Whitehorse artist Mario Villeneuve to Act as Spokesperson for Visual Artists

Mario Villeneuve to Act as Spokesperson for Visual Artists / Ottawa, ON

For immediate release
 
Whitehorse artist Mario Villeneuve to act as spokesperson for visual artists in Canada
 
Ottawa, Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 - Whitehorse artist Mario Villeneuve was elected to be the spokesperson for visual artists in Canada at the Canadian Artists' Representation's (CARFAC) Annual General Meeting in St. John's last weekend. Villeneuve takes over from PEI artist Gerald Beaulieu, who was president of CARFAC since 2006.
 
"I am happy to take on this challenge," Villeneuve said, "I hope that in the next few years we can improve the situation of visual artists - the majority of whom currently live below the poverty line despite the contributions we make to the economy and the social fabric of Canada."
 
Other new faces include Toronto-based video artist Deirdre Logue as Vice-President of CARFAC and Chair of the Canadian Artists Representation Copyright Collective (CARCC). Saskatoon artist Grant McConnell joins the board as a member at large.
 
CARFAC is guided by a board made up of regional representatives, and several members at large. The time commitment donated by these artists during their terms constitutes a substantial contribution to CARFAC as a national organization.
 
Mario Villeneuve:
Mario Villeneuve is an artist, curator and art educator based in Whitehorse, Yukon. Originally from eastern Ontario, he studied photography at the University of Ottawa. His practice is inspired by the history of photography and its processes. The call of the North beckoned ten years ago and since then he has been active in the Yukon's vibrant artistic community. Mario is one of the founders of Studio 204, an artist run collective in Whitehorse. His interest in joining CARFAC was guided by the need to bridge the gap between the North and southern Canada, and to advocate for northern artists in relation to professional development, isolation and misconceptions of the northern art practice. Being a francophone artist living in the northwest corner of the country gives him a perspective that can offer new insight.
 
A full list of board members and regional representatives is available on CARFAC's website at
 http://www.carfac.ca/about/board-and-staff/lang-pref/en/.
 
The Canadian Artists' Representation / le front des artists canadiens is the national association of Canada's professional visual and media artists. CARFAC defends artists' socio-economic and legal rights through advocacy and professional development and produces a schedule of artists' fees that is widely recognized as the national standard. The Status of the Artist Act empowers CARFAC to negotiate with national organizations on behalf of all visual artists in Canada.