A/R/T Emergence: Revisiting a Collaborative Exhibit

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Published: Oct 14, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.26443/crae.v52i1.1726
Keywords:
Art Education; Collaborative Exhibit; Co-curation; Participatory Practices; Relationality; Emergence

Main Article Content

Geneviève Cloutier
University of Ottawa
Kathy Mantas
Nipissing University
Malvika Agarwal
Western University
Robert Durocher
Art Gallery of Ontario
Renee Jackson
Tyler School of Art and Architecture
Michele Kleinschuck
Teacher and Past-President of OAEA
Don Kwan
Artist
Sandra Poczobut
Western University
Jessica Sokolowski
University of Ottawa
Jennifer Wicks
Executive Director of the Canadian Crafts Federation
Cara Tierney
Artist

Abstract


This visual essay revisits A/R/T Emergence, a collaborative exhibition at the Ottawa Art Gallery during the 2022 joint CSEA/SCÉA and OAEA conference. Co-curated as a relational, accessible, non-hierarchical space, it brought together artists, researchers, teachers, students and community members to explore emergence by engaging with decolonization, accessibility, activism, environmentalism, memory, and identity. Grounded in posthumanist and anti-colonial perspectives, it enacted radical inclusion by resisting fixed, linear knowledge in favour of fluid, relational meaning-making, inviting audiences into co-creation. A/R/T Emergence calls for sustaining arts-based exhibitions that foster inclusive and interconnected pedagogies, in conference contexts and beyond.


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Article Details

How to Cite
Cloutier, G., Mantas, K., Agarwal, M., Durocher, R., Jackson, R., Kleinschuck, M., Kwan, D., Poczobut, S., Sokolowski, J., Wicks, J., & Tierney, C. (2026). A/R/T Emergence: Revisiting a Collaborative Exhibit. The Canadian Review of Art Education, 52(1), 192–216. https://doi.org/10.26443/crae.v52i1.1726
Issue
Vol. 52 No. 1 (2026): Reconnections: Art, Education, and Inclusive Futures
Section
Salon
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Author Biographies

Geneviève Cloutier, University of Ottawa

Geneviève Cloutier (she/they) is a neuroqueer artist, independent re-searcher, educator/facilitator, advisor, part-time professor, and (un)schooling parent living and working on unsurrendered and unceded Algonquin Anishinaabe territory. She has a Media Arts degree from Emily Carr University of Art and Design, and a MA(Ed) from the University of Ottawa (2014) where they received funding from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council to complete a PhD on transdisciplinarity, arts-based methods, relationality, pedagogy, and posthumanism. Their writing and art/re-search have been published in the Journal of the Canadian Association of Curriculum Studies, the International Journal of Education & the Arts, Art/Research International Journal, and the International Journal for Qualitative Studies in Education, among others. They also serve as a research advisor at the Toronto Art Therapy Institute and are a member of Place des Artistes de Farrellton, a repurposed school turned artist-run co-op in rural Quebec.

Kathy Mantas, Nipissing University

Kathy Mantas is an artist-researcher and professor of art education and graduate studies at Nipissing University, North Bay, Ontario. She has taught in diverse Ontario public schools and alternative settings for almost two decades before moving to North Bay to teach at Nipissing University in 2007. Kathy’s research and creative interests include exploring nature’s artistry through spontaneous/contemplative processes; artful and creative inquiry; collaborative processes; creativity in teaching-learning and wellness contexts; and maternal studies. Over the years, Kathy has been affiliated with several arts organizations, committees and related journals. Currently, she is serving as co-president for the Canadian Society for Education through Art.

