Lakeshore and Dixie by Natalie Jachyra

The Main Gallery features Lakeshore and Dixie, the audio and multi-media installation by Natalie Jachyra. This project is a culmination of Natalie’s 2017/2018 Artist-In-Residency Program at Harcourt House Artist Run Centre.

Natalie Jachyra is a very talented, emerging multi-media artist originally from Toronto, currently residing and working in Edmonton. She holds a Master’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of Alberta, where she presented a body of her work titled, The Companionship of Isolation. From 2014 to 2018 Natalie worked as a Sessional Instructor in the Drawing Department, Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Alberta.

Jachyra works predominantly in video, audio, and multi-media installation, and is primarily interested in the way we experience urban spaces and our encounters or interactions with them. Her current body of work oscillates conceptually around the notion of bodily experience and phenomenology in relation to current social environment and physical space, especially the spaces known, visited, and experienced during her childhood in the Lakeshore’s district of Toronto. As Natalie says: “…. Tucked away in the southwest end of Toronto is the neighbourhood that I had grown up. Having not lived there for over a decade, I have been growing curious of what it would be like to return to this place (…). Having recently returned to this neighbourhood, I experienced an immense feeling of nostalgia. What was most striking was the open, public space that several apartment buildings huddled around. Reflecting on events and personal experiences that transpired in this space, I have come to realize the socio- economic issues that existed in this environment (…). I was inspired to distill these experiences into an immerse and sensory-based installation. With plans to employ interactive technology, audio, and sculptural installation, I am hoping that the viewer engages with and discovers the multi-dimensional properties of my works.”

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Note on the Artist-In-Residence Program at Harcourt House Artist Run Centre:

Developed by the Board of Directors and the management of Harcourt House Artist Run Centre, the Artist-In-Residence Program is now into its 16th season. The program is open to artists who are Canadian residents working in any visual arts media, including: sculpture, painting, printmaking, digital art, mixed media, photography, film, video, and multi-disciplinary practice. Harcourt decided to launch this program with the aim of contributing to the development of emerging artists. The program provides the artist with a stable, working environment, and helps with the maintenance of a professional studio space and artistic practice, along with an allowance of $150 per month for material and supply costs during the entire residency at Harcourt.

By having an Artist-In-Residence Program, Harcourt House encourages creative thinking and expression within our art educational programming. As well, it broadens the artistic experience for all visitors to Harcourt House. The program also provides innovative, interactive opportunities for artists and the members of the community and allows for significant advancement and development by the resident artist. The program culminates with the exhibition by the resident artist of works developed during the year-long residency at Harcourt House.