Alchemy Prince Edward County August 2024
ALCHEMY is an international artist-led residency exploring the common themes between artistic practice and the growing, cooking and sharing of food in community settings. Since 2017, this residency has taken place in rural Hillier, Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada, during the harvest season. Artists live in a community setting while making art and sharing meals.
ALCHEMY PEC 2024 is hosting eight artists during the month of August. Participating artists may:
- Pursue studio work, likely in a local community space.
- Offer a community artist talk, workshop or demonstration.
- Participate in Open Studio events during the Residency.
- Be paired with a local artist, winery or farm in order to consider work in situ.
Two long-time collaborators facilitate Alchemy 2024 progamming initaitves: Claire M Tallarico is a visual artist and trained chef whose social practice explores how the everyday activities of art-making and food sharing contribute to the well-being of artists and further community engagement for a community and its citizens. Tonia Di Risio is a visual artist whose work has developed through ongoing investigations of the growing, making, preserving, celebrating, and sharing of food.
Alchemy Artists Residency
Alchemy is an Ontario-based artist residency built on four pillars: art, food, farm & community. Attracting artists from Canada and around the world, Alchemy's initiatives are led by artists Claire Tallarico and Tonia DiRisio. 2024 marks our 10th year of programming initiatives.
Alchemy: a magical setting for inquiry and discovery
Our current programming stems from what we have learned through collaborating with more than 100 artists over nearly a decade of convening artist residencies and community engaged programming on the Toronto Islands and in rural Prince Edward County (PEC), Ontario.
Alchemy's artist led initiatives engage and encourage artists to continue work in progress or undertake new work inspired by the people and land in this dynamic rural agricultural setting. Participating artists live and visit the Toronto Islands or "The County" to create site-specific art explore, and share lines of inquiry. Through a strong commitment to a collaborative process, we collect, document and share multiple stories in two unique locations. The result is an ever-growing constellation of collaborations between and among artists and residents on the Toronto Islands and artists, long time residents farmers, makers, growers, and workers in the County.
Land Acknowledgement
Alchemy Artists Residency acknowledges that we are on the traditional territory of Huron-Wendat, Anishinaabe, and Haudenosaunee peoples. These peoples agreed to mutual sharing obligations and responsibilities as stewards of the land and water. We recognize that these are now our shared obligations in partnership, to continue to protect the land and water. As we talk about the land, we honour the Indigenous ancestors who came before us and who continue to be present in lands which we occupy. We acknowledge and honour the First Nations who despite attempts of colonialism, continue to hold and share their rich history, traditions, and cultures that are proud, modern and vibrant. As we move forward, we hope that every time we get together we acknowledge all those that have come before us.
Approved by Troy Maracle, Indigenous Education Lead for the HPEDSB
Dinner at Redtail Vineyards by Kirstyn Mayers, 2020
We gratefully acknowledge funding support from the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario, for our residency program in Prince Edward County in 2022.
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In 2023, we are grateful to the following wineries for their interest and support of Alchemy's initiatives in Prince Edward County: Closson Chase, The Grange, Broken Stone, Casa Dea, Rosehall Run, Lighthall, and Stanners,