Malvika Agarwal, Western University

Michele Kleinschuck (she/her/elle) is a nature photographer with a body of work spanning four decades. Many of her images are taken in, at, or near water, where light plays and emerges in dynamic, ever-changing ways. As in nature, education is constantly changing and she believes the arts play a vital role in 21st-century learning. As a lifelong learner herself, Michele has a B.A. Honours, B.Ed, and holds a Specialist in Visual Arts and French. After 30 years in elementary education, she retired and is now a visual arts instructor at Western University. She is also a grad student at the University of Victoria in the Master of Education in Visual Arts program. Michele received the 2022 CSEA Provincial Award for Excellence in Teaching in recognition of her significant contributions to art education, with a demonstrated commitment to inclusivity and diversity in her teaching practices and proven leadership within the field of art education. She is the past-president of the Ontario Art Education Association and continues to be heavily involved in initiatives in curriculum, conferences, and membership. She loves traveling to continue the French journey that started many moons ago in France.

Robert Durocher, Art Gallery of Ontario

Robert Durocher (he/him) is an arts educator and artist who believes all people should have access to arts education, play, and programming that reflects and affirms diverse learners and communities, including intergenerational programs. Robert is currently Chief, Education and Programming at the Art Gallery of Ontario, and before joining the AGO in this role, he was Centrally Assigned Vice-Principal, Indigenous Education at the Urban Indigenous Education Centre at the Toronto District School Board. Robert was seconded faculty at York University’s Faculty of Education where he led courses in Visual Arts Education, Arts Integration, and Inclusive Education. Robert is also an Associate at the Ontario College of Art (currently OCAD U), in printmaking. He also holds a Bachelor of Fine Art degree from York University, a Bachelor of Education, and a Master of Arts from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto.

Renee Jackson, Tyler School of Art and Architecture

Renee Jackson is an artist, critical feminist pedagogue, and scholar, whose art and research practices relate to the disruption of oppressive mechanisms in education and the integration of game-design, game-play, and playful practices, as collaborative art forms and learning tools, in support of this goal. Jackson has been an art educator for 24 years and has taught at all levels and within various contexts including public, private, and non-profit community settings. She holds a Phd in Educational Studies and an MA (Art Education) from Concordia University, a B.Ed (Visual Arts Specialist) from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, and a BFA from York University. She is from Hamilton Ontario, and is currently an Associate Professor and Program Head of Art Education at Tyler School of Art and Architecture, at Temple University, in Philadelphia.

Michele Kleinschuck, Teacher and Past-President of OAEA

Michele Kleinschuck (she/her/elle) is a nature photographer with a body of work spanning four decades. Many of her images are taken in, at, or near water, where light plays and emerges in dynamic, ever-changing ways. As in nature, education is constantly changing and she believes the arts play a vital role in 21st-century learning. As a lifelong learner herself, Michele has a B.A. Honours, B.Ed, and holds a Specialist in Visual Arts and French. After 30 years in elementary education, she retired and is now a visual arts instructor at Western University. She is also a grad student at the University of Victoria in the Master of Education in Visual Arts program. Michele received the 2022 CSEA Provincial Award for Excellence in Teaching in recognition of her significant contributions to art education, with a demonstrated commitment to inclusivity and diversity in her teaching practices and proven leadership within the field of art education. She is the past-president of the Ontario Art Education Association and continues to be heavily involved in initiatives in curriculum, conferences, and membership. She loves traveling to continue the French journey that started many moons ago in France.

Don Kwan, Artist

A third-generation Chinese Canadian, Don Kwan turns to his own experiences and challenges of being a gay, East Asian artist as a way to ground in broader conversations about identity, representations, and intergenerational memory-making in the diaspora.
Kwan regularly draws from common and powerfully symbolic found objects and forms. He redeploys them in provocative, and playful ways; delivering complex, and nuanced concepts in an open framework for interpretation that evokes both familiarity and wonder.
A recipient of numerous awards, Kwan’s work is featured in public and private collections across Canada, including the Royal Ontario Museum and the Ottawa Art Gallery. A central figure in Ottawa’s art scene, he has contributed significantly to the city’s cultural landscape, alongside his family, for decades, as the founder of the Chinatown Remixed Art Festival. His influence extends nationally, with exhibitions in venues such as the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden in Vancouver and the Bonavista Biennale in Newfoundland.

