Heather Saunders

Heather Saunders has worked at commercial, artist-run, campus, and public galleries, including the National Gallery of Canada. A former publisher of FUSE magazine, she has turned her attention to self-publishing wtih Artist in Transit (www.artistintransit.blogspot.com), a 75,000 word blog recognized by the Feminist Task Force of the American Library Association. Her studio training is from Sheridan College in Oakville (where she completed an Honours BA-diploma in Art and Art History in conjunction with the University of Toronto followed by a semester in the textiles stream of Crafts + Design) and the Pratt Institute in Manhattan (where she took decorative arts classes). She also holds Masters degrees in art history and library science from the University of Toronto.  To contact: artistintransit at live dot ca. To follow on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ArtistInTransit

ARTIST STATEMENT

Once upon a time, baby boys were dressed in pink and baby girls were dressed in blue but today the opposite is de rigeur. My work positions gender as a social construct. I scour clothing stores for garments that reveal baby girls’ immediate exposure to feminine signifiers and incorporate these ‘found objects’ into sculptures and wearable art to emphasize fashion as a form of Othering. In these sculptures as well as in two-dimensional embroideries, female-specific features like floral imagery, sensual fabric, and the colour pink recall Simone de Beauvoir writing, “…everything that accentuates difference in the Other makes her more desirable” (The Second Sex, trans., Paris: Gallimard, 1972, p. 192). As Australian performance artist Stuart Ringholt suggests, “We are sexualized with our clothes on--with them off, we are not” (as cited by Mark Whittaker, “New Tour at Museum Reveals All,” The New York Times, May 1, 2012).

CURRICULUM VITAE

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2013
*KARAT, Cologne, Germany, Childhood Hero, curated by Yvonne Klassen
*Hilton New York, New York, NY, ARTexchange, organized by Sharon Butler & Timothy Nolan
*33 Contemporary Gallery, Chicago, IL, copy.right? The art of appropriation, curated by Sergio Gomez & Jennifer Moore
*Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL, & Red Gym Art Gallery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, The Exquisite Uterus, curated by Alison Gates & Helen Klebesadel
2012
*SOHO20 Chelsea Gallery, New York, NY, Backlash: On Women's Basic Rights & Freedoms
*Grunwald Gallery of Art, Indiana University, Bloomingston, IN, Kinsey Institute Juried Art Show, juried by Louise Lippincott, Betsy Stirratt, & Catherine Johnson-Roehr
*Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY, Opera Yoko, live drawing collaboration with Erin Finley; Women, the Arts & Activism conference, refereed
*Eyelevel Gallery, Halifax, NS, Reshelving Initiative, juried
2011
*Brooklyn Artists Gym, Brooklyn, NY, Voyeur: See & Be Seen, juried
*Studio 659, Whiting, IN, PINK, juried
*Galerie du Nouvel Ontario, Via Rail station & Aux Trois Moulins, Sudbury & Chapleau, ON, Art in Motion, residency of juried members
*Women's World 2011 Conference, Ottawa, ON, Love Letters to Feminism, mail art
2010
*Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY, Making Ourselves Visible: A Day-Long Project in Feminist Space Making (Duplicates exhibition)
*Mobius, Boston, MA, ArtRages Surrealestate Wearable Art Runway Show, curated by Jane Wang
*Diane Farris Gallery, Vancouver, BC, Twitter/Art + Social Media, juried by Lili Vierira de Carvalho, Kris Krug, Maria Lantin, & Hank Bull, curated by Lili Vierira de Carvalho
*Red Head Gallery, Toronto, ON, Insomnia (Nuit Blanche), juried
*Gallery 1313, Toronto, ON, Titillate (solo)
2009
*A.I.R. Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, Furthermore: 8th Biennial of Women Artists, juried by Lilly Wei
*Grosvenor Gallery, State University of New York, Cobleskill, NY, National Small Works Exhibition, juried by Gary Bower
*Bronx Blue Bedroom Project, Bronx, NY, Holiday Show, organized by Blanka Amezukua
*Limner Gallery, Hudson, NY, Art Biologic, curated by Tim Slowinski
2008
*Future Tenant Gallery (affiliated with Carnegie Mellon University), Pittsburgh, PA, I-am-a-Heather, invited, curated by Heather Mallak
*Gallery 1313, Toronto, ON, When I Was Just a Little Girl: Que Sera, Sera? (solo)
*First Canadian Place Gallery, Toronto, ON, Best of 2007 (Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition award recipients)
2007
*She Said Boom! storefront, Toronto, ON, It’s a Girl! (solo), organized by Tara Bursey
*Art Gallery of Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, AAHLUMINEX (selected Art & Art History alumni), juried by Robert Freeman
2006
*W.K.P. Kennedy Gallery, North Bay, ON, Please Touch (solo)
2000
*Cambridge Galleries, Cambridge, ON, Fibreworks, juried by Jennifer Angus, Ingrid Bachman, & Betty Ann Jordan
*Walper Hotel Gallery, Kitchener, ON, Expecting/ Expectations (solo)
1999
*KOR Gallery & Studios, Kitchener, ON, Flux (solo)


