This Week at Agnes

From the Hearth:
Introduction to poetry and spoken word with Billie the Kid

From the Hearth, is a six-part, poetry and spoken word workshop series, that expands our circles of care to embrace the journeys, stories and connections we share as humans. We guide both new and experienced poets through the art of storytelling and finding an individual voice that celebrates collective memory and belonging. We discuss why our stories are important, do exercises in expression and inspiration and think about community and collaboration. This series is facilitated by Billie the Kid who is a K’ai Taile Dené and Nehiyaw spoken word poet and storyteller. Coordinated by Qanita Lilla.

All are welcome and no experience is needed. Participants can register for individual workshops, or join the full series. View the details and sign up (free)!

Open Secret with Kriss Li

Screening + Artist Talk 
Thursday, 9 February, 6–8 pm
The Screening Room,  120 Princess St, Kingston
Sign up

Workshop
Friday, 10 February, 11:30 am–2:30 pm
In-person at Agnes (for students)
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Kriss Li is a multimedia artist who creates films, installations, and conceptual projects that explore structures of power. These works investigate the foundational divisions and hierarchies that maintain our social order—the ways these systems condition us in spite of our intentions, and the hidden sites of possibility that we can exploit towards greater collective capacities. This program features an artist talk and screenings of selected short films by Kriss.

Open Secret features the work of Parastoo Anoushahpour, Kriss Li, Sharlene Bamboat, and Sofía Gallisá Muriente. All screenings are free and open to all. The workshops are free and open only to students.

Curated by Nasrin Himada

Artists at Agnes: Chaka Chikodzi

The first commissioned film in the Artists at Agnes series features Zimbabwean-Canadian stone sculptor Chaka Chikodzi and is produced by Naomi Okabe and Tess Girard. After a multi-film festival debut in early March, the film will be published on DIGITAL AGNES.

Kingston Canadian Film Festival – Local Shorts Program, 5 March, 4 pm. Tickets on sale 6 Feb at kingcanfilmfest.com

Belleville Downtown DocFest – International Documentary Film Festival – in-person screening on 5 March and online 5–12 March. Festival passes are on sale at downtowndocfest.ca and rush seats sold at the door.

Artists at Agnes spotlights the work of artists represented in Agnes’s collection. Ideas and stories behind the artworks unreel through informed, first-hand accounts. Produced by artist-filmmakers, this film series shares studio visits, candid interviews and location shots. Watch out for two more films in 2023–2024.

Funded by the Elizabeth L. Gordon Art Program, a program of the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation and administered by the Ontario Arts Foundation and the Museums Assistance Program, Digital Access to Heritage grant.

Agnes receives Human Rights Initiative Award

Agnes has been selected to receive the 2022 Human Rights Initiative Award, one of the renowned Tri-Awards, through the Human Rights and Equity Office at Queen’s University! This award is given annually in recognition of initiatives that have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of equality and human rights.

“This award is very meaningful for Agnes,” says Emelie Chhangur, Director and Curator. “We believe that art institutions must further the work of social justice and serve an civic function that extends their impact beyond the arts. It is also heartening to be recognized for our work with artists, who we believe are at the forefront of systemic societal change!” Read more.

Agnes in the news!

Canadian Architect >
Agnes Reimagined
Queen’s University’s art gallery embarks on an expansion that centres on the social role of art.
By Tiffany Shaw

The Conversation >
Curating early Black experiences in Kingston, Canada’s first capital, a city long defined by histories of whiteness
By Qanita Lilla