Please join us—and bring your friends—for a free workshop exploring the process of creating an autobiographical film with Liz Roberts. Roberts is our spotlight artist this year, her remarkable short film Midwaste is available for streaming across Canada during Rendezvous With Madness. (see page 37 for film synopsis and schedule)

Liz Roberts makes work that is often collaborative and rooted in moving image and sound. She has held teaching positions in the Cinema Department at Denison University, Film & Video,  Graduate Studies at Columbus College of Art & Design and the Art and Film Studies departments at The Ohio State University. Her her early 16mm films have screened with Ann Arbor Film Festival (Michigan), Microscope Gallery (Brooklyn), Filmmakers’ Coop (New York) and were awarded at the New York Exposition of Short Film & Video and Chicago International Film Festivals. From 2015 to 2018 Roberts was a core participant in MINT—a collective, gallery, and multidisciplinary warehouse space in Columbus, Ohio. In 2019 she received a fellowship in sculpture for Vermont Studio Center, volunteered as staff at ACRE (Artists’ Cooperative Residency and Exhibitions) and was in residence at The Growlery in San Francisco. Currently she has a monthly show on Columbus, Ohio based Verge.FM and KCHUNG Radio in Los Angeles. Her most recent film, Midwaste screened at Hot Docs in 2022. She is a 2022 BAVC (Bay Area Video Coalition) MediaMaker fellow.

Accessibility:

Live auto-captioning will be provided. ASL interpretation by request. For all accessibility inquiries please contact Raine Laurent-Eugene at raine_laurenteugene@workmanarts.com.

According to numerous self-advocates, Autism and ADHD representation in film leaves much to be desired. The host, multimedia artist and neurodiversity*-affirming therapist Kat Singer brings together fellow neurodivergent** artists to share their work, explore their relationships with diagnosis and speak to the representation they would like to see on screens.

We will be sharing a virtual “living room” and drinking non-alcoholic beverages of our choice – join us for 90 minutes of insightful and authentic conversation in a relaxed, gently facilitated space. *\

Individual human brains naturally differ in how they are built and how they function; this biological fact is referred to as “neurodiversity.” Autism and ADHD are examples of diagnostic labels for people whose brains look and function differently from what is considered typical or “normal”. These individuals sometimes choose to self-identify as neurodivergent. Self-advocates have begun to reclaim these medical terms that have been used to oppress them, transforming stigma into pride and creating communities of like-minded people. To learn more about key terms, see  Nick Walker’s seminal essay:

https://neuroqueer.com/neurodiversity-terms-and-definitions/

Our special guests at Neurodivergent Creator Cozy Tea Time will be announced soon

Accessibility:

ASL and live captioning will be provided. For all accessibility inquiries please contact Raine Laurent-Eugene at raine_laurenteugene@workmanarts.com.

Boundaries are the needs and expectations that protect one’s integrity in their interactions with the outside world. Typically when we are left to our own devices to figure out the complex art of setting limits, we struggle. Artists, a group whose members face precarious employment, exploitation, and stiff competition, are especially vulnerable to pushback when it comes to establishing boundaries.

This workshop was created with artists in mind! In the first 60 minutes, participants will clarify what boundaries are and why they are needed, explore their existing and desired boundaries, and learn about different ways to communicate and uphold boundaries related to working in the arts. In the 15-minute Q & A, the facilitator will use participants’ examples to demystify the process of thinking about and expressing boundaries.

Kat Singer, MSW, RSW, (they/them) is a multimedia artist, educator, and therapist who lives and works in Tkaronto.  Kat’s interests include neurodiversity, self-advocacy, community-building, and healing through the arts.

This session will provide an overview of intellectual property rights for artists across different mediums (from visual art to music to literature) with a focus on copyright. Participants will learn about some of the key legal issues to consider when creating, publishing, or sharing their works of art and things to keep in mind when entering into contracts. 

Facilitator:

Nico Elliott (she/her) is an associate in the Entertainment Law practice group at the law firm Cassels in Toronto. Nico routinely works with artists and performers using a variety of forms of contractual agreements to protect ownership of artists’ works and facilitate collaboration and opportunities. Before becoming a lawyer Nico worked in the music industry at a prominent independent record label, and music publisher, and in film post-production.

Learn about the cultural history of gift-giving in this punch needle workshop.

Learn the basics of starting, embroidering, and finishing a punch needle embroidered coaster in this 2-hour workshop. This workshop will provide all materials needed to complete a small cup or bowl coaster. Design suggestions, tips for embroidering, and other conversational pieces about the culture of gifting will be incorporated also. Feel free to engage in the discussion in a round table style, or to sit back, embroider, and just listen—whatever you are comfortable with! As well, individuals who would like translations into Cantonese or Mandarin are free to request this during the workshop (e.g. for clarification).

At the end of the workshop, all participants will have in hand a completed embroidered coaster that they can keep or gift! 

Facilitator:

Skylar Cheung is a Toronto-based oil and textile artist. She strives to call attention to underrepresented subjects through her art. Such subjects include wildlife protection and unpaid womxn’s labor. She is also an undergraduate studying political science at the University of Toronto, where she is also serving an Undergraduate Fellowship in the Ethics of AI at their Centre for Ethics. Skylar strives to use art as both an educational medium and as a prompt for reflection. Her work has been shown in venues such as Arts Etobicoke, Myseum, and the Joint Math Meetings’ Bridges Gallery in Denver, Colorado.

Put Thursday, December 16 in your calendar –The Workman Arts staff would love to invite all members to our year-end Holiday Gathering on Thursday, Dec 16th at 6-8PM to celebrate the year 2021 and welcome a new year filled with infinite possibilities and opportunities. 

The night will consist of hands-on zine-making activity, some musical performances, a possible carolling sing-along, and the night will end with a raffle, click the RSVP button to register and receive the link to join. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Creating autobiographical work or artwork that draws from personal experience can be a powerful and evocative process for an artist and any collaborators. Sharing examples from his own work, filmmaker and photographer Rick Miller offers insights on supporting your mental health through the process of creating autobiographical work, in conversation with friend, collaborator and former Workman Arts Membership Manager, Justina Zatzman.

For one hour, Participants are invited into a conversation about how to support creative work with personal material, not only in caring for yourself, but also to create healthy and supportive creative environments for collaborators. As lifting restrictions allow artists to re-engage more openly with collaborative work, we have an opportunity to envision collective growth in how we care for the artists we work with (including ourselves).

At the end of the conversation, Rick and Justina will share a draft tool that they’re co-creating to offer suggestions for creating trauma-informed creative environments with a focus on filmmaking, but which could be useful for artists practicing collaboratively in any artistic discipline.

The structured discussion will end after an hour, but interested participants are welcome to stay for an additional 30 minutes to share or ask questions.

Free Workshops,

Professional Development Events and

Development Series for Artists and Filmmakers

This year Rendezvous with Madness Festival is thrilled to present a range of workshops and professional development events for the public, arts professionals, artists and filmmakers!

Most events will be hosted virtually, though some activities will happen in person.

See the full scope of events below!

Applying for an arts grant can be confusing or overwhelming. Join Ontario Arts Council (OAC) officers for detailed information about grant opportunities for Ontario-based artists and arts groups with a special focus on accessibility and Deaf and disability-related granting opportunities.

Join this informative session about what film distribution means for independent media artists and how to make your works as accessible to as many audiences as possible.