SELECTED AWARDS

2010
*Purchase College, State University of New York, Faculty Support Award (exhibition assistance)
2007
*Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, ON, Honourable Mention, Sculpture, award juried by Tom Dean
2006
*Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant, Brantford, ON, Honourable Mention, Juried Art Exhibition, juried by Catherine Elliot-Shaw & Martin Pearce; curated by Kathryn Hogg
2005
*Timmins Museum & National Exhibition Centre, Timmins, ON, Award of Merit, Inaugural Boreal North Sculpture Association Exhibition, juried by Peter Sloan & Amy Switzer
1999
*Art Gallery of Peel, Brampton, ON, Jurors’ Award, 26th Annual Juried Exhibition, juried by John Armstrong & Brian Meehan
1997
*Sheridan College, Art & Art History program, Clear Thinking Studio Award

ARTIST TALKS

2011
*Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, International Biennial Conference on Image & Imagery
2010
*Sheridan College, Oakville, ON, Art and Art History guest artist series
*Purchase College, State University of New York, Purchase, NY, Queer Media Convergence class

PRESENTATIONS

2012
*Art Gallery of Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, “Social Media: The Basics”
*Columbia University Libraries Symposium (New Models of Academic Collaboration), New York, NY, "The Art & Environment of Embedded Librarianship" (re. environmental art course; see 'Instruction' below), with Ryan Taylor, SUNY Purchase
2011
*Out of Joint: Voices on Mentoring (in conjunction with Viva Voce exhibition at Blackwood Gallery), University of Toronto at Mississauga, Panelist (invited)
*Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York Symposium, Artists' Records in the Archives, New York, NY, "Archiving Social Media Content by Visual Artists"
2010
*Mid-Atlantic Women's Studies Association Conference (Women & the Politics of Possibilities), Takoma Park, MD, "Feminist Self-Publishing from an Artist's Perspective"
*Arts for Social & Environmental Justice Symposium, Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto, ON, "Art & the Environment @ Purchase: Lessons Learned from Interdisciplinary Collaboration," with Ryan Taylor (SUNY Purchase Natural Sciences)
*Art Libraries Society of North America Conference (Revolution & Innovation: At the Hub of Discovery), Boston, MA, "Blogging as an Artist/Librarian Hybrid"
2009
*International Congress on Medieval Studies, Kalamazoo, MI, "Redefining Medieval Patronage: Female Circulation of the Book of Hours"
2006
*Art Libraries Society of North America Conference (Transcontinental Perspectives), Banff, AB, "Internet Art: In Search of a Best Practice that Balances Archivists' Conflicting Responsibilities"


