The Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory is pleased to have the opportunity to host another Geoffrey & Margaret Andrew Fellowship. Autumn Star Chacon has been selected as the fellow for 2021-2022. Chacon will present an online artist talk, Between Our Mother’s Voice and Our Father’s Ear, on Monday, November 15, 2021, at 5 p.m. PST.
Autumn Star Chacon is a member of both the Dine and Chicanx Nations and is a mother to a Dine/Oglala daughter. Chacon’s traditional teachings as a Dine woman are reflected in art/activism praxis. Modern communication tools are borne from our most basic teachings around language, speech and the act of speaking out loud; and the continuation of knowledge through technology is the involvement with many natural sciences and their ability to affect the world around us. With no lack of stories to be told, Chacon strives to engage through new media technologies even if her stories are very old. Many of her pieces are about Indigenous futurisms where electronic communication and technology has a sacred relevance, often exemplifying skills as a self-taught electronic engineer.
“Chacon’s work in sound and radio art installations has been some of the most moving, innovative and critical work raising important questions about site and land,” says Lisa Myers, artist and assistant professor at York University.
Chacon will present a virtual artist talk and conduct online studio visits with our MFAs in term one. We will announce further events, including possible in-person performance and workshops, as restrictions are lifted.
The Geoffrey & Margaret Andrew Fellowship rotates between departments in the Faculty of Arts. The fellowship allows creatives from developing countries; or those who are Indigenous, Aboriginal or First Nations from Canada or other countries, an opportunity to broaden their artistic experience while fostering greater international understanding through cultural exchange in Canada. The Department of Creative Writing will also host a fellow in 2021-2022.
