Grant News: Fuel for the Work Ahead

I’ve just received my second Catalyst Grant from the Salt Spring National Art Prize SSNAP and The Wilding Foundation—and I wanted to take a moment to share what that means, not just for me, but for the work I’m building.

On the Table: The 2SLGBTQ+ Visibility Project began with one simple but necessary idea: to create a space where portraits could hold the truths of lived experience—especially for those in the queer and trans communities who are so often erased, minimized, or spoken over.

To be supported a second time through this grant means the world. It’s more than financial help—it’s an affirmation. That this work matters. That these stories matter.

For anyone unfamiliar, On the Table is a large-scale portrait series featuring 2SLGBTQ+ individuals from across Canada and around the world. These aren’t just images—they’re collaborations. They hold history, hope, pain, and resilience. Each drawing is a document of someone’s truth, and each portrait is a way of resisting silence.

This grant gives me the time and tools to keep going—to complete more drawings, to bring this project to new exhibition spaces, and to hold community workshops that invite reflection, dialogue, and connection.

To the Salt Spring National Art Prize & The Wilding Foundation through Ethan Wilding: thank you for seeing the value in this project. Thank you for choosing to support it again. To my community—thank you for being here. Whether you’re quietly watching, loudly cheering, or somewhere in between—I carry that energy with me.

There’s more to come. More portraits. More voices. More truth.

— Jeannette