Evan Furness

Furness’ work explores connections between the everyday, the uncanny, his rural experience and wider popular culture. His practice blends the use of immediate methods of image making such as observational drawings, cellphone videos and zines with intentionally restrictive, arduous, and durational parameters that define the work. These systems also form the basis for collaborations with other artists and audiences. His performances and installations often engage the public through direct interaction through an exchange of objects, words and gestures. Integral to his practice is a DIY approach to all the work he makes, keeping handmade and low tech approaches as the central focus of his practice.

Narrative and documentary are also integral to his work. Whether through mixed media drawings and paintings or self published books and experimental films, he depicts both true moments from his life and fabrications made through creative editing and framing of real events. The balance between what is real and what is a story becomes a key question in the work he creates. His current projects examine the representations of rural farm settings in horror, sci-fi and dystopian fiction, and the spaces between their realities and fabrications.

Curriculum Vitae | Evan Furness (he/him)

Epekwitk/PE Canada
www.evanfurness.com | evanjfurness@gmail.com 

Solo Exhibitions and Installations
2023 Gambrels, Eves & Beams, cchhuurrcchh, Mahone Bay, NS; curated by Andrew Cairns
2019 there is a light that never goes out, Struts Gallery, Sackville, NB; residency
2019 To the rhythm…, Flourish Festival, Fredericton, NB; juried
2018 For Rona, salle sans sous, galerie sans nom, Moncton, NB; invited by galerie sans nom
2017 Old Wood & Steel Songs, START Gallery, Sackville, NB; juried

Selected Group Exhibitions and Installations
2027 Rural Routes, Eltuek Arts Centre, Sydney, NS (Forthcoming); juried
2023 Frost Gloam, with Marti Hopson, The River Clyde Solstice Walk, River Clyde Arts, New Glasgow, PE; curated by Megan Stewart
2023 Site/Scene, Hilda Woolnough Gallery at The Guild, Charlottetown, PE; juried
2023 After the storm, with Pat Brunet and Kelly Casely, Route 11 Festival, Wellington, PE
2023 Palimpsest III, with Doug Dumais & Bren Simmers, Art in the Open, Charlottetown, PE; curated by Roxanne Fernandes
2023 Seasons Change, Glenaladale School House, this town is small, Tracadie Cross, PE; juried
2022 Echo/Reflect/Refract, The River Clyde Solstice Walk, New Glasgow, PE; juried
2022 Certain Conditions, Art in the Open, Charlottetown, PE; juried
2021 Pickup Performance, Antigonight, Antigonish, NS; juried
2021 In Noticing, Inverness County Centre for the Arts, Inverness, NS; curated by Tara Lynn MacDougall
2020 This Love Is New But Its Projections, this town is small x The Guild, Charlottetown, PE; juried
2019 Tabula Rasa, Shelf Life Books, Calgary, AB; curated by Cole Degenstein
2018 Afterimage, Confederation Centre Art Gallery, Charlottetown, PE; curated by Pan Wendt
2018 They’ll Call, with Andrew Cairns, Art in the Open, Charlottetown, PE; curated by Pan Wendt
2018 Swan Song: Graduating Exhibition, Owens Art Gallery, Sackville, NB
2017 Play Dead, Thunder & Lightning Ideas Ltd., Sackville, NB; curated by Logan Milne, Shauna Gas, Gabrielle Johnson
2016 Powder, with Kevin Melanson, Struts Gallery & Faucet Media Arts Centre, Sackville, NB

Solo and Collaborative Filmography and Screenings

Route 1, 2024
2024 Small Screen: Space, this town is small, Charlottetown, PE

Father Archie (composer), 2023
Directed by: Todd Fraser

2025 Reel East Coast Short Films, Season 10, CBC Gem
2024 Silverwave Film Festival, Fredericton, NB
2024 Third Watch, Third Space Gallery, Saint John, NB
2024 Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival, Hawick, Scotland
2024 International Film Festival of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON
2023 Atlantic International Film Festival, Halifax, NS

Everybody Writes About Dreams, 2023
2023 Small Screen: Dreams, this town is small, Charlottetown, PE

