About Emily


Emily van Lidth de Jeude
artist - multimedia social practice
Bowen Island, Canada

Web: emilyartist.ca
YouTube: emilyvanartist
Instagram: emilyvanartist
Email: emilyvanartist at gmail dot com

Social practice artist, working through art and education to promote social and environmental engagement; to open communication about issues of human evolution and give authentic voice to others. Much of my work is interview-based, and many of my materials are reclaimed, having a history of use by women, children, and families.

I love words. I'm a writer and blogger and singer of traditional ballads and other songs, but I see music and emotion more than I hear it, so I tell through art and community events what I can't express in words alone.
 

CURRENT PROJECTS

One Solar Year
A collaboration between myself, my son Taliesin, and my partner Markus Roemer, this project is like a time capsule that looks at one specific solar year (from Winter Solstice 2021 to Winter Solstice 2022) from a social, ecological, and astronomical perspective. It lays out the events, rhythms and cycles that we live with, clockwise around the gallery space, so that visitors can experience them in new visual ways. One Solar Year brings together Markus' graph of daily solar, lunar, tidal, daylight and temperature data with Emily and Taliesin's ecology photos from the same time, as well as poems written by Emily that respond to concurrent ecological, seasonal, and societal events.

w h a t . h o m e
An immersive two-channel video and fabric installation that digs into feelings of belonging, place and identity. Protagonists talk about their experiences of home, from political and racial tensions to living in a mud hut, a boat and a mansion, to homelessness, displacement, a search for belonging, and varying experiences of colonialism. what.home explores the universality of the human search for belonging and home.

(dis)robe
A growing collection of reclaimed, altered and painted white garments that explore our female culture and heritage, questioning what women choose to wear and to discard (to bear or to release), in the contexts of our societies, families, and personal life journeys.

Songs of the Apocalypse
A collection of very personal pieces (oil and graphite on canvas) loosely focused on personal, societal and ecological change; reminiscences of childhood traumas, abstracted as memories are, and visualized through song.

change/able
Non-linear interactive canvas paintings. Each is a collection of square canvases that is interchangeable, rearrangeable, and rotatable. Each of these pieces is different for each person who sees and engages with it, inviting people to consider big ideas of art and human experience in a physically interactive way.

Girl Stories
Written mostly in 2014, this is a book of short stories that come together to create a short novel. From stark takes of growing up a girl in late twentieth century suburban Canada to vibrant narratives of motherhood, family, end-of-life and birth in an eerie setting of societal collapse, Girl Stories is an exploration of the emotional process of becoming and evolving a woman. I had this book edited and layed out for self-publishing, but now am looking for a publisher!

Woman Story
Woman Story is an installation about the stories we tell ourselves, as women. The installation is primarily mixed media nudes on reclaimed paneling, a mannequin with measuring-up tape, a video projection of the silent film "I Love Me I Love Me Not I Love Me", and an interactive installation of women's self-commentary. I am currently looking to show the nudes on paneling and interactive commentary in conjunction with the (dis)robe series.

I Love Me I Love Me Not I Love Me
Silent video projection of the artistgoing through a process of self-doubt, destruction, and renewal. A video of this installation is in the Woman Story section of the gallery on this site.

Lovely Bush: Aesthetic Prosthetics for the Aspiring Woman
Prosthetic pubic hair made of reclaimed wigs. Includes upper and lower hair prostheses, in blonde and grey. Every aspiring woman needs a set!

The MAMA Project
Endorsed by UN Women Canada, MAMA is a travelling art project that empowers mothers by inspiring and facilitating expression and dialogue about motherhood. It consists mainly of portraits of mothers on used bed linens, with painted quotes and recorded interviews with those mothers, accompanying. MAMA celebrates our common experience as well as the significance of our occupation in the development of humanity, and, by provoking thought and conversation about this, MAMA empowers us to mother conscientiously. The show has been installed numerous times in British Columbia and Washington State.

