Curriculum Vitae
Tanya Mars
Born in Michigan, USA, 1948.
Landed Immigrant: 1967-2007 / Canadian Citizen 2007
Teaching
1995-present
University of Toronto Scarborough, Senior Lecturer and Program Supervisor
University of Toronto, Master of Visual Studies, Graduate Supervisor
2002-present
University of Toronto Graduate Advisor, Master of Visual Studies
1988-1996
Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, N.S.
1994
Ontario College of Art and Design, Toronto
2001
Vermont College of Norwich University, graduate supervisor
Performance Art: Recent and Selected Pieces
2009
Made in Canada, 10th International Open Festival, Beijing, China (August)
2008
In Dulci Jubilo, Lilith Performance Studio, Malmö, Sweden (April/May)
6 Images in Search of an Artist, Performagia, Mexico City (May)
6 Images in Search of an Artist, Infr’Action, Sète, France (September)
6 Images in Search of an Artist, Live Action, Goteborg, Sweden (October)
6 Images in Search of an Artist, ArtContact, Helsinki (October)
6 Images in Search of an Artist, Galerie BWA, Bialsko-Biala, Poland (December)
2007
In Pursuit of Happiness, Live! Performance Art Biannual, Vancouver (October)
Life is Rocky, La-Bas, International Festival of Performance Art, Helsinki, Finland (May)
r(Age) Defying Gravity, Gladstone Hotel, Toronto (January)
2006
In Pursuit of Happiness, Nuit Blanche, Toronto. (September)
2005
r(Age) Defying Gravity, Valparaiso, Chile, part of the PuertoPerfo International Congress of Performance Art; and at The Gladstone Hotel, Toronto, as part of the opening night at The Toronto Alternative Art Fair. (Novmber)
2005
Tolerance, endurance performance at the Drake Hotel w/Louise Liliefeldt, Toronto. (October)
r(Age) Defying Gravity, The Power Plant Powerball, Toronto. (June)
2004
Tyranny of Bliss, 7 hour endurance performance with 30 performers, Toronto (FADO) Queen’s Park; Hamilton (Art Gallery of Hamilton). (June)
2001
My Dinner with Woofie, part of Alphagirls, an interactive DVD performance project directed and produced by Midi Onodera. At Interaccess, Toronto, December 2001. (and project consultant). (December)
1999-2001
Archeology of Performance: The Performance Art Starter Kit a lecture/performance on the history of contemporary Canadian performance art. (Toronto, Vancouver, Sackville, Regina)
1998-99
Hot, a 24 hour endurance performance dealing with the issue of women, love and aging. (Montreal, Toronto, and Winnipeg)
1990
Solo exhibition of performance curated by Barbara Fischer at the Power Plant, Toronto, 1990. Pure Hell, the synthesis of the “Pure Series” on the condition of women and power in contemporary culture. (Pure Virtue, 1984; Pure Sin, 1987; Pure Nonsense, 1987).
First performance in 1974, Codpieces: Phallic Paraphernalia at Powerhouse Gallery, Montreal. Since that time, have performed at least one performance a year, alone or in collaboration with such artists as Odette Oliver, Johanna Householder, Rina Fraticelli, Bob White, Paul Ledoux.
Recent Awards
2009
Inter-arts Travel Grant for Beijing, China
2008
Governor General’s Award for Visual and Media Arts
2008
Canada Council International Artist Residency, Paris, France
2005
Artist of the Year, Untitled Arts Awards (Toronto)
Travel grant to Puerto-Perfo Festival, Valparaiso, Chile, Inter-Arts
2003
Chalmers Award/Tyranny of Bliss. Canada Council Inter-arts creation grant.
2002
Ontario Arts council, senior artist grant
1980+
have received grants/awards from The Canada Council, the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Arts Council and a Chalmers Award for Innovation in Collaboration (with Rina Fraticelli) in 1981.
Publications
2008
Ironic to Iconic: The Performance Works of Tanya Mars, ed. Paul Couillard. FADO: Toronto+DVD
1990
Pure Hell, Exhibition Catalogue, The Power Plant, Toronto. Curator, Barabara Fischer.
