sculpture, installation and performance to
understand the tensions between urban
development and the individual, architecture
and the body. “Building” became a metaphor
and a strategy for both Martin’s studio practice
and her work on her community project,
where she worked with Two Rivers Gallery to
redeck the gallery’s sculpture court. In the studio
Martin’s thoughts turned to the architectural
plans of the city, and the legacy of the flood and
fire history in Prince George. Over the course of
the month Martin developed a new body of ink-
based drawings using starchy, net-like gauzes
and staining processes. The resulting marks of
the paper-based work flip between looking like
the page has been smokily scorched or seared,
or flooded by pools of watery ink. Martin refers
to some of the drawings in the series as “small
geographies”, creating a connection to the
tropes of mapping.

In November Alana Bartol arrived from
Calgary. Immediately, the confluence of the
Nechako River and the Fraser River became
a point of inspiration for her. Throughout
the month, Bartol framed her work both in
the studio and on a community project with
Downtown Prince George through metaphors
of “coming together”, an idea evoked through
the natural course of the meeting of the rivers.

Working on Downtown Prince George’s ‘Love

Downtown’ project prompted the artist to
think about what it means to love, care, and
support a place. Bartol initiated conversations
with Nusdeh Yoh Elementary School, The Fire
Pit, met with local historians, spoke with local
women at UNBC’s Inspiring Women Among Us
panel, and developed relationships with
many other individuals committed to telling
their own stories of Prince George. These
conversations formed a significant part of
Bartol’s artistic research during the residency.

In December the storefront studio was
turned over to our Project Coordinator, Roanne
Whitticase, who developed and facilitated a
number of community event requests. The
momentum of the residency was carried during
this month by a swell of interest and support
from the local community, when the space
hosted musical performances, exhibitions, craft
nights, and discussions about the importance
of community-driven art spaces in the city.

David Jacob Harder took up residence over
January. Based in Wells, British Columbia,
Harder is very familiar with the central
interior of the province. Harder produced an
extensive body of work that incorporates the
immediate environment into his material and
conceptual concerns, as well as collaborating

Figure #3 A part of Jacob Hardner’s project during his

residence at NTE.

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