In a contemporary context in which many individuals and groups feel under-valued and uncared for, Habits of Care addresses the links between the care of the self and collective care, asking where they overlap, and where they diverge and conflict. Recalling the etymological roots of the word ‘curating’ in the Latin word for ‘caring,’ the exhibition is prompted by concerns with how the rhetoric of care plays out in the fields of art, culture and beyond. It points to where care is typically invested, and where it falls short, raising questions about how we might develop new habits of care that encompass both human and non-human others.

Participating artists were:
Lisa Busby 
Claire Fontaine 
Deborah Ligorio 
Paul Maheke 
Raju Rage 
Amie Siegel 
Laura Yuile

The exhibition spanned the two Blackwood Gallery spaces. In the University's lobby it featured a lightbox work (Untitled) Rust/Tears, by Claire Fontaine.

Paul Maheke and Laura Yuile performed as part of the opening reception.

Raju Rage's participation took the form of a remote Skype performance, Yeah but can we listen tho?, during Care Crisis, Care Connective: An Open Forum on Cultural Work, at the University of Toronto, Mississauga.

Also presenting at the Care Crisis, Care Connective forum were participants in a workshop on Curating and Caring, led by Helena Reckitt in collaboration with the Blackwood Gallery staff. They presented New Propositions for Curating With Care that they had collectively developed during two previous meetings of the Workshop.

The Element Choir performed Protocols, Policies, and Proposals Performed at several times and on different sites throughout the University of Toronto's Mississauga campus. The performance was based on scores composed by Lisa Busby which in turn drew on materials documenting efforts to improve care in the cultural sector. Gathered by Helena Reckitt and Christine Shaw, these documents were exhibited in the Blackwood Gallery in tandem with Busby's scorebooks.

• Reckitt, Helena. 2017. 'New Institutionalities #2 Feminist curating; an active network?'. In: New Institutionalities #2 Feminist curating; an active network?. Nottingham Contemporary, United Kingdom 13 July 2017. [Conference or Workshop Item]
• Moser, Gabrielle; Rousseau, Christine and Reckitt, Helena. 2017. 'Wages for Housework—The Canadian Context'. In: Wages for Housework - The Canadian Context. Art Metropole, Toronto, Canada 5 September 2017. [Conference or Workshop Item]
• Child, Danielle; Reckitt, Helena and Richards, Jenny. 2017. Labours of Love: A Conversation on Art, Gender, and Social Reproduction. Third Text 148, 31(1), pp. 147-168. ISSN 0952-8822 [Article]
• Reckitt, Helena. 2016. Support Acts: Curating, Caring and Social Reproduction. Journal of Curatorial Studies, 5(1), pp. 6-30. ISSN 2045-5836 [Article]
• Reckitt, Helena. 2017. 'Affect and Relationality Workshop Discussion'. In: Affect and Exhibitions. Hrafnseyri, The Westfjords of Iceland, Iceland 26 August 2017. [Conference or Workshop Item]

'Habits of Care' was presented as part of Circuit 1: Labour of Curation, Take Care, as the launch programme for a five-month long curatorial research platform curated by Letters & Handshakes for the Blackwood Gallery, University of Toronto.

It was accompanied by a Circuit 1 micropublication featuring a curatorial essay by curator Helena Reckitt, artist biographies, and full colour illustrations throughout.

It was accompanied by a programme of public events:

Wages for Housework: The Canadian Context 
An EMILIA-AMALIA Feminist Working Group Workshop
With Helena Reckitt and Christina Rousseau
Tuesday, September 5, 6–9pm
Art Metropole, 1490 Dundas Street West, Toronto

Curating and Caring
Three-part workshop led by Helena Reckitt
Saturday, September 9, Wednesday, September 20, and Saturday, September 23
University of Toronto St. George and University of Toronto Mississauga

Opening Reception 
With performances by Paul Maheke and Laura Yuile
Wednesday, September 13, 5–8pm
Blackwood Gallery

Protocols, Policies, and Proposals Performed
Scores composed by Lisa Busby and performed by The Element Choir
Friday, September 22 and Saturday, September 23 
Various locations at University of Toronto Mississauga

Care Crisis, Care Connective: An Open Forum on Cultural Work
Helena Reckitt and Curating and Caring workshop participants, Raju Rage, Precarious Workers Brigade, Jacqueline Hoàng Nguyễn and Boo Watson 
Hosted by Letters & Handshakes
Saturday, September 23, 10am–6pm
Blackwood Gallery

Reader-in-Residence Session with Art Metropole
Public reading by Joshua Vettivelu
Wednesday, September 27, 12–1pm
Blackwood Gallery

https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/21653