OTHER WORK

Rickshaw Unschooling
As a dedicated unschooler and writer, I use this blog not only as a place to share our family's adventures, but also as a container for much of my writing about alternative educational, parenting and lifestyle choices. Rickshaw Unschooling is included on a few recommended reading lists for unschoolers and lifelearners, and will be featured on the Children and Nature Network's newsfeed. I also have created Wild Art, an explorative art, science and wilderness program which I have been running for the past few years, and recently have been invited to do a few teacher-ed workshops in North Vancouver and on Bowen Island. Information on this is also to be found at Rickshaw Unschooling.

2009 - Plastic Bag Art: In an effort to highlight our culture's reliance on and over-use of plastic, at a time when plastic bags are being rejected across North America, the artist created a plastic bag kite, a plastic bag pathway, and a 16-foot-high plastic bag tree. These were installed on Bowen Island as commentary on the Municipality's controversial use of large amounts of public funds to purchase and install a synthetic turf playing field. 4 other artists helped with the labour of these projects, but wished to remain anonymous.

1997 - present (ongoing) - Wild Art: An explorative art, science, and wilderness program for youth, as well as expressive art workshops for adults. Wild Art Website

2007 - present (ongoing) - Wild Food: Every year Emily leads Wild Food identification walks for locals and visitors on Bowen Island.

2004 - present - The Living Year: a poetic and visual journey through the seasons, as they transpire in British Columbia's temperate rainforest. This is a book in the making; daily macro photos of plant life as it presents throughout the seasons, as well as poems reflecting on the changes of the passing year.

1998 - 2010 - Sealkie Songs: A collection of songs, stories, prints, drawings, handmade books, and paintings, which will someday take the form of an installation/performance work. The work relates the female experience to ancient stories of the seal people. Songs performed regularly at local (Bowen Island) events.

1999 - Not Hippos! A comical children's book, in rhyming verse, with fold-out pages.

2005 - 2014 (annual) - The Rickshaw Masquerade: A community gathering! Full masquerade finery with local/wild food and music to share as the evening progresses. Many elaborate handmade masks and costumes are involved. This party was described in Vancouver Magazine: http://glave.com/wp-content/uploads/vm_turfwar_nov08.pdf


SELECTED RECENT MEDIA

MEMBERSHIPS

  • Spilt Milk Gallery (Edinburgh) artist profile
  • National Museum of Women in the Arts
  • West Vancouver Arts Council artist profile
  • Bowen Island Arts Council
  • Bowen Island Nature Club

