Photo credit: Agata Atmore
Teresa Dorey (BFA, Concordia University 2018) is an interdisciplinary artist based in Tiohtià:ke /Montreal. Teresa Dorey’s artistic practice involves understanding the body through haptics and intimate interactions with objects, materiality and research. Teresa has participated in residencies, and been published and exhibited across Canada. She has been the recipient of various grants, most recently from Canada Council for the Arts.
After graduating in 2018 and receiving her first artist grant from Quebec, Teresa’s goal was to utilize the resources available to advance her career as a full-time artist. But where to start? She found out about YES and in November 2019, she began to meet with our Artist Coach, which allowed her the opportunity to discuss the business aspects of being an artist and to help solidify her personalized strategic direction.
As many creative individuals would attest to, especially during the pandemic, Teresa also saw a fine line drawn between her health and her art. “I think one of my biggest struggles was finding a balance between my health and my career,” she says. “While creating is necessary to my health, being an artist can also be incredibly challenging psychologically and physically. I feel so grateful to have art as a way of processing and understanding the world around me. It’s simultaneously my greatest challenge and joy.”
“Being an artist is a notoriously difficult career direction due to its instability and unique challenges,” she continues. “The new struggles caused by the pandemic has placed YES as an excellent resource to directly help people facing these added struggles.”
For Teresa Dorey, things are definitely looking up. She is currently completing an artist residency on Vancouver Island, preparing for her first solo show and working on launching a small collection of functional ceramics. “I recently had a duo exhibition Cheville, with Sophia Borwoska at gallerie atelier b located in Montreal’s Old Port,” she continues. “It was a unique challenge to exhibit during a pandemic but I am so grateful to have had that opportunity!”