Creatives at Work Artist Residency | Thao Huyen Nguyen
(Pictured above is P in an aisle at Sunshine Grocers)
We would like to give a warm welcome to Thao Huyen Nguyen as the fifth Artist-in-Residence in our Creatives at Work program. Huyen will spend six weeks at Sunshine Grocers Inc. during September and October, creating new work inspired by their experience of the grocery and its community.
The residency will conclude with an exhibition at ArtSpeak Gallery, on display October 13 – 17. A public workshop is also in development that will take place during this week!
This page will be updated as Huyen’s residency progresses, so please check in for progress photos, reflections, and event announcements!
ABOUT
Thao Huyen Nguyen
That Huyen Nguyen is an aspiring Vietnamese photographer, filmmaker, and editor based in Windsor, ON. Their main practices focus on streets and liminal photography, documentary, and experimental filmmaking. Their approach can be best described as observational, analyzing the space surround as a whole, while exploring both human behaviour and underlying social issues. They refer to this approach as “the Invisible Camera”, or “the Ghost in the Room”.
They are actively working in the Windsor art scene, most notably as a regional board member of Media City Film Festival. They have a Bachelor degree in Communication, Media & Film from University of Windsor, and are pursuing a Master in Film & Media Arts as of 2025.
Sunshine Grocers Inc.
2825 Lauzon Pkwy Unit 214, Windsor, ON
EXHIBITION
Un(finished) Business
October 13-17
The fifth exhibition in the Creatives At Work program initiated by Arts Council Windsor & Region, in partnership with the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Centre. A local filmmaker is welcomed by a small Jamaican family-owned grocer for 6 weeks. Sunshine Grocers was founded by Sheldon Edwards in 2023, located at 2825 Lauzon Parkway. Together with his wife – Roxanne, Sheldon wishes to create a warm-welcoming place for the growing community in Windsor by sourcing authentic Caribbean products. His mother – Janet, joined them to help bring the original taste of Jamaica to the city. The delicious foods had Janet winning the Best Jerk Chef title for two consecutive years at Windsor Jerk Festival. It also won the filmmaker’s heart. They quickly fell in love with the family’s hospitality, and Caribbean cuisine became their weekly meal. Through observational documentary technique, they tried not to capture their own strange presence at the store. But soon enough, they were dragged out of the shield. The owners and customers’ friendliness made it possible for the camera to be “invisible”. Unfortunately, the residency at the business was cut short as they closed down suddenly in early October. They have now rebranded the store and moved to a new address. Their business is now Jerk Stop & Caribbean Variety, located at 1457 University Ave, Windsor.
The exhibition is a reflection of a short bittersweet experience; a personal reminder of universal community; and a tribute to the new friends.
Exhibition and Q&A: What did the cameraman find inside a Jamaican family-owned grocery store? A new love for the food and hospitality of the Caribbean people. Un(finished) Business is a record of one’s attempt to “just be” in a space that embodied a different culture. Mostly using the “fly in a wall” technique, they capture the gentleness of everyday life at the grocers.
Nothing happens, then everything happens.
The closing reception is on Friday Oct 17th, from 5:30 – 8PM, with a Q&A at 7pm.
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ARTIST TALK
SEMINAR: The Essence of Documentary
As part of the Creatives at Work residency, Huyen Nguyen will be hosting a seminar at ArtSpeak Gallery to share and discuss the nature of documentary film, along with the power of media representations. The seminar will explore the topic by taking notes from the history of film, and raise questions for a better media literacy education. The seminar takes place on Tuesday, October 14.
