Leisure Projects

Leisure Greetings

Welcome to the Leisure Projects Website.
We are an independent artist-curator initiative that explores popular imaginaries of leisure through curated exhibitions, performed events or published texts. Leisure Projects is the delirious brainchild of artists Meredith Carruthers and Susannah Wesley.

Leisure Headlines

Leisure talks

(Written 28 May 2009)

Leisure Projects is participating in two public events surrounding the exhibition Making It Work. An artist talk on Wednesday May 27 from 6:30-7:30 and a round table discussion involving many of the collectives participating in the exhibition on Sat June 13, 3-5pm. The round table will discuss larger issues surrounding collaborative process and will be moderated by Vincent Bonin.

The art of marketing art

(Written 11 April 2009)

This past February Leisure Projects had the pleasure of participating in a panel alongside Mark Lanctôt, Donald Browne and The Sanchez Brothers, moderated by Cheryl Sim. The discussion, a pre- “Art Matters” event, was an opportunity for exchange on the ins and outs of developing and marketing an independent professional practice. Copied here is a summary written by Russ Cooper and published in the Concordia Journal.

Hair Follies Exhibition Features Outrageous Wigs

(Written 1 February 2009)

Leisure Projects was pleased to participate in a casual interview over lunch and tea with the Montreal Gazette reporter Christine Redfern. An excerpt from the article published in the January 17 issue is copied here.

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Recent Leisure Letters

Then, Now and Later

(Written 28 November 2009)

mysterious sequined figure / club-woman / society hostess / culture vulture

(Written 22 November 2009)

The Witch Doctor of Long Point

(Written 11 June 2009)

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Leisure Current

je n'étais pas qu'une simple chimère

(Added 7 September 2009)

Image: Lili Reynaud-Dewar, The Power Structures, Rituals & Sexuality of the European Shorthand Typists 2 (detail) 2009, Still from video projection

je n’étais pas qu’une simple chimère
I haven’t been a figment of my own imagination

Aleesa Cohene (Cologne), Luanne Martineau (Victoria), Lili Reynaud Dewar (Paris), Lucie Stahl (Vienna)

21 November, 2009 – 23 January, 2010
SBC Gallery of Contemporary Art
372, Ste-Catherine West, space 507
Montréal, QC

Inspired by a photograph taken in 1974 of a group of women in conversation while lounging in a Paris studio, this exhibition presents the work of four contemporary artists (Aleesa Cohene, Luanne Martineau, Lili Reynaud-Dewar, Lucie Stahl) whose practice, directly or indirectly engages with the formal visual elements and-or conceptual legacy of an earlier generation of feminist artists from the 70s and early 80s.

Leisure Letters

Les amazones et le mâlisme artistique

(Added 22 January 2010)

Art et féminisme Public events poster, 1982. La Médiathèque du Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal

Leisure Projects extends special thanks to Robin Simpson for his participation at the recent Salon events at the SBC gallery and for contributing an article to Leisure Letters. Click here to read Robin’s survey of press material surrounding the two exhibitions ( Art femme ’75 at the Saidye Bronfman Centre, and Art et Féminisme at the MAC in 1982) that inspired us to initiate the exhibition “I haven’t been a figment of my own imagination” at the SBC gallery, Montréal.