Jennifer Rudder’s embroidery artwork and family artifacts within Threads of Time is an invitation to examine family histories and the impact of isolation and complex grief related to illness and war. Creating connections between wartime paintings to childhood memories of her Grampa, a veteran of The Great War and a formative art teacher to the artist herself. This connection underscores Rudder’s career in the Toronto contemporary art community as a curator, professor, director and writer. By stitching together historical events, wartime paintings and personal memory, this exhibition examines how remembrance exists, fades, changes, and serves as an act of self-care.
Memory Collective
Memory Collective emerged in response to the recent artworks of Jennifer Rudder. As short-term memory fades, deeply rooted memories can resurface with remarkable clarity. It is our hope that this exhibition fosters greater understanding and awareness of the often invisible challenges with memory, cognition and mental health that a growing segment of society face, and how people find connection through art, in spite of external barriers like war and the isolation caused by a global pandemic.
Memory Collective supports individuals experiencing memory loss through accessible artmaking, exhibitions, and public programming. The collective consists of Tai Lee, Andrew Lee, Wendy Nichol and Emily Waknine.
Artist Bio
Jennifer Rudder
In her long career in the art scene, Rudder worked as a Director at YYZ Artists’ Outlet, an editor at Mix Magazine, a Board Member of ANNPAC, an Executive Director of Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, a Director/ Curator at Gallery Stratford, and an Associate Professor at OCAD University. She achieved the Master of Visual Studies at the University of Toronto in 2010.