Emmanuelle Jacques’ Love Story
“I’m really proud to be part of its development and, above all, to be part of this community. This really is what makes our center strong. I’ve met so many people there! It’s almost like a second family to me. “
I Love L’imprimerie is an emotional propaganda campaign. With great tenderness and kindness, we solicit love letters from our faithful members. This initiative aims to cultivate the love of our community and collect donations to continue to offer professional quality services. Whether through the development of original artistic projects in residence or the accompaniment of artists through workshops and training, all the practices of print and photography are supported by the center.
This month, Emmanuelle Jacques shares her love story with L’imprimerie. Emmanuelle’s practice revolves around print and drawing. She uses installation, artist book, relational art or other maneuvers, to make her reflections mature, formulate her ideas and thus give meaning to her work. Her various projects have led her to be interested, among many things, in cartography, urban planning, feminism, punk and DIY movements, economics, work, self-management, practices of care, plants, stars, interstices, indiscipline and utopias.
As part of a custom project carried out last year, Emmanuelle continued her work on her project Création de richesse/Labour of Love, which she discusses in her story. She is finishing her first term as co-chair of L’imprimerie marking the organization with her dynamism and a firm desire to make printed art accessible to all creators by stimulating the development of practices. It gives us the greatest pleasure to share with you her testimony of affection for the centre.
It’s at L’imprimerie that I was born as an artist. My first professional experience in 2006 was a residency dedicated to emerging artists: the famous «Insertion project». Despite its dubious name, this project was a gateway into the art world for many artists of my generation. Known at the time as Graff, center of graphic design, then as Atelier Graff, L’imprimerie was established on the Plateau-Mont-Royal since 1966. Imbued with the spirit of its founder Pierre Ayot, this work space was favoured by many artists whose practice revolved around print. I was so excited: I was going to work in the same workshop as Julie Doucet and Dominique Pétrin!
Image: Emmanuelle Jacques, Création de richesse/Labour of Love, Arprim, centre d’essai en art imprimé
Image: Emmanuelle Jacques, Création de richesse/Labour of Love, Arprim, centre d’essai en art imprimé
Image: Emmanuelle Jacques, Création de richesse/Labour of Love, Arprim, centre d’essai en art imprimé
After this residency, I continued to visit l’Atelier Graff. This was for me the place of several other first chances. Through its exchange programs, I made my first residencies in other Canadian cities, I gave my first workshops there, my first project of external work and my first projects in co-creation. I also worked there for four years as an executive assistant; that’s where I developed my management skills. But most of all, over time, I have met hundreds of incredible artists who have become dear colleagues and friends, who continue to be a constant source of inspiration in my professional life.
Image: Emmanuelle Jacques, Création de richesse/Labour of Love
Image: Emmanuelle Jacques, Création de richesse/Labour of Love
Image: Emmanuelle Jacques, Création de richesse/Labour of Love
In 2016, when Atelier Graff joined the Cabinet to settle in Hochelaga under the name of L’imprimerie, centre d’artistes, I decided to get involved in the development of the center. First on a working committee, then as a member of the board of directors, and now as co-chair of the board. During these years of involvement, I have already seen two dreams come true: the acquisition by the center of a typographic press (“my” lovely Vandercook press) and equipment for book-binding. It’s extraordinary to see this dream materialize, but also to see how this project of mutualisation gave a new breath to our artist-run center. I’m really proud to be part of its development and, above all, to be part of this community. This really is what makes our center strong. I’ve met so many people there! It’s almost like a second family to me.
It was also at L’imprimerie that I produced my latest project, the artist’s book Création de richesse/Labour of Love. L’imprimerie had everything I needed, at all stages of the production. From the meeting space where I met my collaborators, to the digital lab to scan my drawings and print my films, to the unfinished room to develop my plates up to the Vandercook press for printing, and finally, the guillotine for cutting. All in a professional and warm atmosphere, with all the privacy you need.
I owe a lot to L’imprimerie. It is a place of creation and meetings that I cherish and that is why I find it important to support it financially.”
Image: Emmanuelle Jacques, Création de richesse/Labour of Love
Biography
Emmanuelle Jacques lives and works in Montreal. She earned her BFA at UQAM in 2004. She showed her work, gave workshops and carried out residency projects in several Canadian cities, including at Arprim (Montréal, 2020), L’imprimerie, centre d’artistes (Montreal, 2019), articule (Montreal, 2018), McCord Museum (Montreal, 2018), in the Accès culture network (Montreal, 2017), at Artist Proof Gallery (Calgary, AB, 2015), Centre Sagamie (Alma, 2015), La Maison des arts de Laval (2015), Owens Art Gallery (Sackville, NB, 2015), Malaspina Printmakers (Vancouver, CB, 2014), Art City and Martha Street Studio (Winnipeg, MB, 2013). In 2019, she received a Research and Creation grant from Canada Council for the Arts for her project Création de richesse/Labour of Love. Emmanuelle Jacques is also a mother of two young children.
Emmanuelle continues her commitment to L’imprimerie towards emerging artists by leading the Working Group for artists in the process of professionalization, which is currently seeking participation for its first cohort in the fall of 2020. Note that this workshop is given in french only. Her contribution to teaching and training the artistic community is reflected in her love for typographic machines with the leading workshops “Explorations on Vandercook” and “Vandercook express” both offered for the 2020-21 programming.
Discover Emmanuelle’s artistic work by clicking here.
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