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Alberta’s 1st Artist in Residence revealed
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Photo above: Minister Miranda and Alberta’s first Artist in Residence, Lauren Crazybull, in her studio.
Lauren Crazybull is a Blackfoot Dene painter, illustrator and documentarian. Recently, her focus has been working with youth through art. Lauren's work is informed by several years of justice- and Indigenous-related advocacy.
“Congratulations to Lauren on being selected as Alberta’s first Artist in Residence. Lauren is an excellent choice to act as representative and advocate for Alberta’s artists this year. I am very excited to see the results of her work, both in the studio and in Alberta’s communities.”
Ricardo Miranda, Minister of Culture and Tourism
Over the next year, Lauren will:
- travel to communities across Alberta to promote the importance of artists and the arts;
- attend cultural events like Alberta Culture Days and the Lieutenant Governor’s Art Awards; and
- create a painted collage of Alberta using portraits and Indigenous languages to highlight Indigenous stories across the province,
“My practice is heavily informed by volunteering in community radio for years and working with youth in Edmonton’s inner city. I look forward to beginning this residency and meeting artists across Alberta to paint a portrait that threads stories and history together. Being given the opportunity to further pursue and broaden my practice in this way is a great honour and I can’t wait to share the journey and process with everyone.”
Lauren Crazybull, Alberta’s artist in residence
Nearly 100 applications were received in 2018 for the first Artist in Residence position.
The Artist in Residence program is a Canadian first. It was created in response to stakeholder engagement on how the government can support artists.
The position is open to all artists who live in Alberta. Each year, a new artist will be selected through a competitive process.
The position comes with a grant of $45,000 and up to $30,000 in additional funding to help cover travel and material costs. The Artist in Residence term runs from January to the end of December.
This announcement marks the official end of Alberta’s first-ever Month of the Artist, which began January 1. The month recognizes the significant cultural and economic contribution that Alberta artists make to this province.