ROB MURRAY: I’m speaking with Nicole Fougere from artsPlace. There’s a community artwork call-out right now. What is this new project Stories of Resilience?

NICOLE FOUGERE: Last March, a number of different community organizations realized all at once that we were living in extraordinary moment in history, and we had to do something to hear our community stories. Bow Valley Immigration Partnership, the Canmore Museum, Kristy Wolfe Photography, and artsPlace all banded together to collect photos and stories from a diversity of community members. We collected stories from people who were born in other countries but who called the Bow Valley home, from seniors, vulnerable communities, and also we connected with Thomas Snow, an extraordinary knowledge keeper from the Stoney Nakoda who collected photos and stories of Stoney Nakoda community members as they lived in an outdoor camp during the summertime. Part one of this Stories of Resilience project was to just collect history. That history is going to be used for the Canmore Museum on their website. It’ll become part of the archives of our town, and I think that’s pretty amazing. Bow Valley Immigration Partnership wants to celebrate these stories through social media, and then artsPlace is doing this really big art gallery exhibition.

RM: We have the stories. Now you’re looking for the art?

NF: We’ve put a call out to the community and said, hey, Bow Valley, how have you been creative during COVID-19? How has your creativity helped your emotional wellness? This week until the 24th we are collecting submissions of any kind of artwork that you created during COVID-19. It could be painting, drawing, a sculpture, a song that you composed and you’re sending the digital file, or a video that you made. You can drop it off to artsPlace in person between 3 – 7 PM Monday to Friday, and 9 AM – 1 PM Saturday and Sunday with a bit of description about who you are and what it meant to you to make this work of art.

RM: With current restrictions, how are these going to be displayed?

NF: We’re going to display them whether or not artsPlace is open to the public. We are working with Alexis and Connor McKeown to create a 3D tour of the gallery space which will be shown online. The technology is so amazing. From your computer, it feels like you’re going right into this space. You can go up to each work of art, click on it, and learn more about the artists who made it. It’s a really fascinating technological tool.

RM: If people want to find out more information, where can people go online?

NF: You can check out our website. You can also reach out to me.

Filed under: artsPlace, Canmore, covid-19