A recent apprenticeship saw artist, designer and Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECU) student Jefferson Alade (MDes 2025) mentor under artist, curator and UNIT/PITT interim director Ali Bosley (BFA 2019) to curate an interdisciplinary sound-art project titled Sound of the Sun. Vol. III: Summer Solstice.

Jefferson's audio practice includes podcasting, multimedia storytelling, radio shows, music production and DJ’ing. He says Sound of the Sun opened new creative doors while building on his previous work.

“Channelling what I’ve been working on for years into a sound-art context was a new experience for me,” he says. “I was able to work intimately with the artists to establish a dialogue where I trusted them to do what they needed to do, but then also found ways to help leverage their vision.”

Jefferson and Ali were linked through the Art Apprenticeship Network (AAN), a program run by the Shumka Centre for Creative Entrepreneurship and funded by the RBC Foundation to support RBC Emerging Artists. The AAN pairs paid student apprentices with established artists, curators, and cultural workers to work on specific projects.

Sound of the Sun Vol. III is the third and final edition of UNIT/PITT’s sound-art series meditating on “the cyclical nature of solar movements, and our relationship with the sun … The project invited 10 artists to observe, respond, record and retell their experiences through music, poetry, field recordings, synthesis, storytelling or any other audio-based method.”

The project culminated in a playlist, a limited-edition cassette and a catered listening party event in UNIT/PITT’s Kitsilano garden.

Ali, who took over mentorship duties toward the end of the project from UNIT/PITT director (and ECU alum) Catherine de Montreuil (currently on leave), says Jefferson’s fingerprints are clearly visible on the project’s third iteration.

“I see a shift in the project with Jefferson’s curation,” she says. “It comes down to his thoughtful and generous curatorial energy. He has an amazing natural sensitivity and all this burgeoning energy to work with people. He pushed things into another realm of articulation. There’s a level of cohesion in the final work, which is touching, beautiful, and very successful.”

In addition to his work during the project’s production, Jefferson carefully designed a live performance for the listening party. His curatorial choices in this regard were especially powerful, Ali says. For instance, his pairing of Edith Skeard’s spare, introspective Prairie Shifting with Anju Singh’s searing Heat underscored the visceral power of the medium.

“The brutality of that shift between Edith and Anju’s works shows there is an immediacy to sound,” she says. “It provides this evocative moment that can be incredibly effective.”

“Sound is also something everyone hears all the time. So, as an art form, it’s something people can easily step into,” Jefferson adds, noting sound affects the body in ways visual media cannot. “It’s a felt sensation, and I think that’s what makes it relatable.”

For Jefferson, apprenticing with Ali offered a vital window into life after graduation.

“It was essential for me to step outside the university and see how things work in a professional setting in Vancouver,” he says. “It was reassuring to know Ali was there to guide me and give me direction, and now I have a much better sense of the different contexts I could move into. That was helpful. I highly recommend the Art Apprentice Network program.”

As an ECU alum herself, Ali says programs like the AAN are invaluable.

“It’s about having a beautiful artistic and creative experience, but there’s also a very practical aspect to learning professional skills like grant writing, ticket sales, and budgeting. That stuff is essential for emerging artists to know, and this is the perfect opportunity for them to learn it,” she says, adding Jefferson also set himself apart with his conduct.

“He has this calm, grounded professionalism that is rarely seen and is especially appreciated in the arts, and we got a ton of feedback from the artists saying they loved the experience. Jefferson is a unique and incredible person, and I cannot wait to see where he goes.”

Listen to Jefferson talk about and share works from the project via CiTR 101.9 FM.

Visit the Shumka Centre’s website to learn more about their extraordinary range of programming.

Visit ECU online to learn more about studying in the Master of Design program.