a promise to remember

Bailey Horton is a multidisciplinary artist with a focus on community engagement. She is interested in how communities can use art to understand and tackle local issues collectively. Currently her research engages with contemporary museum policy and museums’ role in fostering arts based interpretation practices. Her artistic practice ebbs between curatorial, educational, and personal practice. Her medium is often informed by her research, but primarily draws; with print, sculptural, and textile approaches incorporated in.  Bailey is fascinated by the relationship between community, place, and memory. Her current body of work explores ideas of catharsis, and physical mapping of memory, both of her own and others.

In 2, 3, 4; Hold 2, 3, 4; Out 2, 3, 4;
Hold on and I promise this will pass.
Breathe in, the next breath will come.
Hold on even if the feeling stays.
Let go, it’s out of my control.
Inside my heart pounds.
Don’t hold memory so tight.
Breathe out, and sigh.
Hold still.
Breathe in.
Hold out.
Let Go.
Let in. 

Bailey Horton, Box Breathing

Her practice facilitates community advocacy alongside her personal body of work and research. Her most recent event, Unhampered, tackled food security in the Red Deer community through three stages to bring together different demographics: A discussion based carving workshop, live printing fundraiser, and an exhibition.

With the print matrixes created during the Unhampered workshop, Bailey hosted a live printing event in the RDP Forum for the public. Prints were given in exchange for taking the time to learn about the services Red Deer Food Bank offers to the community, or donations to support the cause. Through the exchange of prints to the public, she wanted to create a way for members of the community to support the food bank even if they were unable to donate.