Colin Boyd Shafer, "Growing Locally" : Canada Day 2021

Описание: Artist Statement:

The pandemic, and associated food shortages, have made many of us think more about where our food comes from and the importance of buying and growing locally. Many people are trying to be more self-sufficient, and part of this is growing your own food.
Colin Boyd Shafer's series "Growing Locally" (2021) features portraits of three gardeners using one of Sunnydale Community Garden's 23 plots. Each portrait is paired with a description of who the gardener is, an answer to the simple question: "why do you garden?", and details of their favourite crop.
Boyd Shafer hopes that this exhibition can celebrate the gardeners in our community and challenge any stigma people may have about who belongs in the garden. Boyd Shafer also wants viewers to reflect on the land that sustains us all and for this series to inspire others to engage in local gardening practices.

Install Location: Albert McCormick Community Centre (500 Parkside Drive, Waterloo), on the basketball court. Visible July 1 - 30th, 2021.

Artist Bio:

Colin Boyd Shafer (b. 1983) is a documentary photographer and educator born in Kitchener, Ontario. Shafer holds an MSc in Political Economy of Violence Conflict and Development from SOAS, University of London.

In 2016, Shafer was chosen by the Governor General of Canada to photograph inspiring Order of Canada recipients. These portraits are featured in They Desire A Better Country (2017), a book that commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Order of Canada.

Shafer's recent photography projects include INTERLOVE (2015) which tells 50 interfaith love stories in Ontario, and Cosmopolis Toronto (2014), a project that features someone from every country of the world who now calls Toronto home.

Shafer's work has been featured widely in the media, including National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal, The Globe and Mail as well as BBC, CTV, CBC and Global National News channels. Shafer has also presented at TEDxToronto, the United Nations Alliance of Civilization's Global Forum, and his work was the focus of a film by the National Film Board.

In 2022, Shafer's hardcover book Finding American: Stories of Immigration from the 50 States will be released by Figure 1 Publishing Inc.

Social Media: @colinboydshafer
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The City of Waterloo presented a series of seven temporary public art installations in parks throughout the city in recognition of Canada Day.

An open call was released asking artists to respond to the following themes:

Stories and histories of the various peoples/communities/nations who have called and continue to call this area home
Our responsibility to each other and/or to the land
What it means to celebrate or not celebrate the past, present, and future of Canada
Waterloo as a community full of diverse identities, traditions, and celebrations