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.
Participants: Kemi Adeyemi, The Black Embodiments Studio (Seattle); Emily Alesandrini, Slip (New Orleans); eunice bélidor, independent (Montreal); Adi Berardini, Femme Art Review (London, ON); Madeline Bogoch, BlackFlash (Saskatoon); Rose Bouthillier, Momus (Newfoundland); Frances Cathryn, Forging (unceded lands of the Moh-He-Con-Nuck near Taghkanic, NY); Allison Noelle Conner, Momus (Los Angeles); Kim Córdova, Boston Art Review (Boston); Gina Cortopassi, ESPACE art actuel (Montreal); Re’al Christian, Post/doc (New York); Kyle Dacuyan, Momus (New York); Alexandra Dumais, Esse arts + opinions (Montreal); Susan Gibb, Western Front (Vancouver); Sky Goodden, Momus (Montreal); Mariana Muñoz Gomez, Carnation (Winnipeg); Christina Hajjar, Herizons and Carnation (Winnipeg); Tempestt Hazel, Sixty Inches from Center (Chicago); Sarah Higgins, Art Papers (Atlanta); Molly Kleiman, Triple Canopy (New York); Jameson Johnson, Boston Art Review (Boston); Luther Konadu, Public Parking (Winnipeg); Mario Lewis, Forest Notebooks (Trinidad and Tobago); Whitney Mallett, The Whitney Review of New Writing (New York); Courtney McClellan, Burnaway (Atlanta); Lindsay Aksarniq McIntyre, Inuit Art Quarterly (Toronto); America Meredith, First American Art Magazine (Norman, OK); Maandeeq Mohamed, C Magazine (Toronto); Christina Nafziger, Sixty Inches from Center (Chicago); Michael Nardone, independent (Montreal); Tiana Reid, Pinko (Toronto); Daniella Sanader, independent (Toronto); rashid shabazz, Critical Minded (Baltimore); Mary Louise Schumacher, The Rabkin Foundation (Portland, ME); Brandon Sheats, Burnaway (Atlanta); Kiel Torres, Western Front (Vancouver); Lauren Tresp, Southwest Contemporary (Santa Fe); Lisa Tronca, ESPACE art actuel (Montréal); Catherine G. Wagley, Momus (Los Angeles); Lauren Wetmore, Momus (Brussels); Joy Xiang, C Magazine (Toronto); Neyat Yohannes, independent (Los Angeles); Lindsay Preston Zappas, Contemporary Art Review Los Angeles (Carla) (LA); Nazanin Zarepour, The Vermin (Toronto); Brandon Zech, Glasstire (Texas).
About the venue:
PHI is a multidisciplinary arts hub dedicated to presenting the most relevant ideas of our time through art and culture. Founded and directed by Phoebe Greenberg, in Montreal, PHI is committed to the creation, presentation, and support of contemporary artistic practices, by exploring innovative concepts and 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.
