Bruyère launches Artist-in-Residence Program with a pilot at Saint-Vincent Hospital
05/21/2019
Bruyère’s Artist-in-Residence program aims to improve the quality of life for our patients and caregivers by giving them the opportunity to express themselves creatively. Our artists will work with patients, residents and caregivers, finding ways for people of all levels of ability to participate in the creative process. While providing opportunities to learn about art, we hope to awaken memories of cultural expression, and enhance the physical environment in which our patients and residents are cared for.
Our artist-in-residence: cj fleury
cj fleury is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice includes drawing, shield-making, performance, writing, video and large scale sculpture.
Since 1992, she has completed commissions for twenty permanent public works in Ontario and Quebec including: Ottawa - Lightscape (Blair Station LRT);"Postcards from the Piazzas" (15 bronze and granite sculptures on Preston St); The "Women's Monument against Violence" (Elgin Street); The Dorothy O'Connell Anti-Poverty Activists' Monument (City Hall); and Gatineau - "The Condition of Rosetta Stones" (C.E.G.E.P. Heritage College).These and much of her other work explore the vision and creative potential of non-art groups.
As a cultural researcher / activist, interested in the role of art in contemporary society, cj has also studied anthropology. With this lens, she has focused on collaborative practice and worked to enhance public models of co-creative action. Her groundbreaking community art projects have been taught and researched in universities across North America.
The pilot project at SVH
The first pilot exercise can now be seen on 5S. Much fun was had with Molly Knox, a patient at SVH, and her sisters, as they traced outlines of Molly in her mobility device and Bocar, our tall assistive technologist, then used bright transparent paint colours to fill in their outlines. Where parts of the human shapes overlapped, a new color was created. Each person added to the artwork is a different color, so many more delicate blends of new color become visible. The art was designed to enliven the walls with a beautiful sense of rainbow light, like a prism of connection and kindness. This technique will be experimented with further at Bruyère – brightening our walls, creating opportunity for creative expression, celebrating the strengths and abilities of our patients and residents, and creating a sense of community.
What’s next…
This work is a treat to have at our SVH site, this piece will bring smiles to the many patients, families and visitors on 5S for the duration of its natural lifecycle. We intend to build on the learnings from this pilot and grow it to include multiple sites at Bruyère giving more patients an opportunity to participate in the creative process and enhancing the physical environments in which our patients and residents live and are cared for.