Hnatyshyn Foundation-Fogo Island Arts Young Curator Residency

Marie-Ève Lafontaine has been selected for the 2020 Hnatyshyn Foundation-Fogo Island Arts Young Curator Residency. Lafontaine is a Canadian curator and writer based in New York, where she recently completed a Masters in Contemporary Art at Sotheby’s Institute of Art. Previously, she was Managing Director of the Canadian organization Arsenal Contemporary in New York.

The Young Curator Residency, valued at 15,000 (CAD) annually, offers an exceptional Canadian curator between the ages of 25 and 30 the opportunity to spend six weeks on Fogo Island, Newfoundland, as part of Fogo Island Arts’ international residency program. During the residency, the curator works closely with FIA artists-in-residence, staff, and members of the community, and contributes to FIA initiatives. Candidates are selected based on their body of work, curatorial philosophy, and proposed residency objectives. This year’s selection was adjudicated by Nicolaus Schafhausen, FIA Strategic Director, and art and exhibition historian Reesa Greenberg.

“The Young Curator Residency creates exceptional opportunities for emerging curators,” said Nicolaus Schafhausen. “In addition to the possibility of mentorship and collaboration, Fogo Island Arts and Shorefast provide a context for young Canadian curators to develop global networks that are essential to contemporary curatorial practice, all within the unique setting and rich culture of Fogo Island. We very much look forward to working with Marie-Ève Lafontaine.”

Marie-Ève Lafontaine is a writer and curator based in New York. She was recently Managing Director of the Canadian organization Arsenal Contemporary, New York, a curator at Schinkel Pavillon in Berlin, and chief curator at TRAFO Center for Contemporary Art in Poland. Lafontaine has curated solo exhibitions of artists such as Janet Cardiff, Alicja Kwade, Gilad Ratman and Ari Benjamin Meyers, and was involved in Schinkel Pavillon’s critically acclaimed Louise Bourgeois exhibition, The Empty House, in 2018. In addition to her institutional experience, Lafontaine is the editor of several solo catalogues of contemporary artists and is a regular contributor to online and printed journals. 

About Fogo Island Arts
Fogo Island Arts is a residency-based contemporary art venue that supports research and production of new work for artists, filmmakers, writers, musicians, curators, designers and thinkers from around the world. Since 2008, FIA has brought some of the most exciting emerging and renowned artists of today to Fogo Island, Newfoundland, Canada to take part in residencies and to present solo exhibitions at the Fogo Island Gallery. FIA also presents programs in cities across Canada and abroad, including the Fogo Island Dialogues interdisciplinary conversation series, as part of its international outreach. Combining contemporary art, iconic architecture and social innovation in a singular setting, FIA is a world-class institution that is uniquely rooted in community. FIA is an initiative of Shorefast, a registered Canadian charity with the mission to build economic and cultural resilience on Fogo Island. 

About The Hnatyshyn Foundation
The Hnatyshyn Foundation is a private charity established by the late Right Honourable Ramon John Hnatyshyn, Canada’s 24th Governor General, to assist emerging and established artists in all disciplines with their training and career development and promote to the Canadian public the importance of the arts in our society. Its programs are funded by donations from government, foundations, corporations and individuals.

Media Inquiries
Alexandra McIntosh, Director of Programs and Exhibitions, Fogo Island Arts:
T +1 709 266 1299 / alexandramcintosh [​at​] fogoislandarts.ca

Danielle Boily-Desovski, Executive Director, The Hnatyshyn Foundation:
T +1 613 233 0108 / director [​at​] RJHF.com