VANS, in partnership with Wonder’neath Art Society, is so pleased to welcome Mara Ireta Gordon as our latest VANS in Residence Artist. From March 1 – 28, 2021, Mara will be in residence at Wonder’neath’s fantastic new space at 2482 Maynard St.

From the artist: “My vision is to explore our understanding of heirlooms/precious items and play with themes of memory, absurdity, legacy, identity, and the mundane. The work will culminate in a large-scale quilt, sewn out of  clear plastic, with each square containing a treasured item. Exploring my own roots, I am deeply interested in how the unique possessions we hold onto inform our identity and what they carry with them. This proposed work speaks to my personal identity as a queer person of colour, interweaving my mother’s White, middle class, traditional family with my father’s Latino, immigrant experience coming to Canada.”

VANS in Residence provides a studio space, a stipend to support the artist to work full-time for 4 weeks, and support from VANS and Wonder’neath in outreach. 60% of the time will be dedicated to the artist’s own work (creation, research or both) and 40% of the time will be dedicated to community based work, including hands-on workshops, studio visits, talks and presentations. Details on Mara’s community-based outreach will be announced on social media.