Some historical landmarks

1999 – The Symposium d’art actuel à Moncton (Contemporary art symposium) is held under the theme “La Mascaret ne siffle plus,” as part of the Sommet de la Francophonie. AGAVF works closely with the AAAPNB on this pilot project.

2000 – Échangeur I – Extensions intimes. An exchange and artist residency project between four centres: Galerie Sans Nom and Imago in Moncton, L’Écart in Rouyn-Noranda, and the Galerie du Nouvel-Ontario in Sudbury, who coordinates the project.

2001 – Échangeur II – Histoire de sens. An organization is added: the Maison des artistes in St. Boniface. The Échangeur project series is concluded with an exchange trip to Paris and by the publication of two books of critical essays.

2002 – Jury simulationproject that aimed to increase the number of applications by artists to the Canada Council for the Arts grant programs. In 2002, the jury simulation workshop was offered in Moncton, Ottawa, and St. Boniface. The project was renewed in 2004 and 2006, and later developed into a web-based tool.

2003 – AGAVF founding symposium at the National Gallery of Canada with 80 participants from various regions of Canada. The symposium was an opportunity to introduce the Francophone visual arts network to government agencies and partners across the country.

2003 – Parallaxe, a project based on the concept of exchange and artist residency, but that locates its entire activities in Winnipeg, where 13 artists create in situ works around the newly rebuilt Provencher bridge. Daïmon is added to the list of participating centres, and a catalogue is published in 2007.

2005 – The Coup de pouce service is established under the model of the Canada Council’s Flying Squad, allowing members to hire a local resource. The service helps consolidate the membership and improve their organizational abilities.

2006 – Implementation of the Brèches, a mentorship project that built curatorial expertise in Francophone communities and provided first-hand access to an expert in the field. 

2007 – Launch of AGAVF’s first website www.agavf.ca, and networking event in Quebec City as part of the Mois Multi, and a showcase at MANIF D’ART 4 (June 2008).

2008 – Stethoscope, Diagnostic and Ordonnance, a project that examined the state of the visual arts in provinces with no Francophone visual arts organizations, and to identify solutions with local creative organizations and individual artists. Esquisse partagée, a project to mobilise Ontario’s Francophone visual arts professionals around common issues as part of a concertation table.

2009 – Launch of La Liste and the web tool QuiQuoiComment, aimed at increasing success rates for artists applying to calls for submissions in Canadian and Quebec galleries and artist-run centres. Partnership established with Viva! Art Action performance art festival for networking and professionalization in the field of performance art.

2010 – AGAVF becomes a member ofARCA,launches the Parlons d’art contemporain project within the Canadian Francophone network, and negotiates two new pilot programs in visual arts with the Ontario Arts Council’s Bureau des arts franco-ontariens.

2012 – Networking and professional development event in Vancouver as part of the national artist-run centre conference Institutions by Artists (40 delegates). Other professional development activities took place in Toronto, Moncton and Sudbury (15 artists).

2013 – Launch of L’art visuel s’écrit to compensate for the lack of writing and documentation on the work of Francophone artists. Roughly fifteen workshops were offered across the country through provincial organizations, complemented by a guide and six podcasts on the role of writing in contemporary art.

2014 – Relaunching of the visual arts working groups (Canada Council for the Arts, Canadian Heritage, Global Affairs Canada) to update our advocacy on the role of a network of visual arts organizations in francophone communities.

2015 – Reflection on dissemination following two Forums 2015 (Montreal) and 2017 (Quebec City) aimed at articulating initiatives that could apply to the Canada Council’s new Market Access Strategy for Official Language Minority Communities Fund. A Francophone delegation from across the country meets at the ARCA-ARCCO national conference in Toronto.

2016 – Contemporary art mediation initiative led by Adriana de Oliveira, with ten participating centres. Drafting of a professional development program in visual arts for the Canadian francophonie – a joint research project between ARCA-AGAVF-RCAAQ.

2017 – Establishment of a working committee in Western and Northern Canada around the Réseau N.O. initiative. Flotilla/Flottille, the first Atlantic-based conference organized by ARCA in Charlottetown, draws many Acadian arts and cultural workers; AGAVF contributes to part of the conference programming.

2018 – Coaching is now offered as part of AGAVF’s Coup de pouce service, and for the first time, AGAVF members (5) take part in training workshops offered by the RCAAQ.

2019 – Galerie SAW Gallery hosts Trajectoires, an expanded forum that assessed AGAVF’s past 20 years and prepared the way forward for the next generation of delegates. Launch of the first curatorial incubator.