A few months before COVID-19 hit, Kaitlyn Beugh graduated with her bachelor’s of fine arts degree from Emily Carr University of Art and Design.
She majored in visual arts with a minor in social practice and community engagement, but spent the next couple of years during the pandemic toiling at odd jobs.
Now, the Langley resident is in Port Coquitlam as the city’s new artist-in-residence at Lions Park, where she hopes to spark connection through art.
A former special educational assistant with the Vancouver School Board, Beugh said her aim with the six-month stint is to explore the downtown park to learn how to use its natural materials in abundance like Himalayan blackberry and English ivy to create a community installation.
"Creating in a natural setting is a low barrier way to access creativity," said Beugh, who is in her first residency.
"You get to know the land that we’re on."
Beugh told the Tri-City News she was inspired by the artwork by last year’s artists-in-residence at Lions Park.
Dolores Altin and Elvira Monteforte teamed up to design and manufacture costumes for some of the park trees, pretending they were at some kind of imaginary cocktail party.
The pair wanted to highlight the network that plants and trees have below ground and how they "talk" to each other for survival.
As for Beugh, she plans to be at Lions Park once or twice a week at the city workshop (on the south side). On warm days, she’ll take her table outside.
Already, she’s gathered leaves and iron from the nearby train tracks for an ecoprinting project, which may also involve using fabric with natural fibres, as well as sewing.
Here is a list of her public activities and dates:
- Invasive Species Walk
- June 4, July 21, Aug. 16, Sept. 11
- Ecoprinting
- June 11, July 28, Aug. 23, Sept. 18
- Drawing with the Rain Garden
- June 18, Sept. 25
To sign up, you can go to the City of Port Coquitlam's registration site.
