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Pilot Project: Piloting a mini-residency for artist-parents with their children based in PEI.

Project Duration: December 2024 to March 2025

Continuing to Implement: Yes. The aim is to develop a two- to four-week artist-family residency program, building on the learnings from the retreat, and to offer additional shorter retreats at the location where the pilot took place.

Resources Shared: Project Field Notes, Retreat Participation Waiver, Retreat Feedback Form

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About Monica Lacey

Location: Prince Edward Island
Artistic Discipline: Visual Art
Operating Budget: Less than $100,000

Monica Lacey is a Canadian/Italian multidisciplinary visual artist, writer, curator, educator, and community-builder. She is driven by curiosity, service, and the pursuit of beauty in all its forms, prioritizing connection and communication in her life and work. Monica holds a Diploma in Textiles and Photography from the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design and has received several awards and grants for excellence in her work and service to her community, including the Garfield Weston Award and the Nel Oudemans Award. In addition to her studio practice, she is a parent, teaches Kundalini Yoga, works in the film industry, is a Peer Support Worker with Creative PEI, and is director/curator for the Fitzroy St. Tiny Art Gallery, a miniature art space on her front lawn. She lives on unceded Mi’kmaq territory and enjoys outdoor roller skating, practicing Gong Fu, and swimming in the ocean in her free time.

Monica Lacey‘s Level UP! Project

In March 2025, Monica hosted a one-day creative retreat at Macphail Woods in Eastern PEI for artist-parents and their children, designed to provide parallel experiences of creativity, play, and community. Five adults and six children participated, engaging in land-based exploration and hands-on creation using natural and found materials. The retreat emphasized openness, accessible language, light facilitation, and respect for both adults and children as artists. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and interest from participants and the venue has sparked plans for future offerings, including a potential two- to four-week artist-family residency and additional single-day retreats, with an emphasis on spending time outdoors.

Project Highlights

• • Both artists and children were invited to explore, play and create. Creations made at the retreat included: forts, a “forest bakery”, sculptural installations, sound poems, and a micro-ecosystem trench system for salamanders inspired by natural erosion patterns.
  • A key takeaway was that an inspiring and supportive venue can enable an amazing, nourishing event for parents and kids—even with minimal supplies and structure.