To Build and Sustain is a convening for independent art publishing organized by Momus, inviting publishers and editors from across Canada and the US to share resources, strengthen peer networks, and imagine more sustainable futures for critical art writing.
At a moment shaped by precarity, polarization, and censorship, the convening will look at how independent platforms for art discourse are built, and what it takes to sustain them over time. Invited participants will gather for two days of exchange focused on cross-border collaboration, shared infrastructures, and the evolving conditions of publishing today.
The convening will culminate with a Publishing Roundtable, a free public event on Saturday June 27, 7–9 pm.
The To Build and Sustain initiative began in summer 2025 as an online residency for independent practitioners developing publications and learning environments for art writing and criticism.
Participating publications:
Art Papers (Atlanta), BlackFlash (Saskatoon), The Black Embodiments Studio (Seattle), Boston Art Review (Boston), Burnaway (Atlanta), Carnation (Winnipeg), Contemporary Art Review Los Angeles (Carla) (Los Angeles), C Magazine (Toronto), COI (Edmonton), ESPACE art actuel (Montréal), Esse arts + opinions (Montréal), Femme Art Review (London), First American Art Magazine (Oklahoma), Forest Notebooks (Trinidad and Tobago), Forging (located on the unceded lands of the Moh-He-Con-Nuck near Taghkanic, NY), Glasstire (Texas), Inuit Art Quarterly (Toronto), Pinko (various locations), Post/doc (New York), Public Parking (Winnipeg), Sixty Inches from Center (Chicago), Slip (New Orleans), Southwest Contemporary (Santa Fe), Vie des arts (Montreal), The Vermin (Toronto), The Whitney Review (New York), Triple Canopy (New York), and several independent practitioners.
Please direct questions to Lauren Wetmore, artistic director of programs, at programs@momus.ca.
About the venue:
Founded and directed by Phoebe Greenberg in Montreal, PHI is a multidisciplinary arts hub dedicated to presenting the most relevant ideas of our time through art and culture. Focused on the art and audiences of tomorrow, PHI explores innovative concepts by emphasizing collective experiences, engagement, and audience participation. PHI offers an eclectic program combining exhibitions, events, immersive experiences, an educational program, and artist residencies, fostering unique encounters between artists and the public. Committed to creation, presentation, and support of contemporary artistic practices, PHI has established itself as a must-visit cultural destination in the heart of Old Montreal.
