Regina: Terri Fidelak

photo credit: Zoe Schneider

Terri is a visual artist and the current artist in residence at the Creative City Centre in Regina. Over the past few weeks Terri has been leading the citizens of Regina on a walking tour of the installation series titled Pop Up Downtown. Her contribution to the series can be viewed at 1922 12th Avenue.

KC: What kinds of projects are you involved in right now?

I’m finishing up a ten month artist residency at the Creative City Centre, of which the big focus was curating and coordinating a public art installation series called Pop Up Downtown. Those works will be up all summer for people to check out. Besides working on drawing and sculpture in my studio, I’m laying the groundwork for some large installation projects. I’m also doing some printmaking at Articulate Ink. And I’m preparing for an upcoming summer residency at Lumsden Beach Camp. Laura Hale and I will be sharing the residency and working with the campers which should be an adventure!

KC: What’s your day job? What do you like about it? What’s challenging?

I’m fortunate because, at the moment, my day job is being an artist. I like the flexibility. I like being driven by nothing other than my own ambition. I like that curiosity is one of my greatest tools. The challenges are mostly about grappling with practicalities like sources of income and book keeping and constantly having an eye on future opportunities . Also discipline. That can be hard, especially once summer arrives and I just want to be outside.

KC: What’s important to you?

Growth. Actively engaging in my evolution so that I may be a better human, friend, community member , and citizen of this planet.

KC: What do you like most/least about Regina?

There are so many complexities to this question for me. I grew up on a farm in southern Saskatchewan, but Regina has been my home on and off for about 15 years. Somehow I always come back to it, though I’m often drawn to live in other places. I like the incredible community; there are some really great humans around here. I like the green space and the view from my apartment. I dislike the direction of our political leaders and the enormous disregard for any sort of sustainable growth.

KC: What is your impression of Saskatoon?

Well, it’s a lovely place. Very pretty, lots of good food and creative culture happening. I could live there happily.

(From the Proust Questionaire) What is your motto?

The quality of your involvement will be the measure of your reward.