AR+ SHOW 3.O

Interview by Imani Busby

Photography by Abigail Samuels (@asamuels.s@abbyshotyou)

Ar+ Show 3.0 was a beautiful, community-filled space at the intersection of music, art, poetry, dance, and fashion. At its heart is Percy Eriamiator, a multidisciplinary artist whose work spans photography, textile art, creative direction, and curation. Born from a desire to make art accessible to all, Ar+ Show Hub has quickly grown into a vital platform for emerging creatives. In this interview, Percy shares the origins of the Hub, the driving values behind its growth, and the impact she hopes it continues to have on both artists and the broader community.

Can you please tell us a bit about yourself and your introduction to art and fashion and curation?

I am an artist. I'm a multidisciplinary artist. My main mediums are photography, textile art, creative direction, and most recently, curating art events and showcases and things of that nature. I got into the arts from a really young age, but I would say, “professionally,” I've been doing it for the past four years. But I started it just because I needed it as an outlet for expression for life, circumstances, things like that. And that's how this whole thing really started, actually.

I'm really curious to learn more about the origins of Ar+ Show, specifically today, but even if you wanted to talk about the Hub in general. How did the idea come about?

Yeah. So the Hub started with the Ar+ Show. I think just growing up, I was surrounded by a lot of creativity, and especially moving to Canada with my siblings. We moved here when we were really young, and understanding the new culture was a hard adjustment for us. So I think a lot of the time we used our creativity as an outlet to integrate into the new culture. And we did funny skits online on Facebook, things like that. And then we slowly started doing more performance-based things, like dancing.

Then what led to Ar+ Show and the Hub starting was my brother passing in 2021. I feel like I have to say this again later. I may not, but sorry. We can cut it out. But after that, I just remember, or a lot of people remember him as someone who was very talented and always just doing a lot of the arts. He was a dancer, he was a drummer, he played the sax, he did a lot of things. He made music. So I think I didn't know how to really grieve his passing because it was a very complicated one.

So one of the things that I did was just throw myself back into art. And that's where... that, plus the pandemic, was when Ar+ Show started. Because right after we were told that we could go back outside, I was like, “Oh, I’ve got to think of a way to really celebrate this while also finding an outlet to grieve.” And that's how Ar+ Show came about. The first Ar+ Show was in 2022. Then the second one was last year. And when I had that one, I was thinking, maybe we should make Ar+ Show a platform. So that's how Ar+ Show Hub came about.

And since then, we've just been doing accessible art expression and art experience events. One of our most fun ones is the Mic Drop, which we do twice a year. Then Ar+ Show is yearly. And we've done other collaborations with other artists and other collectives too.

That's a really beautiful story. It sounds like it came out of so many different things and people coming together and really supporting it to be the beautiful community space that it is. What impact do you hope that Ar+ Show will have, whether that's on those who are part of it, who attend, or even the city at large?

I think what I want the show to really do is highlight local talent. To highlight those who may not already have that platform, or even those who do have those talents but have never been able to show it, or nobody has been able to see it or experience it. I think that's what the show is meant for: to give those artists, those creatives, those talented people just a space to really share their work in a way that's also accessible to a lot of people.

One of the values of the Hub is to make sure art experiencing is accessible in the community. Some of the events that we've done have been free. Some of the events have had very small entry fees, pay what you can. And then this one is a little different, but it's still within the means of being accessible.

And I think another thing as well is we don't want to gatekeep a lot of performance events. Because I feel like, I’ve been in the city for 13 years, and what I've seen is a lot of events are gatekept. Or just like, if you know, you know. It's like, if you're in a clique, then you get invited, things like that.

I don't believe in that. I believe in community. I think community is why I'm here today. I just wanted to create a space where anyone could be here and feel like they're part of something really big. You don't have to look a certain way or be a certain type of individual to be able to access and experience art.

It's really important too, keeping it as accessible as possible to people, for people. What has been the most fulfilling part of running this show?

Honestly, I think it's just fulfilling to know that it makes someone feel seen. It makes someone feel like they have a voice, but also that people are willing to come see, or come listen, or come hear what you have to say, no matter who you are or what you're willing to share.

A lot of artists in the city as well, just being in the city, the creative scene is very... it's like back burner a lot of the time. I think the show is here to make sure we're elevating people as much as we can. And however small, I think it all matters. Even if it's just one person in the audience, even if it's 10, even if it's 100, at least there is someone making sure the artist feels seen. I think that's what we really want to do with the show. And that's what my favorite part of curating is.

Are there any acts today or artists that you're most excited about?

I'm excited to see the dance performance. That’s just because I love to dance. I haven’t watched a dance performance in a long time, and I saw a little behind-the-scenes clip of it, and it just looks so cool. So I’m really excited to see the dance.

Your events always have such a beautiful community turnout. Can you share how you've created this space that folks come back to year after year?

Honestly, I don’t know. That one is definitely a surprise every time. Because even with the show this year, there were a lot of setbacks. There were a lot of reasons why I didn’t want to do it, or reasons where I was like, maybe not this year, maybe I’ll do it next year.

But a lot of people, my friends, they’re like, “Oh, just try and see what happens.” Then when we started doing the promo, I had faith, but I didn’t know who would be there. But I think when people also see what you’re trying to do, and let’s say they share a similar sentiment or the values align, they’re going to return. And that’s something that I’ve seen.

Also, the community is growing the more these events happen. So a friend will tell another friend, and then another friend. Word of mouth has been very important in terms of making the curation possible. I find that’s been the best way to get people in the door and just get people to commune or come together. Yeah.

What are some of the responses that folks have had to Ar+ Show?

I think in the past, it’s just been a lot of like, “Wow.” It’s very unexpected. And as someone who... I’m in the show as well this year. I’m showcasing some of my pieces. So a lot of people who are meeting me and who I’ve met in the past year, they didn’t really know that I did that. So they’re like, “Oh, you make clothes?” So that’s surprising. I know a lot of people are excited to see that tonight.

And then the feedback from past shows or just past events has always been really nice. A lot of people feel like it’s a safe space. It’s a great way to emphasize community, a great way to gather together. I think that’s why people do always come back.

If someone was interested in supporting next year’s edition or following along with your work, where can they find you?

Yes. They can find me on Instagram. They can follow me, @PercyOnTheNet, or they can find the Hub Instagram, @ArtShowHub. But I think following along is a great thing because we have something going on throughout the year. Even if not just the Hub, just with me as well and my own artistic journey.

And also, the Hub shares work from other people as well, other artists, other creatives, other collectives. So there’s always going to be something going on. Even if it’s not coming from us, it’s coming from us regardless. So they can follow along through Instagram.

Do you have any last thoughts to share, anything you wanted to touch on that you feel wasn’t covered, or even just last sentiments in general?

No, I don’t think so. I’m happy that we can do this. I’m so glad. A lot of people have put a lot of work into making sure this is possible. So I’m just really excited to see how it turns out. I know it’s going to be great, but I think what I want to do this year is try to also experience it myself and also be an audience member, because I haven’t really done that last year or before. So it’d be really cool to be able to experience it. But other than that, I don’t really have much else to add. I’m in a good mood. Okay. So, yeah.

That's great. Thank you for speaking with me.
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1 comment

Thank you for sharing my words and intentions behind the hub and creativity altogether. It was absolutely lovely speaking with you, cheers!

Percy Eriamiator

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