Laurie Magnan’s love story
” It was with certainty that I wanted to get involved in an artist-run center rather than any other cultural institution, because this ecosystem allows artists to manage their means of production. The artist-run center model is unique in so-called Canada; it stands outside the merchandization of art, and its primary mission is to support artists. ”
This year, L’imprimerie’s annual donation campaign celebrates the team behind its services!
Throughout the donation campaign, we will introduce you to the team of workers, one precious person at a time, to highlight their respective expertise and include you even more in the heart of L’imprimerie. Every two weeks, you will be introduced to each worker, as well as their love letter to L’imprimerie, printmaking and its artists.
Laurie Magnan has been General Director since August, and stands out with their infectious laugh, their ability to listen, and above all their sincere desire to help make L’imprimerie an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.
We invite you to discover their love story with L’imprimerie and their practice through this article.
Épilobes, tatouskak, 2019
” L’imprimerie is first and foremost a community founded and welded together by care, experimentation, and kindness.
It’s a supportive team, sticking together to provide a space that is as inclusive and accessible as possible.
It’s lots of laughs and encouragement.
It’s a community willing to learn and improve.
It’s constant dialogue, collaboration and collective intelligence.
It’s about learning new techniques and opening up to new ways of doing things.
It’s relying on the strength of the collective and the pooling of experience.
It’s about recognizing and valuing different types of know-how.
It’s about diversity of practice.
It is about celebrating mistakes as part of the process.
It’s about re-enchantment through a culture of care, eco-sensitivity and non-toxicity.
Fuir les tempêtes, Notre-Dame-de-Ham, 2022
It was with certainty that I wanted to get involved in an artist-run center rather than any other cultural institution, because this ecosystem allows artists to manage their means of production. The artist-run center model is unique in so-called Canada; it stands outside the merchandization of art, and its primary mission is to support artists.
Pointe-rouge, tatouskak, 2019
The artist-run center is a community space, a shared pool of resources, a team of salaried workers with multiple areas of expertise, and an anthill of volunteers involved in committees. The very definition of for and by artists. All our efforts are combined to provide creators with the appropriate resources. It’s about practice, creation, community, involvement, mutual support and exploration. The crying lack of funding for culture and the precarious status of artist-run centers show contempt for alternative organization and organizations whose aim is not profit. Supporting artists and community in a neoliberal system is a thumb in the nose of capitalism and individualistic culture. L’imprimerie is a living place that cultivates the living.”
De brèves surimpressions – animouski, 2022
De brèves surimpressions – (r)assurer, 2022
Photo credit: Katya Konioukhova
Biography
Laurie Magnan (they/them) is a cultural worker living in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal and a graduate in art history from UQAM. They are particularly interested in the connections between art and politics, self-publishing, power relations and queer, decolonial and anti-capitalist struggles. Since August 2023, they have been the General Director of L’imprimerie since August 2023, is a board member of the Press Start cooperative at Bâtiment 7 and is involved in collective curatorial projects. Previously, they were programming co-coordinator at Atelier La Coulée, a farm worker for a cooperative in Tadoussac and a member of feminist and anarchist collectives and independant publishing projects. Their projects focus on putting theory into practice and creating spaces that empower alternative and marginalized communities.
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