Boy, it's been a crazy few months for everyone, hasn't it? Seems like a lot of people are trying new things, like sewing, drawing, or weaving! Art has been crucial to keeping us collectively sane— I hope you have been able to find time to rest and to create something!
In February I went to Ottawa for a 3-month internship at the National Gallery of Canada! I got to explore Ottawa and meet some amazing people and see lots of art!! I lived on the west side of town in an AirBnB place with a family and their dog, Kiki. There was a park behind the house that you could walk through to escape the city. And at work I got my own desk that faced the window and a wicked cool lightning statue! I learned how to make catalogue entries for exhibition records (here is an example!), edited and created Wikipedia pages, researched digital archive software, helped out with housekeeping and reference questions, and even got to visit other places too! We went to the Library and Archives Preservation Centre in Gatineau and I went to Artexte in Montreal! As it turns out, I specialize in contemporary art documentation. I’m not sure what to do with that specialty yet, but I had a blast developing it!
I had an amazing time in Ottawa, and except for missing my partner and kitties, I was really happy!
Unfortunately the time in Ottawa was cut short due to COVID-19. I had known it was going to be over before I knew it, but it was over before I expected. Luckily, I was able to finish the internship remotely, so I was able to work from home in Edmonton for a while before returning to my regular day job. I look forward to returning to Ottawa to visit the Gallery and my newfound friends again someday soon!
Since the Ottawa trip, I've been a bit low on energy (thanks, mono) so I've been slowing down and taking it easy. I've been absorbing more art (especially by Indigenous and Black folks), drawing, working (thank you Kelmany for the masks!!), and taking a couple of classes for school. I have making progress on my children's picture book, too. I think it's at the print draft stage and is very close to publishing stage!
A more personal project was embarking on our legal name changes! My partner and I combined our last names, so my legal name is now Freyja Catton!
While I was in Ottawa, I got to have my name added to the National Gallery of Canada’s artist catalogue! It lists all of my names, so should make it easier for future researchers to research me (ha! ha!).
You can find my entry here:
https://app.pch.gc.ca/application/aac-aic/artiste_detailler_bas-artist_detail_bas.app?rID=58172&fID=2&lang=en&qlang=en&pID=178&ps=50&sort=AM_ASC
and finally, I will leave you all with a drawing from early on in the pandemic, which I believe is still true: the time is ripe for change and systemic overhaul.
Hibernation, 2020
Freyja Catton
Ink on paper