Rabbit Island 2014 Residency Exhibition

The Rabbit Island Residency, located on a remote island in Lake Superior, unofficially launched in 2010. Last year 115 applications were received for the first official residency program, representing all disciplines from the United States, Australia, South Africa, South America and Europe. This exhibition highlights the work of six artists and writers selected for supported residencies in summer 2014. Each artist spent 1—3 weeks on the island this past June and July.

Because the exhibition takes place so soon after the residency period, the work displayed is a mix of recent projects completed before the artists’ time on Rabbit Island as well as work made during or immediately after the residency. Some of the work is presented as sketches or in-progress work as the artist begins to reflect on the experience.

Elvia Wilk is a writer based in Berlin, Germany. Her work explores themes of isolation, connection and the relationship between physical and virtual space through essays and poems. The written pieces in the exhibition were designed in collaboration with designer Edwin Carter.

Nich Hance McElroy is a photographer based in Vancouver, British Columbia. During his time in residency, he focused on documenting the movements and migrations of people, nature and objects on and between the mainland and island. He also captured people, places and objects around the adjoining Rabbit Bay and Keweenaw areas.

Waboozaki consists of four inter-disciplinary artists, writers and curators: Dr. Dylan Miner (Métis, East Lansing, Michigan), Dr. Julie Nagam (Anishinaabekwe-Métis, Toronto, Ontario, Canada), Dr. Nicholas Brown (Iowa City, Iowa), and Suzanne Morrissette (Cree-Métis, Toronto, Ontario, Canada). During their residency the artists spent time working on individual projects as well as collectively remapping the island from indigenous perspectives.

This exhibition is supported in part by an award from the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts. Support also provided by the NMU Department of English, NMU Center for Native American Studies, the NMU UNITED Conference, the Canada Arts Council for the Arts and Ontario Arts Council.