Geneviéve Wallen

What Program did you graduate from, and when?

Criticism & Curatorial Practices (CRCP) Master's in 2015
 

What is your current title or role? (e.g. freelance designer, art practitioner, etc.)

Independent Curator & Writer; Exhibition Coordinator at FOFA Gallery (Faculty of Fine Arts) at Concordia University; Core Member of Younger Than Beyoncé Collective (YTB).
 

Why did you choose to attend OCAD U?

When I made this decision, I was living in Montreal and needed a change of scenery. Compared to studying in the US, this was affordable and allowed me to access a program with a distinctly hands-on approach rather than an extension of an Art Historical degree. Since I already had an undergraduate degree in Art History under my belt, I was more interested in delving deeper into curatorial practice. On paper, the CCP Master's Program was everything I was looking for.

Please briefly describe your current job/practice.

My practice is informed by diasporic narratives, intersectional feminism, intergenerational dialogues, BIPOC alternative futures and subversive healing platforms. My ongoing research focuses on longevity as a methodology for resistance and care work in the arts. My most recent curated exhibition, Made of Honey, Gold, and Marigold (2020), was on view at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa. I have an upcoming exhibition opening at Foreman Art Gallery at Bishop University in Sherbrooke in January 2021.

In my position as Exhibition Coordinator at FOFA Gallery, my job is administratively focused, and I work in tandem with the Director. Some of my tasks include: liaising with artists, students, and members of the Fine Art Faculty, update the gallery's website, send contracts, overseeing the annual undergraduate exhibition with all its moving pieces, produce our monthly newsletter, and promote our shows.

As a YTB collective member, I contribute to grant writing, curating exhibitions, budgeting, strategizing for fundraising, writing exhibition essays, coordinating programming, and facilitating workshops. With Marsya Maharani, a YTB member (and OCADU Alumni), we co-initiated Souped Up. Soup Up is an occasional thematic dinner series conceived to carve spaces for care and support building among BIPOC curators and cultural workers.
 

How did you get started in your career?

For any career in the arts, I believe that there is more than one starting point; it is always a culmination of opportunities.

When I joined YTB in the winter of 2015, I was finishing my master's. So, YTB was a great platform to launch my career. It provided me with many opportunities to broaden my organizational and administrative skills. Via my involvement with YTB, I also learned about

• grant writing,
• jurying a call for submissions,
• handling an exhibition budget,
• running a physical gallery space, which gave me a better understanding of Toronto's artistic ecosystem.

My first paid curatorial contract was with the Nia Centre for the Arts in 2015, for their fourth annual visual art exhibition program called Exposed. Exposed; Solace opened in March 2016, and whilst curating this exhibition, I applied the knowledge I was parallelly gaining with YTB. This opportunity provided insights into the role of a Guest Curator with its limitations and uncertainties. Moreover, I had the pleasure of working with Pamela Edmonds. She was assigned to me as a mentor for the duration of this project.

My hiring at Xpace Cultural Centre in 2016 (for a three-year contract) as a Programming Coordinator was a significant turning point in my career. Not only I landed a job opportunity ensuring financial security and benefits, but I worked with fantastic individuals. It was a very formative space for me to further all the skills I had been building since graduating. Through my position, I had the chance to reflect on my priorities as a cultural worker, while affirming where and when I was willing (or not) to work for free. I did my best to respect my work-life balance and not losing sight of the invisible emotional labour involved in the arts and culture. And more importantly, I was faced with working harder to manage my time, trying to effectively juggle a full-time position while maintaining independent projects/contracts.
 

What were your policies regarding internships, volunteering, and paid work?

I am not comfortable with the notion of unpaid internships, especially when they span many months. Volunteering in the arts can be rewarding. However, it is essential that a reciprocal relationship can be established. In the context of YTB, we relied heavily on volunteers to run the gallery. Although we did our best to figure out how to conduct a fair exchange of services with our volunteers, we still showed appreciation for their time by sharing our resources. The arts and culture rely heavily on free labour, and so, in participating in that transactional relationship, it is important to negotiate what makes sense for you, given your circumstances. Ensure that you are investing your time in a space where you feel welcome, that values your skills and opinions.  