Staging for Stations, 2021
2021 Small Screen: Perspectives, this town is small, Charlottetown, PE
2021 Infinite Variety: Sappy Fest, Sackville, NB

Ark (composer), 2022
Directed by: Todd Fraser
2022 Ark, Mubi
2022 Motivate Underground Film Festival, Harrisburg, PA, USA
2021 FIN Atlantic International Film Festival, Halifax, NS
2021 Process Experimental Film Festival, Riga, Latvia
2021 Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival, Shorts: Chemical Potential, Hawick, Scotland

Idyll/9 in the Afternoon, 2018
2018 Super 8 Hotel Film Festival, Struts Gallery, Sackville, NB

Old Wood, 2016
2016 Super 8 Hotel Film Festival, Struts Gallery, Sackville, NB

Selected Self Published works & Contributions:
2025 Traditional Muzak Volume 1, cassette tape with hand printed packaging and zine, Edition of 30.
2024 You Are Here, digitally printed, hand bound comic, Edition of 20. Print.
2023 “All these things that move between (excerpt),” Indie Island Edition Vol 1, Edition of 200. Print
2023 Palimpsest III, Digitally printed artist book, Edition of 50. Print.
2020 All these things that move between, Digitally printed artist book, Edition of 50. Print.
2019 “A projection of the ocean on a white cloth,” Tabula Rasa, three-panel comic, Cole Degenstein, ed. March 20. Print.
2018 For Rona, Silkscreened accordion book, Edition of 6.
2017 In Between Days, Digitally printed comic, Edition of 20.
2017 “In Between Days,” It’s nice once in awhile: an anthology of comics and narrative drawing, Jordan Beaulieu, ed. October 15. Web. Print.

Workshops and Talks
2024 Panel Discussion Structures of support, networks, and belonging, Pumice Raft, Toronto, ON
2024 Workshop Zine Bee, Creative PEI x Ch’town Zine Fest, The Guild, Charlottetown, PE
2023 Workshop Zine Making 101, Ch’town Zine Fest, Charlottetown Library Learning Centre, Charlottetown, PE
2023 Artist Talk Certain Conditions, “Radiant Rural Halls”, this town is small, Charlottetown, PE
2022 Workshop, Zine Making Workshop, Ch’town Zine Fest & this town is small, Charlottetown Library Learning Centre, Charlottetown, PE
2022 Workshop, Intro to Bookbinding, Confederation Centre Art Gallery, Charlottetown, PE
2021 Workshop, Intro to Relief Printmaking, PEI Craft Council, Charlottetown, PE
2017 Roundtable, Short Pause for Thought, Third Space Gallery, Saint John, NB
2016 Artist Talk, Bordertown Festival, Town of Sackville, Sackville, NB

Performances, Recordings & Residencies:
2025 Residency Test Press, this town is small, Charlottetown, PE
2023 Performance Drone Day, Kirk of Saint James, Charlottetown, PE
2023 Recording, Drone Collage, “The Tidal Exchange Podcast”, River Clyde Arts, New Glasgow, PE
2019 Residency, EASE ON DOWN THE ROAD, Struts Gallery & Faucet Media Arts Centre, Sackville, NB
2017 Workshop, MAKER MAKER: Mini Zines, Owens Art Gallery, Sackville, NB (with Kevin Melanson)
2017 Recording, The Sweetest Little Jingle, Very and the Topsons, Owens Art Gallery, Sackville, NB

Education & Training
2024 Contemporary Management in Arts and Culture
University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB
2021 Gallery Preparation and Exhibition Design
NSCAD Extended Studies, Halifax, NS
2018 Bachelor of Fine Arts, with distinction
Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB
2017 16mm Filmmaking Workshop with Amanda Dawn Christie
Island Media Arts Co-Op, Charlottetown PE
2016 Super 8mm Filmmaking Workshop
Struts Gallery & Faucet Media Arts Centre, Sackville NB