WORKS PUBLISHED/RECOGNISED/EXHIBITED

2024 Invited to participate in group show about childhood trauma at Silk Purse Gallery (July) West Vancouver, BC
2024 Invited to present and perform (dis)robe garments at Art Vancouver fair (April) Vancouver, BC
2023 w h a t . h o m e exhibited (by invitation) at the Hearth Gallery. Bowen Island, BC
2023 One Solar Year (collaboration with Taliesin van Lidth de Jeude Roemer and Markus Roemer) exhibited at the Hearth Gallery. Bowen Island, BC
2023 Contributor to the Procreate Project Archive, displayed by Air Gallery, currently in Manchester. Manchester, England
2023 w h a t . h o m e  supported by the Canada Council for the Arts Canada
2023 w h a t . h o m e  exhibited at Gibsons Public Art Gallery Gibsons, BC
2022 One Solar Year: @onesolaryear At the intersection of ecology and humanity: observations on life in the pacific northwest through one year. online
May 2021 Letter to Myself in the Future included in Arts Territory Exchange's "Unboxing" project, which begins in Cambridgeshire, UK and will travel around the world. International (orig. Wales)
Oct 2020 Trauma Cocoon Release (performance) online, hosted by the Hearth Gallery as part of their Artists in our Midst series. Bowen Island, BC
Aug 2020 Invited to participate in The Hearth Gallery's Surfacing exhibition. Exhibited 3 pieces from Songs of the Apocalypse collection. Bowen Island, BC
Jun 2020 Selected participant in The Hearth Gallery's Saving Sea to Sky exhibition. Bowen Island, BC
2020-2021 Outdoor Exploration with Emily video series. April 1 to June 29, funded by Responsive Small Neighbourhood Grant: Bowen Island Municipality, Bowen Island Community Foundation, and Vancouver Foundation. Online; Bowen Island, BC
Dec 2019 Selected participant in Open Space Gallery's "Open Share" event Victoria, BC
Dec 2019 Winner of Bronze Artist of the Month, ArtAscent Art and Literature Journal International
Sept 2019 Solo show at Cove Commons Gallery: change/able installation with about us (music). Bowen Island, B.C.
Feb 2019 "You Can't Follow Their Rules" exhibited & sold at Cove Commons Gallery. Bowen Island, B.C.
June 2018 Nursing Gown and Chain Dress curated into Wearable Art show at Cove Commons Gallery. Bowen Island, B.C.
May 2018 Installation of what.home at Goleb project space Amsterdam, the Netherlands
2017 Participated in the MONA Biennale (Praxis - Museum of Non-Visible Art). Twitter: monacanada Worldwide
2017 Solo exhibition of the MAMA Project at Deer Lake Gallery. Burnaby, B.C.
2007-2017 Writing and photography for the Bowen Island Undercurrent newspaper, the Bowen Bulletin, the Children and Nature Network, and the Bowen Nature Club. Bowen Island, B.C.
2016-17 Solo exhibition at Artisan Square foyer. (featuring Change Your Own Adventures, abstracts and florals) Bowen Island, B.C.
2015 Participated in 'It's a Wrap' show. Bowen Island, B.C.
2015 Hosted outdoor art exhibition featuring broad range of works from the past ten years. Bowen Island, B.C.
2015 Participated in Wearable Art show. Bowen Island, B.C.
2014 Woman Story installation exhibited. Solo exhibition at Bowen Island Arts Council gallery. Bowen Island, B.C.
2014 Reading of excerpts from Girl Stories (book of short stories). Bowen Island, B.C.
2012 Participated in Printmakers of Bowen Island show. Bowen Island, B.C.
2012 The MAMA Project exhibited at the Synchronicity Festival Gibsons, B.C.
2012 5 chairs exhibited & sold at Take a Seat exhibit Bowen Island, B.C.
2012 Forest 1 exhibited in Bowen Island Municipal Hall Bowen Island, B.C.
2012 4 interior forest paintings exhibited as part of Bowen Landscapes show Bowen Island, B.C.
2011 Honeybee #1, #2 and #3 exhibited as part of Bugs show. Bowen Island, B.C.
2011 SuperMAMA performed: May 29th Vancouver, WA
2011 The MAMA Project exhibited May 4th - 8th Port Townsend, WA
2011 Him and Me (intaglio) exhibited at Bowen Island Municipal Hall. Bowen Island B.C.
2010 Varied edition of Him and Me (2 intaglio prints) exhibited at Gifted show. Bowen Island B.C.
2010 Nelson and When (2 bed-linen portraits) exhibited as part of Gifted show.Nelson and When (2 bed-linen portraits) exhibited as part of Gifted>show. Bowen Island B.C.
2010 SuperMAMA Performed:
May 1st and May 15th: Gallery in Artisan Square, Bowen Island, B.C.
August 13: Bastion Square, Victoria B.C.
August 15: Coast Collective Gallery, Colwood, B.C. 		B.C.
2010 The MAMA Project exhibited:
Apr 29 to May 17: Gallery in Artisan Square. Bowen Island, B.C.
August 13: Bastion Square, Victoria B.C.
August 15: Coast Collective Gallery, Colwood, B.C.
B.C.
2008 NOxIOUS installation exhibited: Pacific Festival of the Book International Exibition, Victoria Arts Connection Gallery, Mar 3 to Apr 26. Victoria, B.C.
2008 Our Blanket and Explanation published in the Arborealis Canadian poetry anthology. Ontario.
2008 The Passion of Parenthood published in the Literary Review of Canada (LRC), January/February 2008 issue. Also featured on the LRC website, January 2008. Toronto, ON.
2007 Les Calanques published on Cahoots Online Magazine. Saskatoon, SK.
2007 Stay At Home Mom performed by Jane Bee at the Seek Cover Art Show (art inspired by literature one-night event) at The Project art gallery, June 22. Victoria, B.C.
2007 Lullaby for a Forever Baby: Shortlisted for Mattia 9th annual international poetry contest. Vancouver, B.C.
2007 Winter Morning in a Garry Oak Meadow: Honourable Mention from Pandora's' Collective Spring poetry contest, June. Vancouver, B.C.
2007 Home from the Mailbox (poem) and First Flight (photo series from Wings installation) published in Spring 2007 issue of One Cool Word magazine. Vancouver, B.C.
2007 Linen Press hand-bound book exhibited: Art of the Book Exhibit, Pacific Festival of the Book Victoria Arts Connection Gallery, Mar 1 to Apr 30. Victoria, B.C.
2007 17 Socks: Honourable Mention from Pandora's Collective Hibernating With Words poetry. Vancouver, B.C.
2006 8 seasonal poems For David Bookbinder's book of 52 mandalas. Massachusetts, USA
2000 First Flight and untitled forest painting exhibited at the Silk Purse Gallery. West Vancouver, B.C.



