Mark your calendars for a series of professional development workshops to discuss trends and issues in self-representation, digital art and career development. Our panelists will provide practical advice for emerging artists looking for opportunities of growth and mentorship.

From in person exhibitions to virtual residencies and digital platforms, the range of opportunities available to emerging artists seems to only increase by the day. While all engagements can be fruitful experiences, they require artists to plan and have defined goals for a sustainable career. Join our panelists Rebecca Carbin, Lauren Wetmore and Paola Poletto for a discussion moderated by Meghan Yuri Young about how to make the most out of any exhibition, event or residency engagement plan.

In this conversation, our panelists will share their insights and tackle the following questions:

-          How to create a reasonable career path?

-          How to reach out to mentors and make the best of their time?

-          How to write about my project?

-          How to create a budget forecast?

-          What to look for in a (self) promotional strategy?

Speakers:

• Rebecca Carbin is Principal and Founder of ART + PUBLIC UnLtd, a unique curatorial art consultancy specializing in the strategic development and implementation of public facing art programs and projects in cities across Canada and the U.S. Prior to setting up ART + PUBLIC, Rebecca established Waterfront Toronto's award-winning art program, which she managed until April 2018. In 2014 Rebecca founded I Heart Your Work Art Futures, an artwork production concept that brings a quasi-kickstarter approach to contemporary art patronage.  Rebecca holds a Master’s in Contemporary Curating from Goldsmith’s College, UK. 

• Lauren Wetmore is a curator and writer based in Brussels, and Associate Director of Programs for Momus. She has contributed to exhibitions, biennials and commissioning programs internationally including the 2013 Carnegie International (Pittsburgh), Frieze Projects (London), and Meeting Points 8 (Beirut, Brussels, Cairo). She has also held positions at Mudam Luxembourg, The Banff Centre, and the Barbican Art Gallery. Her independent curatorial projects include Contact Tracing at Mudam, Basir Mahmood: I watch you do at the Kunstenfestivaldesarts (Brussels) and The Conversation at AAVC Hangar (Barcelona). She has contributed to publications including Xavier Cha: abduct (MoCA Cleveland) and These Are the Tools of the Present (Sternberg Press). 

• Paola Poletto is Director of Engagement & Learning at the AGO. She oversees the AGO X RBC Emerging Artists residencies, research and workshops, reimagined and expanded in the program’s 11th year. She has worked with 40+ artists since the program’s inception.  Her portfolio supports creative experiences for learners of all ages now and into the future. With a focus on visual arts, material and digital culture, Paola enjoys bringing people and our ideas together on a variety of platforms. Away from the AGO, Paola’s work includes photography, drawing and writing. Her work shifts between DIY and institutional-based practices. In both, she is interested in the representations of collaborative productions where visual constructions are rigorous narratives, exercising multiple points of view. Her work is complemented by doctoral research on the mapping of hybrid group experiences focused on museum staff, audiences and communities. 

Moderator:

• Meghan Yuri Young is a Toronto-based wellness advocate, amplifier and storyteller. She not only writes, speaks and hosts, she also produces, consults and mentors. With a focus on art initiatives and the mental health community — the latter through the founding of The Sad Collective — her goal is to promote happier, healthier lifestyles as well as awareness and activism.