
are practicing professional artists. TSV is one of 19
artist-run organizations funded on an annual basis through
Toronto Arts Council’s Visual and Media Arts Program.
TSV is currently located on the third floor of 401 Richmond
St. W.
Some recent news: TSV has been exploring the founding
concepts of democracy as expressed in the French revolutionary
slogan Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité
through a unique themed commission program. This trilogy
has turned to the famous slogan as the source of inspiration
and reflects TSV’s mandate and history as a centre
for socially relevant video. To conclude this program,
TSV approached its ‘brother’ organization
Vidéographe in Montréal to partner on the
commissioning of six new videos exploring the concepts
of fraternity and community. These video works also serve
to examine the possibility of a ‘brotherhood’
of artists in Canada – one that might function despite
language differences.
The Fraternité component of the commission premiered
in October 2006 at the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma
in Montréal. The works of Toronto artists Daniel
Cockburn, Michèle Clarke and Andrew J. Paterson
were paired with works by Montréal artists Katherine
Liberovskaya, Frédéric Moffet and Dominic
Gagnon.
For more information about Trinity Square Video visit
www.trinitysquarevideo.com
- William Huffman
William Huffman is the Associate Director of Toronto
Arts Council and Toronto Arts Council Foundation. He is
also an independent curator who has produced exhibitions
of contemporary art locally and abroad.
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