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Your Rights

Everyone at Queen's University has the right to work, live and study in an environment free of harassment or discrimination. If you would like advice or assistance, please call us at 613-533-6886 or email us.

 

 

Woman Recreated Project

n celebration of its 20th Anniversary, the Human Rights and Equity Offices of Queen’s University recented called upon artists, both professional and amateur, from Queen’s University and the broader community to participate in a collaborative art project.  Artists were asked to create an original artwork depicting their interpretation of women’s strength in the wake of gender based harassment or violence using, as a backdrop, tiles from a mosaic painting (pictured above) by award-winning artist Leo Yerxa .

Woman Recreated Image

The response from the community has been overwhelming and inspiring.
Within weeks of making the first call, over 45 artists of diverse backgrounds and artistic approaches volunteered to participate in this exciting community endeavour!

Now is your chance!

Project defined

The following design, by award-winning Aboriginal artist Leo Yerxa, is the point of departure for this collaborative endeavor. 

As shown in the grids below, Leo’s design has been divided into sixty three fragments which will serve as the artist’s under painting.  Artists are asked to choose one (or more) of the 63 fragments of the original painting (those with an X are already taken!) and use it as a background to an original artwork, in which they create their personal interpretation of the theme of women’s strength, resilience, spontaneity, creativity and diversity in the wake of gender-based harassment/violence.  For an example of this kind of painting, please click here.

This is the first call

(Squares with white x's are taken; squares with pink x's are available to Queen's students)

First call: Pink X marks squares available to student artists!

In order to respond to the enormous interest shown in this project by members of the community, and in light of our goal of highlighting the transformative power of community and art, the Human Rights and Equity Office’s are pleased to announce the launch of a second version of the original mosaic.Therefore, we are again calling on artists at Queen’s and in the broader community to submit their artwork to Woman Recreated.  There are 63 mosaic tiles to work with, some of which have already been assigned to artists who had formally applied to participate in the first call.  

Accepted pieces will be incorporated into a large display to be exhibited at a reception on Queen’s campus in 2013.  Participating artists have a further opportunity to enter their piece into an adjudication process through which 12 tiles will be selected for publication in the Queen’s online Multifaith Calendar.
The Human Rights and Equity Offices reserve the right to select artwork portraying positive imagery and reinforcing themes of strength, resilience, spontaneity and creativity while respecting the dignity of individuals or groups protected by the Ontario Human Rights Code.    

This is the second call

(Squares with white x's are taken; squares with pink x's are reserved/available for Queen's students; squares with no x's are available to Queen's faculty and staff)

second call
Thematic Parameters

The Mosaic Project is a visual celebration of the strength of women survivors.  It steps beyond the negative imagery of passivity, abuse, assault, harassment and fragmentation, all traditionally used to represent women in human rights campaigns.  Our project insists upon the strength, resilience, spontaneity and creativity of women, who recreate themselves after “picking up the pieces” of oppression. It also speaks to the power of community in the process of healing. The Human Rights office reserves the right to select representations which portray positive imagery which reinforces the idea of strength, resilience, spontaneity and creativity while respecting the dignity of represented individuals or groups protected by the Code.   

Formal Parameters

We do not set parameters on the media (oil, acrylic, pastel, ink, pencil, collage, quilting, stitching, etc…) or the style (figurative, writing, abstract, expressionist, cubist, graphic, etc…) used to create individual art work.  We do, however, insist that artists use the background as a point of departure.  The idea is that the new work of art can be easily incorporated into the original painting without changing its original colour scheme or formal design.  Art work must be created on/mounted on a canvas panel measuring 1’ by 1’, which will be provided free of cost by the Human Rights and Equity Offices at Queen’s University.

Artistic Parameters

Each submission to the Mosaic Project will be evaluated for its technical proficiency and overall aesthetic value.  We encourage all skill levels to submit and participate.

Selection Process 

All submissions will be evaluated using the above-mentioned formal, thematic and artistic parameters. 63 pieces will be chosen to be incorporated into the mosaic painting: Woman, recreated.  Evaluation criteria include:

Submission Process:

Artists are invited to email Catherine Wells at cew@queensu.ca indicating which of the 63 fragments they wish to re-create.  Artists may request multiple squares and can apply as a group.     

Completed art work can be dropped at the Queen’s Equity Office at B513 Mackintosh-Corry Hall from 8:30 to 4:30. If artists are unable to come to the university, Meri will arrange to have their artwork delivered by courier to the office at no cost to the artist.

Deadlines to return completed panels:

First Call

Second Call

Competition

At a reception held at Queen’s University in March 2013, twelve of the best pieces will be chosen by Leo Yerxa to be published in an online calendar used by Queen’s University to promote multi-faith awareness.

 

Workshop

This fall, Leo Yerxa will give a workshop in which artists can meet the artist, watch him work and work on their own contributions to the mosaic project.

 

Conditions

Please note that if you choose to participate in the project, you must be willing to agree to the following conditions:

  1. You agree to have your artwork photographed and reproduced digitally online within the completed mosaic with appropriate acknowledgement. 

  2. You agree to donate your piece permanently to Queen’s University, where it will be displayed in a public space with appropriate acknowledgement. 

 For more information about the project, or to register and make arrangements to receive a tile, please contact:
Catherine Wells, Special Projects Coordinator
Human Rights and Equity Offices
Email:  cew@queensu.ca
Telephone: (613) 533-6886
Web:  www.queensu.ca/humanrights