TEACHING EXPERIENCE

2010 - 2022 Wild Art Leader Designed the Wild Art Program. As an explorative learning facilitator, I lead and mentored adults, teens and children in wilderness exploration, explorative art-making/learning/teaching. Ended the program because of long covid-related disability and to focus on my visual art career.
 Bowen Island, B.C.
2019 Island Pacific School Planned and taught a life-drawing program for students of the Monday mentors program. Grades 6-9 Bowen Island, B.C.
2018 Island Pacific School Planned and taught a drawing fundamentals program for students of the Monday mentors program. Grades 6-9 Bowen Island, B.C.
2017 Island Pacific School Planned and taught a 12-week colour theory program for grade 9 students. Bowen Island, B.C.
2015 Island Pacific School Funded by the Art Starts Program, planned and facilitated a cultural exploration and lantern-making project for grade 9 students. Bowen Island, B.C.
2011 - 2015 Nature Club (F)unschool Every Friday afternoon during the school year, led local families on wilderness exploration walks, discussing ecology, wild food, human impact on local ecosystems, etc. inspiring children and adults to get to know, trust, and value their surroundings. Bowen Island, B.C.
2011 - present Wild Food Tours Organize and lead various wild food identification walks. Bowen Island, B.C.
2008 - 2016 Rickshaw Art Gatherings Each gathering has a planned activity, which ranges from quite technical (ex: tie dyeing) to very intuitive (ex: wild clay harvesting and sculpting). Focus is on creativity and artistic exploration for all ages. Bowen Island, B.C.
2012 & 2013 Visual Art Mentor Mentoring in visual arts for private clients. Bowen Island, B.C.
2012 Bookmaking Instructor Guest Artist at Island Pacific School, for bookmaking unit. Bowen Island, B.C.
2010 Bowen Island Arts Council Led adult bookmaking class (6 weeks). Bowen Island, B.C.
2009 Jones House School Led bookmaking unit for students in grades 6 and 10. Vancouver, B.C.
2004 Bowen Island Parks & Recreation Led sculpture class for children aged 7-10 Bowen Island, B.C.
2003 Island Pacific School Led student bookmaking project Bowen Island, B.C.
2001 Burnaby Parks/Recreation Taught a pro-D workshop for Burnaby Recreation employees focusing on self-directed explorative art for children. Burnaby, B.C.
1997-00 Bonsor Recreation Complex Taught a variety of adults and children''s art classes, including murals. Burnaby, B.C.
1996 Painting Lessons Taught students aged 10 - 14, including design and direction of students in painting outdoor mural (4x7m) The Hague, The Netherlands
1996 Drawing Lessons Taught students aged 10 - 13 The Hague, The Netherlands
1994 Art Lessons Taught 5 students aged 12 - 14 Sorrento, B.C.
1993 Art Lessons Taught general arts to a group of 6 children aged 4 - 8 Bowen Island, B.C.