Sandra Poczobut, Western University

Sandra Poczobut is a late-career installation and performance artist, curator, and educator currently pursuing a Ph.D. in the Faculty of Education at Western University. Her interdisciplinary work is grounded in posthumanist and new materialist frameworks, exploring relationality, equity, and the entanglements between the human and more-than-human world. Sandra’s creative, scholarly, and community work are deeply intertwined, aiming to dissolve disciplinary boundaries. She has exhibited at the Ottawa Art Gallery, Elgin County Heritage Centre, The Artist Project, World of Threads International Fiber Arts Festival, and the Art Gallery of Mississauga, among other site-based projects. With over two decades of experience in education and community development, Sandra has developed and led programs that integrate ecology, design thinking, and inclusive practices. She has taught at OCADU/AGO Continuing Education, developed curriculum for internationally trained architects at JVS Toronto, and worked as an Artist in Residence in Peel Region schools. Her current research focuses on literacy and professional learning in higher education, where she works as an atelierista, supporting teacher educators across multiple modalities of academic reading.

Jessica Sokolowski, University of Ottawa

Jessica Sokolowski is a long-term appointment professor at the University of Ottawa in the Faculty of Education where she teaches courses for pre-service teachers and graduate students focused on the arts, language arts, and creativity. Her research and approach to teaching is focused largely on arts-based and experiential learning, creativity, and inclusive approaches to teaching and learning. She is a steering committee member with the Canadian Network for Imagination and Creativity (CNIC) and

Jennifer Wicks, Executive Director of the Canadian Crafts Federation

Jennifer Wicks is an arts leader, researcher, and advocate deeply committed to craft, education, and cultural sustainability. As the Executive Director of the Canadian Crafts Federation, she supports craft councils and artists across Canada, promoting national and international initiatives that celebrate excellence in both contemporary and traditional craft. Her leadership has enhanced collaboration across the sector, led to innovative projects such as digital learning platforms and touring exhibitions, and brought Canadian craft into important policy and economic discussions. With a background in visual arts education and post-qualitative research, Jennifer's academic and professional work examines intersections of co-creation, material practice, pedagogy, and social justice. She is a lecturer in art education at l'Université du Québec en Outaouais, and a practicing artist. This dual role allows her to bring a unique perspective to her work, regularly designing participatory experiences that encourage reflection on identity, place, and collective creativity. Jennifer's approach is rooted in care, curiosity, and critical thinking. Whether she is writing policy briefs, designing art-based learning experiences for future educators, or discussing leadership in the cultural sector, she creates spaces prioritizing dialogue, equity, and imagination. She holds degrees in ceramics and art education, bringing a polyglot queer perspective to her endeavours.

Cara Tierney, Artist

Raised in Tio’tiake|Montreal, Tierney is a Scottish/Irish/Italian/white/settler/trans*, artist, curator, researcher, and educator. Currently a studio, history and theory professor in the Visual Arts department of the University of Ottawa, Tierney has taught at Algonquin College and the National Gallery of Canada, and has designed and delivered arts, and arts-based anti-oppression workshops on unceded Algonquin land, the area surrounding so-called Ottawa, since 2004. Tierney has a Masters in Fine Arts (2012) from the University of Ottawa, and a Masters in Canadian Art History (2004) as well as a PhD in Cultural Mediations (2024) from Carleton University. An active member of the Ottawa Trans Library’s Board of Directors, Tierney’s multiple creative and productive modalities sit at the intersection of art, pedagogy, and social transformation through collective grass roots organizing. Globally minded, locally-rooted, Tierney approaches their work as an ongoing series of opportunities to critically question systems of power, bridge creativity and knowledge-sharing, while knitting interpersonal moments into community-building, and social justice initiatives.

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