John Latour
Pronouns: he/him
- Teaching & Research Librarian - Fine Arts, Concordia University Library
Status: On sabbatical leave until January 2025
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Sign in to editResearch areas: Artists' books, Canadian art, Contemporary art, Open access, Research creation Member of research group Elastic 3D Space
Contact information
Email:
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Webster Library
J.W. McConnell Building
1400 De Maisonneuve W.
(514) 848-2424 (ext. 7811)
Website:
Biography
Background
John is an arts librarian who worked in several art organizations in Montreal before coming to Concordia including the Canadian Centre for Architecture, Artexte and the Special Collections of the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec. He is also a practicing visual artist.John is the Teaching & Research Librarian - Fine Arts, and provides general reference as well as subject reference for Art History, Design and Computation Arts, and Studio Arts.
MFA Committees
Helena Rakić, 2024
Michelle LaSalle, 2021
Sarah Usick, 2021
James Gardner, 2020
John Boyle-Singfield, 2020
Anastasia Ferguson, 2020
Stéphanie de Couto Costa, 2018
Michel Leclerc, 2018
Daniela Ortiz, 2017
Supervision of Ethnocultural Art Histories Research (EAHR) Library Researcher in Residence
Anne Kim, 2022-2023
Naimah Amin, 2021-2022
Sarah Piché, 2020
Quentin VerCetty Lindsay, 2019
Independent Study Supervision
Christeen Francis, 2018
Education
Masters in Art History, 2005. Concordia University. Montreal, Quebec.
Masters in Library and Information Studies. 1996. McGill University. Montreal, Quebec.
Bachelor of Fine Arts (Studio). Ottawa University. 1990. Ottawa, Ontario.
Research interests, awards & grants
Research interests: Artists' books, Canadian art, Contemporary art, Open access, Research creation
Member of the research group Elastic Spaces
Awards & grants
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada – Partnership Engagement Grant (SSHRC – PEG, 2024). Elastic Forest Spaces. Principal Investigator: Leila Sujir, Concordia University. Co-Investigators: Sarah E. Turner and John Latour, Concordia University. Collaborators: Janine M. Marchessault, York University; Kathy L. Code, Ecoforestry Institute Society; Nancy J. Turner, University of Victoria; William Jones, Pacheedaht First Nation.
Concordia University Library Research Grant (Concordia University, 2024) – Projet sur l’histoire d’ARLIS/NA MOQ.
Concordia University Aid to Research Related Events, Exhibition, Publication and Dissemination Activities (ARRE, 2022). Chronicles of the Forest. Principal Investigator: Leila Sujir, Concordia University. Collaborators, John Latour, Concordia University; Haema Sivanesan, Glenbow Museum, William Jones, Pacheedaht First Nation.
SSHRC – Connections Grant, 2021. Thinking Allowed. Principal Investigator: Leila Sujir, Concordia University. Co-Investigators: Alain Cuerrier, Montreal Botanical Garden / Université de Montréal; Gisèle Trudel and Paul Landon, Université du Québec à Montréal; Sarah E. Turner and John Latour, Concordia University. Collaborators: Anita Taylor and Anthony Head, University of Dundee; Emily Pelstring, Sunny Kerr and Gabriel Menotti Pinto Gonring, Queen’s University; Haema Sivanesan, Glenbow Museum; Janine Marchessault, York University; Marian Lantin, Emily Carr University of Art Design.
Concordia University Library Research Grant (Concordia University, 2020) – Who Was Who Was Who in Canadian Contemporary Art.
SSHRC – PEG, 2019. Elastic Spaces: the old growth forest as ‘home’ space. Principal Investigator: Leila Sujir, Concordia University. Co-Investigators: Haema Sivanesan, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Collaborators: John Latour, Concordia University, and William Jones, Pacheedaht First Nation.
Publications
Ellis, Sara, and John Latour. “Artist Files in Action No. 5 - The State of Artists’ Files in Canadian GLAMs and ARCs.” Artist Files Special Interest Group, ARLIS/NA (blog). July 3, 2023,
<https://artistfiles.arlisna.hcommons.org/2023/07/04/artist-files-in-action-no-5-the-state-of-artists-files-in-canadian-glams-and-arcs/>.
Ellis, Sara, and John Latour. The State of Artists' Files in Canadian GLAMs and ARCs: Report. Montreal: John Latour, 2022, <https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/id/eprint/991187/>.
Ellis, Sara, and John Latour. État des dossiers d'artistes conservés dans les galeries, bibliothèques, archives, musées et centres d'artistes autogérés canadiens : Rapport. Montréal : John Latour, 2022, <https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/id/eprint/991220/>.
