As 2024 winds down, I’m struck by how much this year has held: milestones in my artistic career, meaningful personal moments, and experiences that have enriched my understanding of the world and secured my place in it. This has been a year of great personal, and professional growth, of creative exploration, and of joy, woven together with memorable moments of community, connection and inspiration.

Staying warm while ice fishing on Lake Nosbonsing

The year began with a return to my roots—literally. In late January, I went ice fishing in North Bay with some old high school friends and my art gal-pal, Pearl van Geest. We caught fish (Yes! Success!), and I documented the experience for my June exhibition, Catch & Release, at Red Head Gallery in Toronto.

Getting snuggley with Karina Bergman’s while crocheting the final pieces of *Shelter.*

This show served as a new direction for me in textiles and allowed for an exciting exploration of the place where queer culture intersects with rural culture and ice fishing, blending camp aesthetics with the stark beauty of winter landscapes. It was deeply rewarding to re-imagine a space traditionally associated with masculinity through a queer lens. Damn Straight!

This exhibition taught me about the power and value of community. There were so many people who responded to the call for submissions for 6x6 inch granny squares that we had enough left over to make extra blankets for a women’s shelter in Toronto. A community of artists and makers rallied around this project and I couldn’t have done this without them. Chris Dewancker’s carpentry know-how lit the way for the projects central sculpture ‘Shelter’ and I am grateful for the many people who put in hours of labour to help make parts of this project a reality.

CATCH&RELEASE marks my first solo exhibition with Red Head Gallery and I am grateful for the support and guidance from the rest of the membership.

Heading for dum sum after a concert at the Cameron House.

There was music this year! From the group outings at the Cameron House to see friends performing, to singing along to our favourites at concerts by Oso Oso, Pixies and New Order. Music is something I live for and it was playing throughout the year. Below is one of my favourite playlists from the year. Adrianne Lenker and Big Thief got some heavy rotation. Thank you, David Frazier.

Still from “Queer Swim”, Running Time: 2:30min. 2024.

April brought Urban Planner, an exhibition at Worth Gallery, which reflected on urban narratives and cultural identity. In August, Pearl Van Geest and I, in collaboration with White Bear AIR and the Throbbing Rose Collective, co-led a queer art residency called Queer Up North at Paradise Lodge in Temagami.

We hosted 16 LGBTQ artists on the edge of the wilderness. The residency fostered connection to each other and to the land and was a spark for creative experimentation. I am thrilled that the resulting work will be featured in the upcoming Wild Waysides: Queer Ecologies and the New Natural exhibitions, beginning at White Water Gallery in North Bay in 2025. This was my third opportunity to return to video making after nearly two decades away. I have missed you, old friend.

‘Looking’ at the Trout Museum of Art in Appleton, Wisconsin.

My art travelled to some places without me this year. Eight of my artworks were part of the exhibition LOOKING at the Trout Museum in Appleton, Wisconsin. This show explores how viewers and artists engage with and interpret art and encourages the discovery of meaning and emotion while challenging us to see the world from new perspectives. Looking continues into mid-January of next year. It’s been exciting to have my work included in such a thought-provoking project.

Catching up with Leo Chiachio at Museum of Contemporary Art

This year also included international adventures. In February, I spent time in Buenos Aires working on new textile projects and connecting with the city’s vibrant art scene. A highlight was meeting Leo Chiachio of the renowned art duo Chiachio & Giannone. Leo and I visited MACBA (Museum of Contemporary Art in Buenos Aires ) where he took me on a tour of a current exhibition that featured their current artwork. It was there, we shared a humorous conversation about being “gay grandmas” because of our shared passion for textiles.

Rick and I also attended a regional soccer game at La Bombonera for a Boca Juniors game, where the sheer power and of the fans shook the stadium—it was a moment of collective energy and passion I’ll never forget. You think Canadians are hockey fans? You haven’t seen fandom until you witness a statium of cheering porteños !

Food is always part of the adventure. I tried choripán for the first time, a delightful Argentinian street food that pairs smoky chorizo with fresh chimichurri sauce on a french baguette. It’s worth the trip to Buenos Aires for this alone. Here’s a recipe Rick tried when we got home. -YES, PLEASE!

Jeffrey Gibson at the US Pavilion, Venice.

In May, we travelled to Italy, starting with the Venice Biennale, which always gets my creativity running on all cylinders. The theme this year was “Foreigners Everywhere” (Stranieri Ovunque), which explored concepts of migration, belonging, and the fluidity of identity, and reflected on what it means to be seen as “foreign” in today’s world. Curated by Adriano Pedrosa, the first Latin American to curate the central exhibition, it certainly had both a latinx flavour and on focus on underrepresented artists and diverse global narratives. I finally got to see artwork in person by so many artists I love including Jeffrey Gibson, Yinka Shonebare and Julie Mehretu who had an exhibition at Palazzo Grassi.