Xpace has a "no unpaid labour" policy, and so I think that during my time there, I radicalized myself on this matter. I am also against internships for-credit since you are still paying for your enrollment. This kind of situation is precarious as you have to juggle unpaid training, a paid job to pay tuition and bills and attend classes. It only works out well if you are privileged enough to not have to worry about income.

But do not get me wrong, I fundamentally believe in giving time for cause serving our collective well-being. Just not as much in the arts.
 

What do you enjoy most about your work? What is the most challenging aspect of your work?

I love that within a curatorial practice, I can connect with creatives who are just as passionate as I am about the themes we are exploring together. Collaborating with different practitioners gives space for ideas to evolve into a complex concept.   It is a very stimulating occupation, and I get to go down in research rabbit holes. Folks are coming to a subject matter with references that differ from mine, and it's exciting. To be honest, artists blow my mind every time! I am fascinated by how they process information into their works. Moreover, I am deeply appreciative of the bonds that can be created through those interactions. There is an opportunity to develop friendships and long term collaborators.

I find that navigating that the guest curator's position is challenging because of financial and emotional precariousness. I also find it challenging to respect my work boundaries and keep away from the burn out culture. Furthermore, the scarcity mentality plaguing the field is a slippery mindset to work from, especially when identifying as a practitioner working from the margins.
 

What skills or relationships developed at OCAD U helped you participate in your field? Is there anything you would have done differently?

ANDREA FATONA. ANDREA FATONA. ANDREA FATONA. ANDREA FATONA. ANDREA FATONA.

Having Andrea Fatona as a thesis supervisor opened many doors. It also ensured that I had the needed support to create an exhibition project that responded to my concerns at the moment. She provided excellent mentorship that I do not think I would receive from any other Tenure-Track Professors at OCAD U, which relates to systemic racism. What happens when you are a Black student and need specific knowledge and feedback? I felt very fortunate to have someone like Fatona to guide me through my thesis curatorial project. Furthermore, Fatona's conference State of Blackness: From Production to Presentation (a two-day interdisciplinary conference, presented in the Fall of 2014), introduced me to several individuals who supported my professional growth in Montreal and Toronto.

I also enjoyed being a Graduate Student Representative at the OCAD Student Union (OCADSU).

This was a very positive environment to attempt to make the changes I wanted to see at OCADU. Such as meeting the (then) Student Advocate, Robin Fraser to suggest guidelines with greater care for students within the context of supervisors and supervisee relationship at the graduate level. Besides, through the student union, I had my first jury experience in the arts. Members of the SU are implicated in the process of Xpace's general call for submissions. This generated an ongoing relationship with Xpace's staff, which gave me the confidence to apply to their recent graduate summer residency on Gibraltar Island in 2015, and subsequently, the drive to pursue the Programming Coordinator position.

In the Graduate Program, we had dedicated office staff who would fend for us. They were Angela Keeley, Brian Desrosiers-Tam and Darryl Bank. Brian helped me as a Student Representative when I was working on putting motions forward. With Brian's help, I fought for a graduate student lounge. One initiative that emerged from that was the Common Room, an event hosted every third Thursday of the month where Graduate students across disciplines and programs could meet, exchange, and unwind.
 

What are the key responsibilities you maintain for your practice?

Caretaking is the first that comes to mind. Its definition and application have been evolving in my practice over the years. And anything from administration, time-management, learning to say no, working with integrity, to prioritizing racialized folks in my collaborations are part of my responsibilities.

My pieces of advice are; don't stress out on goals that are defined through age, because it is never too late for anything. If you turn down an opportunity that seems to be a once-in-a-lifetime chance because your gut is telling you otherwise, there will be something better. The right occasion will show up for you. Each project has a different learning curve, and you will continue to learn. Set work boundaries early in your career. Burning out is not a rewarding step in your practice; it's hard to bounce back from.

You are worth more than you think.

What are your personal and professional goals for the coming years?

Thanks to Whitney French, I am tackling my dream to write books. I just started to work on a curatorial handbook for emerging curators focusing on reflections by racialized practitioners in Canada. Also, YTB is still growing and evolving, so this will also be part of my future.