Dufour, Jenna, Sara Ellis, and John Latour. “Reimagining Canadian Art Practices and Art Collections: From Research to Publication, and Preservation to Promotion.” Art Documentation 40, no. 1, 2021, pp. 83-103, DOI: 10.1086/713835 (Peer-reviewed)
Latour, John. "Enter the Dragon: Open Access and Artists' Books." Proceedings from the Launch of e-artexte: Open Access Digital Repository for Documents in the Visual Arts in Canada. Montreal: Artexte, 2014. <http://e-artexte.ca/25118/1/e-artexte_EN_06_16.pdf>.
Latour, John. Bibliographie thématique des publications sur l'art autochtone chez Artexte (1960-2014) / Thematic Bibliography on Aboriginal Art at Artexte (1960-2014). Montreal: Artexte, 2014. <https://www.artexte.ca/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/12/art_autochtone_aboriginal_art.pdf>.
Latour, John. Rev. of Oh, Canada: Contemporary Art from North America by Denise Markonish, ed. Art Libraries Society of North America Archive. Jan.-Feb. 2013. Web (Book review).
Latour, John in collaboration with Jennifer Allen, Marina Endicott, Cynthia Imogen Hammond, Lea Nakonechny, Eduardo Ralickas and Jean-Éric Riopel. Rétrofictions. 3 v. Montreal: John Latour, 2012-2019 (artist's book).
Latour, J. Interventions: Tiré de la collection / From the Collection. Montreal: Éditions Artextes, 2008. <http://e-artexte.ca/23690/>.
MacDonald, Corina, Tomasz Neugebauer and John Latour. "The e-artexte Digital Repository: Promoting Access in Canadian Contemporary Arts Research and Publishing Community." Art Libraries Journal 39, no. 1, 2014, pp. 10-16, DOI: 10.1017/S0307472200018125.
Tayler, Felicity, and John Latour. "Contemporary Glocal: Positioning a National Mandate within a Global Context." Art Libraries Journal 34, no. 1, 2009, pp. 40-45.
Presentations (Conferences, etc.)
Latour, John. "At What Point(s) in the Research Lifecycle Can an Arts Library Facilitate Visual Art Research?" ARLIS/UK & Ireland 2023 conference, Norwich, UK, July 3, 2023.
Ellis, Sara, and John Latour. The State of Canadian Artists' Files in Canadian GLAMs & ARCs [Poster presentation]. ARLIS/NA 51st Annual Conference, Mexico City, Mexico, April 18-21, 2023). https://doi.org/10.17613/svjt-a315
Ellis, Sara, and John Latour. "Reimagining Canadian Art Practices and Art Collections: From Publication to Presentation and Promotion." ARLIS/NA 48th Annual Conference, St Louis, United States, April 21, 2020 (Conference cancelled)
Latour, John."Who Was Who Was Who in Contemporary Canadian Art - Designing a Hybrid Artists' Biographical Dictionary of Pseudonyms, Personas, and Alter-Egos." Concordia University Library's 17th Annual Research Forum, Montreal, Canada, April 26, 2019.
Latour, John. "The Canadian Presence and the Role of Books at the 57th edition of the Venice Biennale." Concordia Library Forum Brown Bag Lunch Series, Montreal, Canada, September 29, 2017.
Selected exhibitions (solo* and group**)
Half-Shadows / Pénombres. Pierre-François Ouellette art contemporain. Montréal, Québec. 2023*
Ghost Town. Five Years. London, UK. 2023*
Something's aJar. Maison de la culture Notre-Dame-de-Grace. Montréal, Québec. 2023**
Le livre photographique 2019 / The 2019 Photographic Book. Les Rencontres internationales de la photographie, Bibliothèque Gabrielle-Bernard-Dubé. Carleton-sur-Mer, Québec. 2019**
Coups de coeur. Pierre-François Ouellette art contemporain. Montréal, Québec. 2019**
Therebefore and Hereafter. Centre Space. Toronto, Ontario. 2018*À la lisère du fantastique / Bordering the Fantastic. Pierre-François Ouellette art contemporain. Montréal, Québec. 2016**
In Spirit. Tom Thomson Art Gallery. Owen Sound, Ontario. 2016 and the Burlington Art Gallery. Burlington, Ontario. 2015** (catalogue)
Le passé est un pays étranger et Le test de la chaise. Sporobole. Sherbrooke, Québec. 2016*
The Past is a Foreign Country and The Chair Test. Harcourt House. Edmonton, Alberta. 2014*
The Library. Library Gallery. Winnipeg, Manitoba. 2013**
Kindred Spirits. Centre-Space. Toronto, Ontario. 2013*
Boxed In! The Rooms. St. John's, Newfoundland. 2013** (catalogue)
Memberships and Affiliations
Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA)
ARLIS/NA Montréal-Ottawa-Québec (Board member 2006-2007; 2010-2011; 2021-2022)
Bibliographic Society of Canada
Corporation des bibliothécaires professionnels du Québec
ICOM Canada
Regroupement des artistes en arts visuels du Québec