Sarah Fuller – Photography Facilitator, Canada

I visited Sarah Fuller in the basement of the Jeanne and Peter Lougheed building on a quiet morning, after she helped a self-directed residency artist work out a last-minute challenge.

What is your background and how did you come to The Banff Centre?
I hold a bachelor of fine arts, with a major in photography, from Emily Carr in Vancouver. I spent one summer in Canmore and visited the Centre to scope out the visual arts studios. I loved the mix of mountains and art here, so I was determined to come back. I was into indoor climbing, so after university I first got a job here in the climbing gym. For four and a half months I taught climbing lessons and supervised the climbing walls before taking on a photography work study position for one year. I later became the photography facilitator for Visual Arts.

Describe typical tasks and interactions involved with your current position.
I facilitate the creative residencies within the Visual Arts department and help artists working in photographic mediums. I offer support to artists in residence by providing technical assistance, WHMIS training, workshops in photographic processes and alternative photo services, and access to our lighting studio to document their work.

What are some highlights you’ve had at The Banff Centre?
As an artist myself, I find such inspiration here. Engaging in conversations with other artists over the years I’ve made many friends and it’s nice to feel plugged in to a whole network of arts communities across the country.

What is one of the benefits you enjoy while working at the Centre?
My department and director are extremely supportive, so I have the flexibility this year to work a condensed week. I teach photographic techniques one day a week at the Alberta College of Art and Design, and I showed a piece as part of a faculty show there.

Outside of work, what kinds of projects have you been pursuing?
I took a leave of absence to pursue several opportunities that led me to Iceland, Montreal, and Chicago. I participated in a five-week residency in Reykjavík with the Association of Icelandic Visual Artists. I was also fortunate to receive a Canada Council grant that enabled me to spend two months at the Dream and Nightmare Lab in Montreal, where I collaborated with researchers to document the moment a person falls asleep, and record dreams that occur in that state. Finally, I went to Chicago to do an installation where I slept in a gallery for several weeks and documented my dreams each night using audio, written text, and a pinhole camera, storing each dream in a filing cabinet for visitors to see. Having these experiences of what it is like to be displaced as an artist away from home has definitely given me empathy and insight for what artists experience at The Banff Centre.

– Amber Huck