The act of harbour intrinsically considers transitions, shorelines, and in-between spaces; it considers shelter as a necessary moment of retreat for safety, rejuvenation and reflection within the process of journey-making; and it considers the state of thinking as reflection and meditation in motion, ready to create transformations.
Working within the media and visual arts, Harbour Collective engages in research activities, artistic programming and service delivery for filmmakers, media artists and visual artists. Harbour’s activities include:
- Regional moving image labs
- Curated screening programs
- Curatorial research
- Sector research and development
Harbour Collective
One of the original founders of Urban Shaman Gallery, a contemporary Indigenous artist run centre based in Winnipeg, Liz Barron has been working within the arts sector for over 20 years. Her skills in managing large scale projects with various Indigenous cultural practices has developed through two major historic initiatives. Barron was the Director for the Métis 10, a Vancouver Olympic project featuring ten Metis artists and a permanent installation and was the program manager for Close Encounters: The next 500 years, an exhibition featuring more than 30 Indigenous artists from around the world and working with four curators. Barron is a registered member of the Manitoba Métis Federation.
Jason Baerg is a registered member of the Métis Nation of Ontario. He is currently the Assistant Professor in Indigenous Practices in Contemporary Painting and Media Art at OCAD University. Dedicated to community development, he founded and incorporated the Métis Artist Collective and has served as volunteer Chair for such organizations as the Aboriginal Curatorial Collective and the National Indigenous Media Arts Coalition. Creatively, as a visual artist, he pushes new boundaries in digital interventions in drawing, painting and new media installation. Recent international solo exhibitions include the Illuminato Festival in Toronto, Canada, the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia and the Digital Dome at the Institute of the American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Testimonials
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As a woman filmmaker, I feel so honoured to be part of the Harbour Collective lab series. My first contact with Harbour Collective was in the summer of 2021 at the moving image lab held on July 12-16th in Regina, Saskatchewan. From that moment until the present, my career had a professional boom that would not have been possible without Harbour Collective support, workshops, seminars and public screenings. As an emergent artist in Canada, I am so grateful to Harbour Collective for helping the artists to get visibility and for practising a philosophy of inclusion and diversity. I highly recommend Harbour Collective work because you will gain professional experience, you will also advance in your artistic career, and you will belong to a vibrant community with a strong humanistic-oriented network.
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I find that Harbour Collective fills a unique niche that no other agency can fill. Advocacy can only happen in a genuine way with an agency that is somewhat independent of government cultural institutions and therefore able to act as an intermediary with artists. This role can be carried out in an efficient way if the goals are clear and consistent. I would say this is the case with Harbour Collective.
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I did not know my initial experience with Harbour Collective would lead me to where I am today as an Indigenous media artist. It is with Harbour Collective that I attended my very first artist residency, and later my second. They demonstrate, to me, the standard in which artists’ and their creations ought to be respected, and how our creations are produced through mutual respect and collaboration. Further, Harbour Collective demonstrates their desire to maintain long term artistic relationships with artists. They do so by providing opportunities for professional development through workshops and gatherings. I am deeply and truly grateful to you, Harbour Collective!
