Writer-in-Residence at Est-Nord-Est

I was the Writer-in-Residence for the fall residency at Est-Nord-Est (ENE), an artist-run centre in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec that hosts an international community of artists and authors in contemporary art. Situated in a small village on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, the residency offers a great opportunity for artistic experimentation and research in a unique setting with a rich history.

ENE began with the idea of facilitating encounters between contemporary artists and the traditional artisans of the region, and now ENE welcomes contemporary visual-arts artists from all disciplines. It also encourages writing about contemporary art through its writer's residency. There are three residency periods, offered in the spring, summer, and fall, and they usually bring together four artists and one author in contemporary art. 

For my residency, the artists were: Jennifer Belair, a printmaker from Detroit; Sophie Jaillet, a conceptual artist from Montréal; Christoph Mügge, an installation artist from Malmö; and Céline Struger, a sculptor from Vienna. 

L-R: Sophie Jaillet, Jennifer Belair, Christoph Mügge, Céline Struger, Michael Davidge

During my time in Saint-Jean-Port Joli, I conducted studio visits with the artists-in-residence and prepared a text on the residency for a future issue of Est-Nord-Est's publication, Mémento. I was also working on my own research project, entitled “Further to an Aesthetic Education.” The project is an exploration of the relationship between aesthetics, education, and politics that takes Friedrich Schiller’s On the Aesthetic Education of Man as a source of inspiration. My residency ran from October 9 to November 3, 2017, and I gave an artist talk during the open house on the night of October 26, 2017.