Artist-in-Residence Program

Looking Forward

Although 2022 marked the final year of the Science Centre’s Artist-in-Residence program, our commitment to supporting artists in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) remains strong!  

We will continue to find ways to showcase the value of creativity, collaboration, diversity and experimentation in all forms.

2021-2022 Artist-in-Residence: Jason Baerg

Jason Baerg is an artist, curator, designer, educator and registered member of the Métis Nations of Ontario. His relationship with the Ontario Science Centre began in 2021, when he served as our Artist-in-Residence.

An innovative visual artist, Baerg uses digital interventions within more traditional mediums, such as drawing and painting. His work has been featured by the Royal Melbourne Institution of Technology in Melbourne, Australia; the Digital Dome at the Institute of the American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA; as well as at Indigenous Fashion Week in Toronto.

Baerg completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts at Concordia University in Montreal, QC, before pursuing a Master of Fine Arts at Rutgers University in New Jersey, USA. He is currently completing his PhD through Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He is also an Assistant Professor in Indigenous Practices in Contemporary Painting and Media Art at OCAD University.

Exemplifying his commitment to community, Baerg co-founded The Shushkitew Collective and The Métis Artist Collective. He has also served as volunteer Chair for the Indigenous Curatorial Collective and the National Indigenous Media Arts Coalition.

2021-2022 project: Sôhkêpayin

Sôhkêpayin (ᓲᐦᑫᐸᔨᐣ) is a Cree word that means “It is strong; it works effectively.” It can be used to describe both machines and medicine.

The Sôhkêpayin project joins human innovation with the gifts of the natural world. The long-term goal of this project is to develop an AI model that uses real data from the environment to create new outputs, including visualizations that highlight the complex connections found in nature. This process will inspire new artwork focused on the four elements: earth, water, air and fire.

This Indigenous-led initiative combines AI with environmentalism and Indigenous ways of knowing to help build a better future. Baerg has recruited a team of Indigenous contributors to inform this international, multi-year project.

Watch, learn and grow

Learn more about Indigenous ways of knowing and how these teachings can help us understand the world around us—past, present and future. Imagine the Year 2161 is a series of videos covering several topics underlying the Sôhkêpayin project, including technology and the connections that exist in nature.

Watch each video and complete the prompt at the end. Try this with your family or classmates and compare your responses. How are your visions for the future similar? How are they different?Learn through art, expand your thinking and enjoy the stories told!

Special thanks to Ziyan Hossain, Calla Lee and Fran Rawlings of Method Collective, as well as to Montana Baerg for their contributions.

The total run time of this video series is approximately 15 minutes.