Selected Professional Experience
2023- Season Producer, River Clyde Arts, New Glasgow, PE
2022- Co-founder & Artistic Co-Director, Ch’town Zine Fest, Charlottetown, PE
2018- Freelance Art Handler and Preparator, Charlottetown, PE
2025 Printmaking Consultant, PEI Craft Council, Charlottetown, PE
2025 Performer Wobbly Yonder, created by Michael Cloud Dugay, Rock Barra, PE
2019-25 Board of Directors, this town is small Board of Directors, Charlottetown, PE
2023 Production Designer, Parasomnia, Classroom 5 productions, Charlottetown, PE
2018, 23 Preparator’s Assistant, Confederation Centre Art Gallery, Charlottetown, PE
2022 Production Designer, Community Players, S2 Block 3, Human Moves Media, St. Peters, PE
2022 Art Director, Who’s Yer Father?, 63 Lights Productions, Charlottetown, PE
2022 Art Department Coordinator, Diggstown Season 4, Frog Lake Productions, Charlottetown, PE
2022 Sound Recordist, Sea Salt, Sea Salt Productions, Covehead, PE
2019-22 Visual Arts Educator, Confederation Centre Art Gallery, Charlottetown, PE
2019 Exhibition Coordinator, this town is small, Charlottetown, PE
2018 Art Handling & Cleaning works by Erica Rutherford, Gail & Susana Rutherford, North River, PE
2018 First Year Sculpture TA, Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB
2017-18 Student Printmaking Technician, Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB
2016-18 Student Sculpture Technician, Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB

Grants and Awards:
2024-5 Innovation PEI Cultural Development Fund - Charlottetown Zine Fest
2023-5 City of Charlottetown Arts & Culture Grants - Charlottetown Zine Fest
2024 Organization of the Year Nominee, PEI Art Awards - Charlottetown Zine Fest
2023 Cultural Connector of the Year Nominee, PEI Art Awards - Charlottetown Zine Fest
2023 Honourable Mention for Achievement in Experimental Filmmaking, Atlantic International Film Festival - Father Archie (composer, film by Todd Fraser)
2023 Concept to Realization, Canada Council for the Arts - Charlottetown Zine Fest
2023 PEI Arts Grant (Creation), Innovation PEI - Framing Devices drawing series
2022 Community Sustainability Micro-Grant, City of Charlottetown - Ch’town Zine Fest
2021 Research and Creation, Canada Council for the Arts - Certain Conditions
2019 PEI Arts Grant (Creation),  Innovation PEI - All these things that move between
2018 PEI Arts Grant (Creation), Innovation PEI - Movements in a room
2018 Dr. J. E. A. Crake Award in Fine Arts, Mount Allison University
2017 James Arthur Gairdner Scholarship, Mount Allison University
2017 Independent Student Creative Research Grant, J. E. A. Crake Foundation
2017 Mary K McKean Scholarship, Mount Allison University
2016 Fine Art and Music Award, Marjorie Young Bell Fund
2016 Academic Enrichment Award, Mount Allison Student Union
2016 Migratory Bird Act Student Award, Canadian Wildlife Services & MTA Fine Arts

Bibliography (Print and Radio)
- Pendergast, Norah, “SiteScene,” Billie Magazine, 13 Feb 2024.
- Morgan, Hannah, “Practice in Vernacular” Radiant Rural Halls, 2023, pp. 21.
- “Confederation Centre Art Gallery Summer Series” Mainstreet PEI with Matt Rainie. CBC Radio 1, 9 Jun 2023.
- “Charlottetown Zine Fest.” Mainstreet PEI with Matt Rainie. CBC Radio 1, 31 Oct. 2022.
- Zyrd, Michael and Broomer, Stephen, Moments of perception: Experimental Film in Canada. Goose Lane Editions. 2021.
- Yarr, Kevin, "Sputnik, a ship wreck, and the March of the Crows: Art in the Open is Saturday," CBC News PEI, Preview, August 25, 2017. Web.
- Carter, Matt, “Saint John’s SAD DOG Magazine is working to inspire the next wave of New Brunswick indie publishers.” Grid City Magazine, Press, Saint John, NB, March 20, 2017.
- Mann, Alex, “A Good Place to START,” The Argosy, Review, Sackville, NB November 16, 2017. Print.
- Miller, Geordie, "Big Art in a Small Town: A Report on Sackville’s Ok.Quoi?!" Canadian Art, Review, August 4, 2016, Web.