Our project focuses on the particular ideas of 18 emerging artists, all working in tandem under the name Playground Collective to produce a group exhibition, book, website, and artist multiples. We come from a wide variety of backgrounds and practices, working with different mediums and within varying conceptual frameworks. Having met in ARTX, a rare example of a truly interdisciplinary program in the Department of Studio Arts at Concordia–where artists from different majors have the opportunity to work alongside each other–we wished to further pursue this community outside of the context of class and create a public-facing project. Working together to tackle the production of this project, we have divided ourselves amongst different committees, each responsible for 5 elements of our project; Grants & Fundraising, Book Design, Website & Publicity, Exhibition & Curatorial, and Artist Multiples.
As a collective, we are finding purpose as artists who are coming to terms with a world undergoing overwhelming change at a breakneck speed. Our attention is on understanding the shifting landscapes and communities we occupy, the instability of the present moment, and imagining alternative futures. Going further, we aim to use this collective show as a strong community-building effort. We believe that in this time where arts, culture and higher education in Montréal, and at large in Canada, are being de-funded and de-prioritized, building accessible communities and networks of artists is of the utmost importance and will make an ongoing web of sustainable social, professional, and cultural resources. Once built, these structures can be used for collective growth as artists and individuals, as well as networks of mutual aid and support.
In content, artists in our Collective explore themes of environmental damage linked to the effects of the Anthropocene, diaspora and memory, the erosion of community, and analysis of the ways in which we can piece ourselves back together during and after disaster. Others consider a reconnection with ritual retreat, the existence of a collective unconscious, and grief. Among us, many explore alternative methods of gathering and creating the mediums used in their work, such as using recycled or re-purposed materials and creating their own natural dyes and pigments. Our artists work in a wide range of practices including but not limited to video, painting, drawing, performance, sculpture and installation. In action, we invite any member of the Concordia community and public to visit our planned exhibition, at Emergence Gallery, March 27-30, 2026, on Crescent Ave, which is local to Concordia’s downtown campus. The proximity of our exhibition to campus is intentional: we want students to feel welcome to come and engage with these topics between or after classes. We took pains to find an off-campus space free of charge so our funds can go into a website and book, which increases the accessibility of our work not only over time, but also to be held in hand and at home. This book as well as a table distributing artist multiples will be at the disposition of the community at different moments of the project process, both before and during the exhibition (see timeline).
As emerging artists, many of us have limited amounts of real-world experience in the arts. This project will give students the opportunity to work with and understand the more bureaucratic elements of the art world. It provides emerging artists the opportunity to familiarize themselves with and to feel more confident engaging with the broader arts community. Empowering our organising as a collective means we can continue to teach others what we learn in future, rallying a new generation of artists ready for this changing world. We hope that our project will encourage our peers to explore similar group working-models and contribute to the creation of larger long-term networks and communities. With an exhibition space already secured and our individual artworks nearing completion, we are in need of funding to support the website and book portions of our project. These portions are infinitely important to the furthering of our goal of creating something accessible, democratized and with the potential to be far-reaching and long-standing.
YEARS FUNDED
2025
AMOUNT ALLOCATED
$2,500