UW alum selected as Kitchener’s artist in residence

UW alum and self-taught multimedia visual artist, Ellie Anglin, was selected to be the Kitchener 2024 artist in residence. She was chosen by a six-member selection committee out of 19 applicants in a public call for proposals.

“It’s like a dream come true,” Anglin said of the accomplishment. “It’s always been a huge goal. It’s an incredible honour for any artist, especially given the amazing artists that have done it in the past.”

During her six-month residency, Anglin will create Ribbon, a zine that focuses on the Grand River watershed, including reflecting on themes around Waterloo Region’s surrounding rivers, creaks, and streams along with the metaphoric meaning of “watershed,” the surrealism of nature and the fluidity of being.

Anglin said she got the inspiration for this type of art over the years after getting more involved with the Kitchener art scene. She noticed that a recurring theme within the local art scene was responding to waters and environmental art. 

“I was also thinking about the identity of Waterloo Region, and one thing that really connects us is the Grand River,” Anglin said. 

The zine will also be collaborative, meaning that a curated group of local artists and writers will create pages for the artwork. Anglin said she plans to host a workshop for the group, which will feature poetry, music, pictures and videos of the watershed to give them inspiration to create pages for the zine.

Anglin graduated from UW in 2010 with a degree in English language and literature. In addition to writing poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction, she has also worked in collage, illustration, animation and graphic design. Anglin has published 30 zines throughout the span of her career, many of which have been done through programs at the Kitchener Public Library. 

“I’ve always done zines. I discovered zines late in high school, and they were an amazing medium for me because I could incorporate both my love of writing, but also my love of art,” Anglin said. 

Anglin was chosen for the role in October. In November, she contacted community groups and local artists and the page creation workshop will occur in February. After that, she will compile all pages in a digital program, and incorporate her own design and written elements. The zine is planned to be printed in late April, and about 4,500 copies of the zine will be completed and distributed throughout the city of Kitchener in June. 

Karoline Varin, program administrator of arts and creative industries at the city of Kitchener, noted that there were 19 proposals for the artist in residence position, which is typical of most years. There was variation in the themes of each proposal as well.

“It was an intense deliberation,” Varin said of this year. “There were, I think, three top proposals that were debated, and Ellie’s was chosen.” 

The selection committee evaluates proposals based on several factors, including strength and clarity of the proposal, artistic merit, feasibility of the project, impact on the artists’ development, and impact on the Kitchener community. 

The proposals are evaluated by the Public Art Working Group, a volunteer group that includes past artists-in-residence and a range of artists and arts sector professionals. 

“In my experience – often, but not always – whatever the artist has proposed initially… It does change slightly,” Varin noted. 

The artist in residence receives $10,000 in two installments. The publication budget is about $5,000, and the artist in residence has a budget of up to $2,500 to support any collaborative contributors. 

Kitchener’s artist in residence program launched in 1995 and was the first municipal program of its kind in Canada.