Brandon artist and educator Chris Reid presents a window into the realities of homelessness in Brandon in her latest project Twig, a series of short animation films.

Reid will screen her animations in a public talk at Brandon University (BU) on Thursday, Oct. 27. Her work addresses the stigmatization of homelessness and gives a voice to those who are often not heard or listened to in their communities.

The animations are based on interviews that Reid conducted in 2020 with those experiencing homelessness in Brandon. Interviews were conducted in person at Brandon’s Safe and Warm drop-in centre and the Community Health and Housing Association intake room.

This latest project emerges from earlier work of hers featured in Nothing Smells in Absolute Zero, an exhibition on the subject of homelessness in Brandon, which opened at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba in April 2021.

Reid’s animations to be screened at this event are still a work-in-progress. They include musical soundtracks composed by Brandon sound artist Brendon Ehinger.

In addition to her work as an instructor in BU’s Ishkaabatens Waasa Gaa Inaabateg Department of Visual Art, Reid works for the Community Health and Housing Association, where she is developing a sober living facility. She has degrees from the University of Alberta and the Art Institute of Chicago, where she specialized in painting and drawing. She has exhibited across Canada and the US.

The event is sponsored by the English, Drama & Creative Writing Literary Exchange at BU and will take place in Room 104 in Clark Hall from noon to 12:40 p.m.

The Literary Exchange speaker series is supported by the Dean of Arts Office and the Department of English, Drama & Creative Writing at Brandon University.

The speaker series is an on-going inter-disciplinary project featuring writers, academics, and artists working in the Creative Arts. For more information, contact Dale Lakevold in English, Drama, & Creative Writing at 204-727-7413 or Lakevold@BrandonU.ca. Lakevold may also be contacted with any accessibility considerations.