With a master’s degree in the sciences from Harvard University, Joan has recently distinguished herself through numerous art-science collaborations with musicians, poets, and researchers in the Lower St. Lawrence region. Between 2024 and 2026, she took part in three residencies and collaborated on eight art-science projects focused on climate change. These initiatives resulted in several immersive and interactive installations in Quebec and Ontario, inviting the public to reflect on impermanence in a rapidly changing world.
Well-known to Heritage Lower St. Lawrence and within the region, Joan’s reputation extends as far as Europe. In 2022, she served as a keynote speaker at the Sibelius Museum in Turku, Finland. After her nomination as a finalist for the 2025 CALQ « Artist of the Year » award for the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, Joan was selected by the Ville de Rimouski to serve a three-year term on its inaugural expert committee on public art. In March 2026, she presented her first architectural projection (with Heritage’s poet-cultural coordinator, Rachel McCrum) in Scotland during an international poetry festival—a project developed as the culmination of a residency at the Centre for Energy Ethics at the University of St Andrews, one of Europe’s oldest and most prestigious universities.
Although her work did not receive recognition early in her career, Joan never wavered in her creative drive or her commitment to environmental causes. To my knowledge, Joan is the only artist in the Lower St. Lawrence region who is 100% dedicated to climate advocacy. The quality of her work, her commitment as an artist, and her personal journey serve as powerful examples of perseverance and inspiration; I am thrilled that Culture BSL has recognized this authentic artist, her unique photographic body of work, and her artistic contribution to our region, to Quebec, Canada and abroad.
-Alexander Reford, HLSL President, Fall 2026
