Wednesday, May 29: 7:30 to 9 PM
IICSI ImprovLab
MacKinnon Bldg, Room 108
87 Trent Lane, University of Guelph
Guelph Dance Festival Artist, Jillian Peever alongside Guelph’s very own Janet Morton offer a workshop for the community that will connect themes of Jillian’s solo; social isolation and stereotyping from the artist’s experience as a woman, mother, and artist. Through movement, discussion, and making, this workshop will support research around artist-community connections, community building events, and discussions about themes of isolation in our society in a process that feeds creativity and growth.
The workshop will target an adult audience (ages 16 and up). It will begin with a physical warm up suitable for all abilities (16 to 104!) for approximately 20 minutes, then move into a making and discussion component for about 60 minutes. Participants will be offered supplies to begin creating with a cardboard box with the intention of representing parts of their identity that are visible (represented on the outside of the box) and parts of their identity that are more often concealed (items on the inside of the box). The participants may choose to bring their creations home to work on them further with additional materials. They will be encouraged to give their creations back to the organizers before the performance on June 1st to be displayed as a community art installation at the Improv Lab (RM 108 MacKinnon Bldg, 87 Trent Ln, Guelph, ON N1G 1Y4), as part of the presentation of The View From Here at the Guelph Dance Festival.
Jillian Peever has danced in work by several independent choreographers in Toronto, including Peggy Baker, Angela Blumberg, Sylvie Bouchard, Denise Fujiwara, Michael Greyeyes, Sharon B. Moore, and Sasha Ivanachko. In 2021 she founded the not-for-profit organization, The SPACE Upstairs which makes contemporary dance more accessible and relatable in rural Ontario. She juggles motherhood while creating, collaborating, organizing, and teaching. Her artistic development began with six cumulative years of professional training at major dance institutions, plus additional meaningful intensive workshops in Toronto, Montreal, New York, and Austria. She has performed, collaborated, and taught at a professional level, in Calgary, Princeton, and Morocco. Her performance has been recognized through the support of her community, granting bodies, and a Dora Mavor Moore Award for outstanding performance. Since moving to Burk’s Falls she has choreographed, collaborated, and performed for and with The Huntsville Festival of the Arts on multiple projects, The Mag River Nature Hub, the Town of Huntsville, and taught at local public schools.
Janet Morton has been exhibiting across Canada and internationally since 1992. She has received numerous awards and accolades for her work, which playfully and critically examines our relationship to the natural world and everyday objects.
Morton uses knitting and sewing symbolically in her work as blatant low-tech metaphors. With equal measures of empathy and absurdity, Morton combines these stereotypically domestic techniques with reclaimed materials, and explores issues of consumption, value and time.
Additionally Janet Morton has been an important part of our Arts explosion camps over the years. Her passion for expression through art, the creative process and a mindfulness around the environment resonate with children. She has been teaching art to all ages for thirty years, and currently teaches sculpture at University of Waterloo.
By joining this workshop you acknowledge that you are participating in Guelph Dance’s festival workshop series. In the case of injury or accident of any kind during the workshop, neither Guelph Dance (GD) nor volunteer or staff of GD, or workshop leader(s)/artist(s) will be held liable for the occurrence. You hereby release GD, its employees, workshop leader(s)/artist(s), or volunteers from all claims or damage, which may arise out of any loss or personal injury to the participants in this workshop. You also understand that music used in the videos is not property of Guelph Dance and is for educational purposes only.