Guelph Arts Council had the pleasure of speaking with the team at Ed Video. Here what they had to say about their organization.
Introduce yourself as the new ED and your hopes for Ed Video.
Hi! My name is Sarafina Bortolon-Vettor, and I am honoured to be the new Executive Director of Ed Video Media Arts Centre. My hope is to continue this vibrant legacy (along with our exceptional staff members, and our board), to provide a welcoming, fun, and experimental space for new and established media artists, to create and appreciate media art. I look forward to collaborating, innovating and celebrating creative expressions together.
Sarafina Bortolon-Vettor (Executive Director)
If someone was new to Guelph and had never heard of Ed Video before, how would you explain to them who you are, what you do, and why you do what you do?
Ed Video is an arts organization based right here in Guelph, Ontario. Our focus is on giving our community the opportunity to create, present, and appreciate media art. We rent professional production equipment at affordable prices; organize exhibitions in our gallery that showcase Canadian media artists; and run workshops and experiential learning programs that help local, regional and national artists develop their careers.
Sarafina Bortolon-Vettor (Executive Director)
Can you tell us more about how Ed Video helps people of all ages learn about media arts and how this helps them understand and get involved with contemporary technology-based art?
Ed Video is committed to fostering the presentation, appreciation and education of media arts in our community. Our workshops are unifying as they bring community members together, regardless of age or professional experience. Every month we host The Image Makers, a free experiential learning session focused on experimenting with video and lighting equipment, and we have people of all ages and backgrounds participate regularly. We do offer youth specific programming, which includes media art based camps during Spring and Summer break and training sessions for high school classes. Members also have the opportunity to receive one-on-one equipment training from Ed Video staff at the centre.
Stephanie Badoe (Workshop Coordinator)
How would you describe Media Arts to someone who was unfamiliar with it?
One of the great things about media art is that it can mean so many different things to so many different people. Our members and artists work across far too many different modes of working that it would be impractical to list them all, but the common thread is that media art lives at the intersection of artistic creation, technology, and usually some component of time or duration. When you first look at an organization like Ed Video it is easy to think of traditional or experimental filmmaking, and while that is the type of work a large proportion of our members make, we also support animation, VR/AR, web-based art, performance, sculpture, and beyond. Media art is a wide umbrella that is constantly changing with advancements in both aesthetics and technology.
Elia Morrison (Technical Director)
How does Ed Video view its position as a cultural center within Guelph, and how does it actively foster connections between artists, audiences, and organizations?
Being an Artist Run Centre we understand the importance of creating these connections and the role we play in encouraging them. The nature of our space and operations allows us to act as a hub, bringing together a wide range of artists, audiences, and organizations in an often informal manner. For example, our gallery serves to present work to audiences, but also confronts artists working in our studio space to engage with work they may not have otherwise come across.
Elia Morrison (Technical Director)
How does Ed Video facilitate skill-enriching workshops to cater to various experience levels, and what impact do these workshops have on the local community?
The ‘Ed’ in Ed Video stands for Education, and our educational programming plays a significant role in fostering our community. As Ed Video’s membership consists of individuals of all walks of life, as well as professionals at various stages of their career, it is important that our workshop programming reflects diversity. Our workshop proposal submission form has been effective in attracting new instructors with fresh training topics at varying skill levels. We have the privilege of providing a platform for local media artists of varying disciplines to share their passion and skills as workshop facilitators, while creating opportunities for community members to learn and broaden their creative horizons and develop new skills.
Stephanie Badoe (Workshop Coordinator)
Could you discuss the process of curating exhibitions both on-site and off-site at Ed Video, and how these exhibitions reflect the diversity, spirit, and viewpoints of the region?
As the Program Director my approach to curation is to present work by equity-deserving media artists that is visually compelling, thought provoking and invites critical dialogue. Ed Video began an international exhibition program in 2012, to provide opportunities for artists to expand their audiences. In 2023, we renovated part of our office into a new gallery space, out of a desire for more local programming. The ability to change and adapt our methods and the way we support artists contributes to our resiliency over the last 48 years.
Maddie Lychek (Program Director)
Can you explain how Ed Video’s production granting program supports both established and emerging media artists, and how it encourages applicants at all stages of their careers to explore various forms of media arts production?
Our production grants exist to help remove barriers to access and barriers to creation that exist for many media artists, specifically financial barriers. Media art creation can be an expensive endeavour and we want to ensure that our resources aren’t only available to artists with access to greater financial means. While we aren’t able to provide funding through our granting program, the in-kind access to our equipment and other resources means that artists are able to use their generally limited budgets to enhance their projects in other ways such as hiring actors or crew members, building sets and props, providing meals to their team, or simply not having to make the choice between creating their work or paying their bills.
Our production grants are open to all artists, from emerging to established and at all skill levels. Applications are accepted on a rolling deadline to account for the fact that project development doesn’t happen on a set schedule, and are reviewed by a volunteer jury made up of local media artists.
Elia Morrison (Technical Director)
Why should someone become a member, how will a membership enhance one’s practice?
As a member of Ed Video, you have the opportunity to bring your creative ideas to life. We thrive on seeing our members excel, create new and exciting works, and develop their skills. By becoming a member, you are instantly part of the Ed Video community. Depending on the level of membership (student, general, producer, organization), you’ll get access to equipment, our editing suite, get a discount on workshops, receive consultation on projects, participate in production programs, receive our email newsletter, and even rent our space (after 4 months of membership).
For more information about becoming a member, visit: https://edvideo.org/become-a-member/
Sarafina Bortolon-Vettor (Executive Director)
Is there anything else the community should know about Ed Video, your initiatives, etc? Is there anything upcoming you would like to share with our readers?
Drop by our studio any time on Mon/Tues/Thurs/Fri 10am-5pm, and we’d be happy to chat more about your creative endeavours and how we can help. Our gallery is open and free to the public, so please stop by and enjoy our current exhibition: hot dreams – up now, until August 2nd. Curated by Adrien Crossman, hot dreams brings together the work of Ardyn Gibbs and Eli Nolet, two emerging trans and non binary artists exploring queer affect through new media and materiality.For more information about Ed Video, visit: https://edvideo.org/
