Artist Civil Service

Curated by Zachary Ayotte

Mierle Laderman Ukeles, Maintenance Art Performance Series,1973-1974. Sourced Via.

April 17–June 13, 2026

Callum Beckford, Nicholas Hertz, Ken Khoo, Amy Leigh

Artist Civil Service is an experimental program that supports four Edmonton-based visual artists to work part-time in civil service roles and part-time on their artistic practices over a four-month period. Organized by Latitude 53 and artist Zachary Ayotte, this project explores alternative funding models for artists while simultaneously investing in the civic infrastructure that sustains communities. Artists are embedded in public institutions and are supported to develop both their creative work and their connections to the city's civic life.

“What can art serve here and now?”

— John Berger, Permanent Red, 1960

Latitude 53 administers the program in partnership with local civic organizations and departments. Zachary Ayotte provides mentorship, regular check-ins, and reflective programming (e.g., group discussions, documentation, and public sharing) to ensure artists’ experiences are supported and that learning from the project can be shared with broader audiences.

The project culminates with a public presentation (an exhibition, publication, and panel discussion) to share the participating artists’ work, reflections, and insights into how this model impacted how the artists worked and how it might evolve and scale within Edmonton and beyond.