In this workshop, Abby Nowakowski will lead us through an open discussion on value-driven practices and the power of bringing your own set of morals into the work you do. We will touch on ways you can work against capitalistic modes of making while still financially sustaining your artistic career, the vital role of radical consent in reciprocal relationships, and how we can fight for creative thinking by avoiding AI and moving towards more human-centred approaches.

We will draft our own code of conduct, which, like all good guidelines, will be a living document that grows and evolves alongside you. It will be a piece of writing that reflects your artistic ethics, that you can return to over and over again. This might be a short poem, a confident statement, or a set of rules that guide you in advocating for yourself and your practice.

Together we will dream up what a truly ethically responsible practice might look like, and imagine a system that could support these new ways of working.

ABOUT ABBY NOWAKOWSKI

Abby Nowakowski is a queer artist based in the wetlands of Central Frontenac between the Mississippi and Tay River watersheds. In their practice, they are constantly questioning how their artwork can be used as an activist tool and contribute to the collective creative building of sustainable futures. Abby explores themes of transformative justice, belonging, and hopefulness. Learning lessons from the natural world, Abby often leans towards local flora and wildlife as powerful examples of community building and resistance.