Josh Schwebel <privatejosh@gmail.com>
To: Craig Leonard <████████ @nscad.ca>
Cc: Lauren Wetmore <████████████████████████████████ >
Dear Craig,
It was so nice to “see” you in Clive’s presentation last week. I hope you have been well.
I am writing because I am currently putting together a publication about The Employee project, which, perhaps you heard about from Camille-Zoé Valcourt Synnott, who was its performer. The project focused on the single-staffed labour conditions at Forest City Gallery, and tried to shift this labour debt into visibility by doubling the staff with a delegated performer-as-worker, whose task was grant-writing for the gallery.
While the majority of the project's visibility is still being organized for the publication, you can see some documentation of Camille's performance on my website.
I am reaching out to see if you might be interested and have time to consider writing a text on the project to include in the forthcoming publication?
Concretely, the publication will be co-published in the spring of 2023 by art metropole and Forest City Gallery, and will include essays that approach the project from a variety of perspectives. Confirmed contributors include Mariane Bourcheix-Laporte, Marina Vishmidt, Dana Kopel and Sébastien Pluot. The volume will be edited by Lauren Wetmore and myself, and will be accompanied by a website archiving the project through the email correspondence it generated.
Our deadline for first drafts of texts is mid-December. I have budgeted $600 for contributions, which should be around 2500 words.
I think that your expertise on the intersection of Canadian artist-run culture and conceptual art would be an essential contribution.
If this is something that you would be interested to take on, I am very available to discuss the project in greater detail and what approach you might take.
In any case, I would also be happy for the opportunity to be in touch again.
I do hope you are well, and send my warmest greetings,
Josh