Interview with Tim Gaudreau

Tim Gaudreau was the 2005 recipient of the Piscataqua Region Artist Advancement Grant.  

 Tim working on the Waterville Seeds Project

How would you describe your work?

My work is interdisciplinary, often community-based and collaborative using a variety of media from photography to installation with the express intent of engaging the public in social and environmental issues.

What was your grant proposal?

My grant proposal included several main features from the basic budget for equipment upgrades to funds to support new projects and travel related for research and peer networking.

Did you stick with your grant proposal or did you make adjustments to your plan?

While I didn’t stick with my proposal word for word, I did generally follow the plan that I mapped out.  There certainly was room to adjust as my work and process evolved, but I did accomplish what I set out to do.

What kind of impact did receiving the AAG have on you and your work?

The grant had enormous impact on me – it boosted my confidence in a way that translated into increased encouragement to pursue the work that I was striving for.  The value of the time to engage in one’s work cannot be overestimated!  The grant enabled the time, attention and funds to allow my work to develop, if not flourish.  For example, one of the projects that the grant helped to fund became a significant work for me.  With the momentum of that work, as I followed my travel, research, networking agenda, I met the right people at the right time that directly led to several significant shows in California.

 Debut of the Zero Waste Recycle Station bins

How has your work developed in the years since receiving the AAG?

I’d say that as a result of the grant and the direction of my proposal, my work has developed to be even more interactive and community-based.

Do you continue to apply for other grants and have you received any? 

Yes, I have been quite fortunate to have received several grants since the AAG, including from the NH State Council on the Arts, the New England Foundation for the Arts, and the New England Grassroots Environmental Fund. 

  18.9 Tons: A Year of Considered Consumption

 What are you working on now?  

Currently, I’m experimenting with recycling discarded beer and wine bottles as a material for some installation ideas. This work is a little break from my more major, long-term project, My Carbon Footprint: 365 days of tracking my CO2 emissions, which is quite research and data driven.

Images of 18.9 Tons: A Year of Considered Consumption

Do you have any exhibits/projects coming up?

I have work currently in a traveling exhibition in China through the rest of the year. Turn Here at the Gershman Y in Philadelphia, PA just came down.  And, my carbon footprint project, 18.9 Tons: A Year of Considered Consumption, debuted in Boson a few months ago. I not sure what’s next!

To learn more about Tim's work go here www.wake-up.ws and here www.timgaudreau.com