I spent time with Rick’s family at a villa in Tuscany, where we visited the vinyard at Cantina Canio and learned how to make pasta from the locals.

Ansel Keifer at Palazzo Strozzi, Florence.

A day trip to Florence brought us up close and personal with Anselm Kiefer in a dazzling show at Palazzo Strozzi. This trip brought both great inspiration and a renewed connection to Rick’s family and their quirks and traditions. “GLOR-I-A! GLOR-I-A!”

Summer always brings fun and festivities, and this summer was no exception. I was thrilled to have video art featured at the Window Gallery as part of Pride Toronto, where the work became part of the vibrant celebration of queer art and culture in the city. Alongside that, two installations of my work were displayed in Commerce Court, offering a unique opportunity to engage with a different kind of audience— I always enjoy an opportunity to place my work in unexpected spaces, where passersby can encounter it organically.

Through it all I was able to bring more episodes of Five Artist Friday to TikTok and Instagram. FAF has been my small way of celebrating contemporary creators whose work pushes boundaries, inspires, and reflects the world in thoughtful, exciting ways. While there are always recognizable names, FAF continues to be a space where I celebrate lesser-known or up-and-coming artists, particularly those whose work explores themes of identity, place and community. It has been enlightening to research and a pleasure to amplify artists working on the margins, whose voices challenge norms and invite new ways of seeing. I’m looking forward to continuing this series in 2025, and hopefully finding even more time to share the incredible artists I come across along the way.

Summer exhibition at Gladstone House curated by Lee Petrie.

To round out the Summer season, I participated in a group show at Gladstone House, a space with a rich history of supporting art and creativity in Toronto. Sharing the space with other artists and seeing how the work spoke to one another within the show was a reminder of the importance of community and collaboration in the arts. Big thanks to Lee Petrie for asking me to participate.

Late hangout with Andy Fabo for Nuit Blanche at the 401 Richmond building

In October the Throbbing Rose Collective and friends hosted a 24-hour Artathon at 401 Richmond during Nuit Blanche, raising funds for queer arts initiatives. For 24 hours, each hour on the hour each participating artists produced one piece of artwork for sale. It was such a fun and spirited event that allowed the public a peek in to the process of the artist during this all night event You can see some of the artworks made here. The collective has grown exponentially this year, expanding from six to twenty-two members—a testament to the power of community and collaboration

A deeply personal highlight of the year was my marriage to Rick in November. After sixteen wonderful years together, we tied the knot in an intimate ceremony with friends and family. It was an extra special day because 16 years to the day, we went on our first date together in the Distillery. This was a beautiful moment that underscored the importance of love, support, and connection. We are so grateful for all those who travelled to celebrate with us.

Books also played a major role in shaping my year. I read Frey, a remarkable book about the intersection of activism, textiles, and art, which has reshaped how I think about textile work.

Kate Sandilands’ Queer Ecology opened my eyes to new ways of understanding nature and its relationship to queer identity. I also read What a Mushroom Lives For by Michael J. Hathaway and revisited Judith Butler’s Gender Trouble. —still dense, still brilliant—and loved The Secret Wisdom of Nature by Peter Wohlleben beautiful reminder of how interconnected we are with the natural world.

This has been a wonderful year of personal and creative exploration, of greater community connections, and of moments of pure joy. Some of my favorite moments this year were spent celebrating friends, like Sue’s Birthday (I Love Sue!), and family get-togethers, like cousin brunches in Kanata. Through all the milestones, big and small, it’s been a joy to share these moments of connection.

An ever constant companion, Gayle helped us sale through our wedding planning. We are forever grateful. More wine?

I am profoundly grateful for the people, places, and experiences that have shaped 2024 and am looking forward to what lies ahead in 2025.

FIELD TRIP! ***Albright***-Knox Gallery in with RHG friends.

Looking ahead to 2025, there’s so much to be excited about. I’ll return to Buenos Aires in February for the Red Head Gallery and Coordenadas Residencia artist exchange, and in June, I’ll head to Pouch Cove for a residency in Newfoundland. My work will appear in Grotto at the Ottawa Art Gallery in April and Shelter from Catch & Release will be part of The Artist Project this spring. I’ll also continue developing my 2026 exhibition at Red Head Gallery, where I’ll explore the culture of trophy hunting through a queer lens.

I hope 2025 brings more opportunities to go art hopping, enjoy foodie adventures with friends, swim in lakes, hike new trails, and simply sit quietly outdoors. While I love being out and about, I’m reminded again and again: there’s no place like home.

It ain’t Christmas without the classics. “Shitter’s full!”

Thank you to everyone who has shared in this journey—here’s to another year of art, love, and community.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season. See you in 2025!

Love,
Jim xo