2001
Alphagirls, director Midi Onodera. Website and DVD project including My Dinner with Woofie, an Interactive DVD performance.
Recent Exhibitions (2-Dimensional Works & Video)
November 2006
Where She’s At, group show. Harbourfront Centre, Toronto. Video projection.
April 2005
Untitled, group show. Alliance Française, Toronto. Curated by Bill Huffman as part of the Bill Huffman award to an emerging artist at the University of Toronto, Mississauga. With Louise Liliefeldt and Tej Ajji.
September 2005
Untitled Arts Awards, group show. Gallery 1313, Toronto. Performance and documentation in group show of all 2005 Arts Awards winners.
Dec. 2003/Jan. 2004
Hot. Installation and performance. Union Gallery, Queen’s University, Kingston.
Video Productions (in numerous screenings and collections)
2006
The Granny Suites, Part 1: Happy Birthday to You. Video projection.
2004
7 Deadly Sins/7 Deadly Virtues. 1 hour. Colour.
1998
Hot! 10 minutes. Colour.
1993
Mz. Frankenstein. Western Front, Vancouver, 15:30 minutes, colour, stereo. Performed and directed by Tanya Mars. Adapted from performance of the same name.
1990
Pure Sin, 20 minutes, 3/4″, colour. Written and produced by Tanya Mars. Adapted from Pure Sin, the performance.
1985
Pure Virtue, 15 minutes, 3/4″ colour. Written, produced and directed by Tanya Mars.
Selected Publishing
2004
Caught in the Act: an anthology of performance art by Canadian Women, co-edited with Johanna Householder. YYZ books. (including article: “Not Just for Laughs: women, performance and humour.”)
2002
Cover, Art Journal, Journal of the College Art Association, NYC. summer issue.
2000
“Pure Virtue,”performance script, in n. paradoxa: international feminist art journal, volume 5, 2000, London, England. Ed. Katy Deepwell. pp. 13-16.
“Archaeology of Performance,” in Live at the End of the Century, a book on performance art activity in British Columbia, Ed. Brice Canyon. [To be translated into Spanish and re-printed in 2009 in Mexico City.]
1996
“Personal Reflections on Blood Bath,” in Canadian Theatre Review, spring 1996, No. 86.
1993
Artist’s work in C Magazine, 2 pages
1977-89
Editor of Parallelogramme magazine (ANNPAC)
1980
Editor, Spaces by Artists, book published by The Association of National Non-Profit Artist-Run Centres (ANNPAC/RACA)
Selected Curatorial Projects and Workshops
2009
Eye Level Gallery, Radicals/artist talk, (May upcoming)
National Review of Live Art, Artist talk, Glasgow, Scotland (February)
2008
Theatre Academy, workshop and artist talk, Helsinki, Finland
Galerie Meijelska, workshop and artist talk, Wroclaw, Poland
2008 2006 2004 2002, 2000, 1998:
7a*11d festival of International Performance Art, curator/ collective member
2000
Helped organize retrospective exhibition at WARC (Women’s Art Resource Centre Toronto).
1999
Participant: “symposium of performance art presenters”, Vancouver
1994
2-day workshop, Syracuse University, New York
1994
Curator, 4 performance artists at Powerhouse/La Centrale, Montreal
1980+
Juries, assessment panels for multi-disciplinary and performance work at the Canada Council, Ontario Arts Council, Explorations, Toronto Arts Council
Selected Professional Affiliations
2009
Board of Directors, Art Metropole, Toronto
2005-
Vice-Chair, Board, Doris McCarthy Gallery, University of Toronto at Scarborough
1998-
7a*11d Performance Art Collective
1999-2002
FADO, performance collective
1999-
Absolute Choice Collective, with Nina Czegledy and Johanna Householder
1999-
Artist Member, AGO & Artist Member, The Power Plant
1998-
College Art Association of Canada
1977-89
Ad hoc member of the Board of ANNPAC/RACA & 1994 Animating Team, ANNPAC/ARN
1983-89
Member, Women’s Cultural Building, Toronto
1983
Member, Board of Directors, A Space, Toronto
1983-86
Member Performance Committee, A Space, Toronto
1973
Founding Member/Director, Powerhouse Gallery, Montreal (1974-1978)