PUBLICATIONS

2013
*Art Libraries Society of North America, Saunders, Heather. Provenance: An Alternate History of Art (book review, forthcoming)
*Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Saunders, Heather (Copy Ed.). A Vital Force: The Canadian Group of Painters (catalogue). Queen’s University.
*MP (international online peer-reviewed feminist journal), Saunders, Heather. Whatever is Contained must be Released: My Jewish Orthodox Girlhood, My Life as a Feminist Artist (book review)
2012
*Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Saunders, Heather (Interim Ed.). Currents (newsletter). Queen's University. Summer issue.
2011
*Neuberger Museum of Art, Posner, Helaine, & Princenthal, Nancy (Eds.). The deconstructive impulse: Women artists reconfigure the signs of power. Purchase, NY & Munich: DelMonico Books·Prestel (bibliography & index)
*Art Libraries Society of North America, Saunders, Heather. Push comes to shove: New images of aggressive women. (May/ June). (book review)
2010
*Art Libraries Society of North America, Saunders, Heather. Rethinking the contemporary art school: The artist, the PhD, & the academy. (February/ March). (book review)
2009-present
*Artist in transit (blog)
2008
*National Gallery of Canada, MacDonald, C. S. A dictionary of Canadian artists (Vol.9), Newlands, Anne & Parker, Judith (Eds.). Ottawa (research assistance)
2007
*Artist-Run Centres & Collectives of Ontario, Saunders, Heather, Ed.Procedure manual template. London, Ontario.
2006
*University of Toronto & York University, Saunders, Heather. "Coping with & preventing environmental loss through art: A tale of two cities," Women & Environments International, (72/73).
2002
*Edward Day Gallery, Sculpture & Mixed Media; Painting & Works on Paper, Saunders, Heather, & Saunders, Julie. (Eds.). Toronto, Ontario (catalogues)


BIBLIOGRAPHY

2013
*Smith, Matthew Ryan. “The Birds & the Bees: Heather Saunders's Freaky Friday series,” works.bepress.com/matthewryansmith/
2012
*Boyum, Sarah. “Juried Art Show Displays Work with Sex Themes.” Indiana Daily Student, Indiana University, May 20.
2011
*Feminist Task Force (American Library Association). Feminist Librarians on the Web.
2010
*Régimbal, Christopher. Bleaching Out All the Kevins, curatorial essay for Titillate, Gallery 1313.
2009
*Visual Arts Ontario. Profile, Agenda, winter issue.
2008
*Landry, Mike. Interview, Things of Desire (Canadian art blog), volume 1, issue 12.
2006
*Burns, Garry. 2006 "Juried Exhibition for All Tastes," Brantford Expositor, November 18.
2005 (updated 2008)
*University of Toronto & Sheridan College. 10 Graduates (Art & Art History). Link under construction. 
2000
*Cove-Shannon, Miranda. "Expect the Unexpected", Echo Weekly, January 20-26.
*Kallis, Laurie. "UTM Alumni Explore Women & Wonderland", The Medium (University of Toronto campus newspaper), January 24.
1999
*Fraser, Oona. Interview, CKMS 100.3, University of Waterloo.


INSTRUCTION

2010
*Art & the Environment, developed & co-taught 2nd year lecture course including studio/exhibition component  with Ryan Taylor, Natural Sciences, Purchase College, State University of New York
2008-10
*Library Instruction, research support for gallery curators & docents, as well as students in arts management (undergraduate level), studio art (undergraduate & graduate level), & art history (undergraduate & graduate level), Purchase College, State University of New York

JURIES

2012
*Skeleton Park Music Festival/Art Show, Kingston, ON
2010
*Camera Frontera (multi-venue photography festival), North Bay, ON

EXHIBITION ASSISTANCE

2012
*Lise Melhorn-Boe, stage assitant for Ghost Costumes: Pauline, Grand Theatre, Kingston, ON
2007
Kai Chan, installation assistant for A Spider's Logic, Textile Museum of Canada

ARTIST FILE AVAILABILITY

*Artexte, Montreal
*National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
*Women's Art Resource Centre, Toronto