This past May, Guelph Arts Council launched Art in Real Life (ArtIRL), a program developed in partnership with the City of Guelph that supports artists in creating shared arts experiences with communities in real time and space.
Selected through an open call for Expressions of Interest, Beck Stanbra (he/they) brings their distinctive artistic practice and lived connection to Guelph to the 2026 Art IRL program.
Taking place downtown during Culture Days, their proposed project creates opportunities for community members to witness, participate in, and engage with the work in real time. In the Q&A below, Stanbra shares more about their creative practice, their connection to Guelph, and what audiences can expect from their Art IRL project.
Can you talk a little bit about your practice and yourself as an artist?
I am an emerging artist living and working in Guelph, Ontario. I completed my Bachelors degree in Studio Arts at the University of Guelph in 2025, and I have enjoyed exploring my practice in the Guelph community since. My work uses Cyanotype on a variety of materials to showcase intimate and vulnerable experiences of everyday queer life. I find particular interest in challenging the line between public and private life, showcasing tender and private experiences on a large scale that are inescapable for the viewer. My current body of work explores a feeling of closeness through cropped “snapshots” of domestic life.
Can you tell readers more about the cyanotype process and what drew you to it?
The cyanotype process is one of the earliest developed photographic techniques. It uses the reaction between two iron salts – ferric ammonium citrate, and potassium ferricyanide. When combined together, these chemicals create a light sensitive mixture that develops into a beautiful Prussian blue. I tried the Cyanotype process initially during my undergraduate degree, and I was drawn to the way it felt like a fusion between photography and printmaking. It allows me to capture these tender, private moments, and express them in a very physical and technical way. I enjoy exploring its technical limits, and I find that the blues that it creates have such a soft and dreamy feeling that speaks to the intimacy and soft moments of the stories I am sharing.
Can you talk a little bit about your proposed project and the inspiration behind it?
My proposed project involves photographing domestic portraits of 8 queer individuals or couples in the Guelph community. These portraits will explore connection, identity, and intimacy, seeking to capture “snapshots” of the unique Guelph queer culture. Each of these portraits will be printed using Cyanotype on fabric in Guelph public parks, allowing anyone in the area to observe, ask questions, and be involved. It is my goal to use documentary style photography as a means to showcase the unique and diverse queer community of Guelph on a broader public scale.
I have always been significantly inspired by Félix González-Torres — a gay contemporary artist who focused on breaking down the barriers between public and private life. My work similarly considers the history of queerness being considered a perversion, and works to bring non-sexual queer intimacy to the public realm. A lot of my work began through exploring my own private struggles as a transgender man, and this project has developed through my desire to explore and showcase the unique facets of queer identity that is quietly lived by individuals all around us. The finished portraits will be showcased inside a variety of community hubs in and around the downtown area, allowing these unique individuals to be seen and celebrated by broader Guelph communities.
Why is Guelph an important place for you to make this work? What does the city’s queer community mean to you?
Through the years I have lived here, Guelph has shown itself to me as a hub of different perspectives and unique individuals that have continually informed my artistic practice. Guelph is a city that many people consider to have “small town vibes”, and I have found this to be true. While there is a big diversity in individuals, the community pockets are close knit and supportive. Growing up in a largely conservative small town, the Guelph community has felt like it offers such freedom of individuality, particularly as a queer individual. In fact, my sister often jokes when she visits me that she understands why I wouldn’t want to leave, since “you can really be gay in Guelph”. Being surrounded by this vibrant and unique community everyday, I find it is important for me to express facets of these lived experiences that others may not be able to see. I believe that Guelph is a place that is very receptive to breaking down barriers and creating spaces where all are welcomed. It is my hope that my work will help contribute to this lovely community that sees and supports each other.
Stay tuned for more updates on Stanbra’s ArtIRL project and when it will be available for viewing during Culture days. You can keep up with Stanbra’s artistic practice on their Instagram.
