For the month of July, Ellie Saunders has taken over the artist-in-residence program at Makerspace YK, teaching printmaking that builds artistic confidence.
Teaching art at Sir John Franklin High School, Saunders’ first inspiration for art was their mom. Now, Saunders describes themselvs as an artist with an affinity for a “scrappy” kind of art.
“I don’t like really formal art. My art is more abstract or cartoon or not necessarily hyper-realistic,” said Saunders.
A black-and-white photo series by Saunders last year, Candidly Queer, portrayed individuals identifying as queer in a “more natural” and “candid” environment.
“My practice is really inspired by inclusion and ensuring that everybody is comfortable and making space for everybody within the art world,” said Saunders.
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“Part of my goal is for everybody to feel like they can create art, whether they feel really good about it or bad about it. It’s still artwork.”
Saunders, whose art revolves around queerness, inclusion and diversity, said their work would be “different and maybe more boring” if they were not queer.
“I think it’s super important to have queer voices everywhere. I think in the art world it’s even more important, because it’s a lot of self-expression,” Saunders said.
Saunders leads a workshop on block print upcycling this Thursday, July 16, with a 3D sculpture workshop to follow on July 29. You can register via the Makerspace YK website.
The Makerspace YK artist-in-residence program launched earlier this year. It supports female, non-binary, gender-queer and transgender artists in Yellowknife.
