history

Trap\door Artist Run Centre was founded in the Spring of 2004. Since then we have had numerous exhibitions:

Oct 2004,
Inaugural Exhibition, with Akrey, David Diviney, and Joe Kelly at Parlour

Jan. 2005,
Return To Sender, a coorespondence mail art show at le petite trianon

April 2005,
Van Cleef's Dead End, an interactive video game installation by Mike Paget installed in the atruim of the University of Lethbridge

Jan. 2006,
Narrative Threads and Other Yarns, with Dana Inkster, David Poolman, and Kathryn Ruppert-Dazai at the University of Lethbridge Art Gallery

Feb. 2006,
Prairie Tales 7, new works on film and video organized by Metro Cinema and the Alberta Media Arts Alliance Society

Aug. 2006,
the 1st annual Gushul Studio Residency and Collaboration Project, with writer Carol Williams and emerging artist Scott Rogers

Nov. 2006,
Prairie Tales 8

March 2007,
"Button Up!" an exhinition of artist buttons at the Joan Waterfield Gallery

Sept. 2007,
Sobey Art Award finalist Jean-Denis Boudreau's _instructions at le petite trianon

Oct. 2007,
the 2nd annual Gushul Residency and Collaboration Project featuring emerging artists Shanell Papp and Hye-Seung Jung; and the development of our button vending machine into an exhibition venue for jurried button shows displayed throughout Southern Alberta

April 2008,
host of Prairie Tales 9 in Lethbridge

June-July 2008,
Toronto Artist Amy Harrison exhibition at Parlour

Aug. 2008,
3rd annual Gushul Studio Residency and Collaboration Project

Sept.-Oct. 2008,
Vancouver artist Andrew Taggart exhibition

We also regularly participate in Lethbridge's annual Art Walk with a member's show at City Hall and provide artist button workshops at local high schools, in a variety of classes at the University of Lethbridge and through out the city.



Everything we did in our first 4 months, in a nutshell:

february
02/01/04 - first meeting to talk about the possibility of an artist run centre for Lethbridge; those
                interested strike a committee to formulate a questionnaire
02/22/04 - the questionnaire is written

march
03/08/04 - the questionnaire is sent out via email as well as made available in hardcopy
03/28/04 - committee uses collected questionnaires to begin the formulation of a mandate; the
                question is asked, “what should we call ourselves?”

april
04/04/04 - a mandate is agreed upon; the name Trap\door is chosen (but what font?); artists are
                chosen for the first project: David Diviney, Joe Kelly, Donna Akrey, and Tim Dallet
04/09/04 - fonts are chosen for the ‘logo'; the first project is discussed; it is decided that Trap\door
                will apply for a grant from the Canada Council; some committee members go bowling
04/12/04 - members of the committee meet to write the grant; drink Manhattans and make a ouija
                board (it is discovered that Houdini is apparently still trying to contact the living)
04/24/04 - steering committee holds a meeting in preparation for the…
04/25/04 - first General Meeting

may
05/02/04 - fundraising ideas are discussed; a yard sale? an auction? a mini golf course?;
                discussion of registering as a society
05/05/04 - Jill & Mary-Anne attend a workshop on grant writing for non-profit societies, think back
                to the Manhattans and roll their eyes
05/06/04 - committee meets at lunch (delicious Japanese food) to sign the papers- society status
                straight ahead!
05/08/04 - mini golf course is discussed; possibility of joining SAAG's Market in the Park? (yet to
                be confirmed)
05/15/04 - yardsale location secured; mini golf course planned (artists yet to be finalized); letter to
                potential donors drafted