In the creative field, having the chance to meet and share ideas with other professionals can be an excellent way to foster inspiration, gain fresh perspectives, and enhance your skills—all something Tobi Asmoucha, an instructor in our Broadcasting and Photography programs, had the chance to experience at a one-week immersion residency led by the Feminist Photography Network (FPN) on Toronto Island’s Artscape Gibraltar Point.
The FPN Island residency was held this past September, but this experience extends back to the summer when Tobi first applied to be part of FPN's new programming. Having known Jennifer Long, one of the co-founders of FPN, for many years, Tobi shares she has been very inspired by FPN’s work and collaborations that they have orchestrated with other women and non-binary photographers. “A couple of years ago, during the pandemic, Jenn visited my class on Zoom to discuss her work and the work of FPN. It was a wonderful experience for the students to hear about a working artist’s practice and how she is working within a community,” she shares.
In the past, other residencies would always be a significant conflict with Tobi’s teaching schedule. This time, despite FPN Island occurring during the second week of September, Tobi explains that she decided to take this scheduling conflict as an opportunity. “FPN supported my ideas to incorporate field trips during the residency and to share knowledge with the students about their collective and residencies.,” she adds.
THE FPN ISLAND EXPERIENCE
Residencies will vary but the common denominator among them is often a sense of the connectedness that can result. This idea is something FPN Co-Founder Jennifer Long highlighted when reflecting on her favourite part of this residency in particular. She shares, “It was exhilarating to see sharing crossing all generations and watching new relationships bloom. There was a constant soundtrack of laughter, and the atmosphere was wonderfully supportive.”
Similarly, Tobi says the community-building aspect of the residency was both supportive and encouraging and explains that this was something she felt she was craving before applying for this residency experience. “Some of my favourite moments were the individual conversations I had with other artists where real connections were made while discussing artistic concerns. I found new people who understood my challenges and learned from feminists who were at different points of life. As a water lover, the swims with the artist at the end of the day were also a true joy,” she shares.
The residency included several workshops, and Tobi says she loved learning new things in her field from a variety of experts. From workshops on alternative processes like cyanotypes and photographs to professional development sessions about public art, curation, hands-on AR with professionals in the industry and more, this opportunity is one Tobi says was very beneficial.
“I also had an amazing one-on-one writing session with Clare Samuel, who is also the co-director and co-founder of FPN,” she adds. “By incorporating my teaching commitments into my time at Artscape Gibraltar Point, it also provided me the opportunity to further a body of work I’ve been developing for many years, which focuses on ferry views and seascapes from the ships.”
Speaking of Tobi's work, she says applying to this residency made her think about a project that has been forming slowly for two decades. Through this residency, she says she could sequence her work prints on a wall and get feedback from many artists. "It was great to get to really know these other inter-generational non-binary and women artists and the conversations and connections were truly magical. I found a supportive community where I could share my creative curiosities and challenges, either in the studio or at the beach. Eating dinner together that had been prepared together kept the conversations going. Having a safe, caring community to share ideas and get feedback from was invaluable."
THE LAUNCH OF FPN ISLAND
FPN, which Jennifer and Clare lead, launched FPN Island after Jennifer attended Artscape Gibraltar Point residencies organized by April Hickox in the past—an experience she says was extremely valuable to her. "I knew that April was looking for sustainable ways to continue this work, and FPN had been considering programming a residency. So, with Canada Council funding and support from Ursula Handleigh, April Hickox and Clare Samuel, we brought it under FPN's programming umbrella. We pulled key elements from April's residencies and brought in aspects that guide our collective." Jennifer explains.
“FPN’s core values are intergenerational and intersectional dialogues, emphasizing support vs competition, using old and new technologies to connect artists, and reimagining and humanizing professional art practice. Bringing this all together, FPN Island aimed to support artists through network building and practical workshops with focuses such as curation, public art, and cyanotypes, to name a few,” she adds.
A TRIP FOR PHOTOGRAPHY STUDENTS
Students in our Photography program visited Artscape Gibraltar Point, where the residency took place, to meet with Jennifer and tour the facility. Jennifer spoke with students about what an artist's residency is, the background of FPN, the different types of galleries, and the process of submitting work to venues and applying to residencies. "It was such practical advice that is invaluable to an emerging artist," Tobi shares. "The students were fascinated by the facility that used to be an old school and were curious about the photographers making phytograms in the courtyard as we passed through. Also, the experience of being on the island, travelling on the ferry, and photographing while we walked for a half hour to and from the residency was ideal."
Reflecting on meeting the students, Jennifer shares, “I always enjoy meeting artists in the early stages of their careers. Tobi’s students were clearly excited to be on the island photographing; it was fantastic to see!”
She continues, “When I was a student, I had mentors who gave me opportunities to grow my practice through real-world opportunities. It can be intimidating to put your work out there, and I believe if you can provide practical information about how to take those first steps, it starts to demystify the process. It gives a starting point, and once you complete a few applications, you notice that although each one may be slightly different, 90% of the information they are asking for is the same. And every time you put your work out there, your proposal gets a little stronger. I also think it’s important to talk about rejections because that is a frequent reality.
We are so glad to hear of Tobi's incredible experience at FPN Island and that students could participate, which added a hands-on component to their learning. To see more photographs by Tobi, be sure to follow her Instagram.
Article by: Alexandra Few
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