MURAL/WINDOW-PAINTING CONTRACTS

2018 Private Client Sandhill crane with chick (interior glass door painting). Bowen Island, B.C.
2018 Private Client Blackberry vines on three bathroom windows. Bowen Island, B.C.
2016 Private Client Wraparound kitchen mural - birch forest with barred owl. Bowen Island, B.C.
2010 Private Client White branches mural. Bowen Island, B.C.
2010 Private Client Children's cozy corners with murals, (in consultation and with the children): One dark wizard corner with swirly gradient blue starry night, glowing stars, and blue curtains with application of glowing stars. One bright fairy tree corner with false gate leading to fairy-inhabited tree, organza curtains and child-created leaves. This is an unschooling family, and very important that the children are a part of the design process and development. Bowen Island, B.C.
2009 Bowen Children's' Centre Windswept tree mural in daycare. Bowen Island, B.C.
2008 Bowen Children's' Centre Interior decoration, playhouse design, cloud murals in washrooms, and multi-wall forest-mural in preschool classroom. Bowen Island, B.C.
2007 Bowen Island Gas Station Seasonal window painting: Pine Siskins on the Christmas Bird Count, in memory of Alan Shatwell. Bowen Island, B.C.
2007 The Purple Door Gallery Large window paintings: river rocks and water. Bowen Island, B.C.
2007 Bowen Children's Centre Mural: winter tree (to be decorated by teachers). Bowen Island, B.C.
2006 Private Client Window painting: faux stained-glass Sorrento, B.C.
1999 Private Client Provincial French landscape (dining room) Faux finish (stucco look) with gilded vines (bathroom) Vancouver, B.C.
1998 Private Client Window paintings: maple tree and ocean scene Vancouver, B.C.
1998 Private Client Optical illusion: shelves containing old books and ephemera painted onto front of dresser. Vancouver, B.C.
1998 Private Client Faerie-landscape on all three walls of walk in closet North Vancouver, B.C.
1995 Private Client Giant sunflowers and sky in water-closet. The Hague, The Netherlands
1994 Giant Steps West false window: ocean vista Kamloops B.C.



JUROR'S CHOICE AWARDS

1996 Cedar Trees (oil on panel) Interior Island Forest (oil on panel) Him and Me (triptich of intaglio prints) (sold) Shuswap Festival of the Arts Sorrento, B.C.
1995 Grootvader (graphite drawing) Shuswap Festival of the Arts Sorrento, B.C.
1993 Fuchsia (oil on paper) North Shore Spring Juried Exhibition North Vancouver, B.C.



VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE

2009-2016 Board of directors, Bowen Nature Club, and Founder and Leader of Nature Club (F)unschool: Set up and maintain membership as well as website, email communication, etc. Redesigned logo. Organized various events, and began (F)unschool program for families. (F)unschool is a weekly wilderness walk that acquaints adults and children of all ages with the local ecosystems, as well as our place in and the value of these ecosystems. Bowen Island, B.C.
2000 to present Community Volunteer with various community events and organizations, often face-painting, organizing, planning, front-of-house/gate duties, decorating, graphic design, setting up and maintaining web-presence and email lists, etc. Bowen Island, B.C.
2003-06 Board of directors, Bowen Island Family Place, and Founder and Leader of Mothers Place Program: vice president, president, Mothers Place Coordinator. Conceived, developed and implemented a program to support new mothers on Bowen Island: grant-writing, newsletter production, community networking, and developing and running a weekly parent-child circle time, with developmental games and activities, as well as an ongoing weekly speaker series. Bowen Island, B.C.
2001 Bowen Island Music Assoc. Light Effects for Fruit/Resin concert. Bowen Island, B.C.
2001 Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre Wrote, illustrated, & produced a children's book for Aquarium use: How to Slurp Clams. Vancouver, B.C.
2000 Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre Completed volunteer training program; worked mainly with Riverworks program. Vancouver, B.C.
1998-00 Member of housing co-op (many volunteer duties, mostly for membership committee). Vancouver, B.C.
1994-96 Shuswap Festival of the Arts (many duties). Sorrento, B.C.
1994 Giant Steps West working daily with autistic children Kamloops, B.C.



LANGUAGES

English (first language)
Dutch (fluent: written/spoken)
French (fluent: written/spoken)
German (presently learning - not yet fluent)





EDUCATION

1998-2001 Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design graduation BFA, 2001: printmaking, sculpture Vancouver, B.C.
1997-1998 Douglas College Biology, English, and First Nations Studies New Westminster, B.C.
1994-1996 Royal Academy of Fine Arts major: painting minor: printmaking The Hague, Netherlands
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