Critical Distance DIRECTORY PAVED Arts

PAVED Arts is a non-profit, artist run centre for production, presentation, research and dissemination of contemporary media arts. The word PAVED is an acronym signifying the integration of media art forms addressed by our mandate: photographic, audio, video, electronic, digital. PAVED Arts exists to support artists who work in these media. Our mandate is to support local, regional and national artists working in the ‘PAVED’ arts by operating an access and production centre for media and new media creation, while simultaneously operating a presentation centre that exhibits and disseminates contemporary visual, media and new media art in time-based, gallery, and off-site modes.

PAVED Meant is a two-year anthology of critical writing that engages with the exhibition programming at PAVED Arts in Saskatoon. Established in 2012 by Artistic Director David LaRiviere, who continues to serve as editor and contributor, the publication supports and sustains critical dialogue around contemporary media art. Inspired by the tradition of artist-run publishing, PAVED Meant aims to contextualize the work of exhibiting artists while contributing to broader conversations in media arts discourse. The publication reflects the diversity of forms supported by PAVED Arts’ mandate (Photo, Audio, Video, Electronic, and Digital) offering a platform where critical and creative writing can intersect with the practices they examine.

As a discursive space, PAVED Meant seeks to animate interdisciplinary dialogue on aesthetic, political, and social issues central to media art. It invites contributions from artists, curators, writers, cultural producers, and activists working across local, regional, and national contexts. In doing so, it recognizes that critical engagement is a form of cultural labour, one that requires time, attention, and care. Beyond the immediacy of exhibitions, PAVED Meant lends an extended life to independent, artist-driven projects. It ensures that the work of media and lens-based artists, whether local, national, or international, can circulate within a framework that values reflection and critique. The publication affirms PAVED Arts’ commitment to nurturing experimental, independent, engaged, and critical art practices through writing that resonates beyond the walls of the gallery.

PAVED Meant emerged from a growing recognition that the exhibition brochures PAVED Arts produced, often containing strong critical writing, were too ephemeral. While collections such as Artexte preserve some artist-run centre materials, we saw the need for a more accessible and lasting platform for critical engagement with our programming. Founded in 2012, PAVED Meant became our response: a publication model that extends the life of the ideas, practices, and conversations embedded in our exhibitions. It provides research-level access to critical writing and curatorial context, and it can be catalogued and shared through libraries and archives. From the beginning, we have offered both print and free downloadable PDF editions, which we see as complementary formats that support different kinds of reader engagement.

Over time, PAVED Meant has evolved into more than just a record of our programming. It has become a vehicle for supporting new critical voices, editorial practice, and book design; opportunities that contribute meaningfully to the ecology of media arts and publishing in Canada. The publication now have five volumes and continues to play an integral role in articulating the social, political, and aesthetic stakes of our exhibitions, offering a platform where reflection and response can continue long after the gallery exhibition has closed.