Archiving Artist-Run Centers: Remembering Centers in Canada

In collaboration with the Regroupement des centres d’artistes autogérés du Québec (RCAAQ) and Artexte.

Across Canada, artist-run centers (ARCs) emerged in the 1960s and 1970s as cooperative spaces promoting experimental, conceptual, video, performative and dematerialized practices — often on the fringes of the commercial market and mainstream institutions. Despite their fundamental role in the contemporary art landscape, their histories remain poorly documented and little recognized.

This panel questions the importance of institutional and collective memory for ARCs, exploring how archives, narratives, and histories of these spaces contribute to their cultural recognition. It also aims to present to the public various ways of archiving these centers and practical tools for accessing their histories and resources.

This panel will be held in French and English. 

As places are limited, registration is required.