Listener in Residence
Listener in Residence is a collaborative project between the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and the Luther Court Society, a non-profit society that cares for 120 seniors through subsidized independent suites, home support, assisted living, and long-term care. It is a four-month artist residency featuring emerging Victoria-based artist Libby Oliver. She will focus on developing strong relationships with the seniors, offering two different types of activities on a weekly basis. The project is organized by Regan Shrumm, AGGV Assistant Curator.
The first activity is one-on-one sessions for the seniors to be reflective with Oliver on nearing the end of life experiences, including legacy, grief, loneliness, joy, memory, and reflection. These conversations will be situated within an object or photograph that the senior will bring with them to the discussion with Oliver. By giving space to talk about the end of life experiences, scholar Cindy Milstein explains in her book Rebellious Mourning how “we can then more openly experiment with sharing the fullness of life and help rehumanize the world.”
The second activity is a weekly art activity session where seniors can express themselves creatively, through a wide range of mediums that they have asked to work with. The art sessions will give seniors a chance to flex their creativity muscles, while also enabling a larger group discussion on the theme of the end of life experience. The residence will result in the production of new work between Oliver and the seniors.
Stay tuned for more info.