I’m Geneviève Cloutier (she/they)—also known as Gen—a neuroqueer artist, re-searcher, educator, and facilitator living on unsurrendered and unceded Algonquin Anishinaabe territory. With a Media Arts degree from Emily Carr University of Art and Design and a SSHRC-funded PhD in Education from the University of Ottawa, my work focuses on art/re-search, relational pedagogy & methods, posthumanism and decolonizing methodologies. My writing and research creation have appeared in Art/Research International, International Journal of Education & the Arts, and the International Journal for Qualitative Studies in Education, among others. I’ve taught in public, private, and alternative school settings for over ten years, and currently teach courses at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Education, including EDI, Arts Education, Research Methodologies, Gender and Sexuality, and First Nations, Inuit and Métis Education.As a neuroqueer educator and high school dropout turned PhD, I trace my own experiences navigating systemic barriers, burnout, and ableism to better understand—and challenge—the systems around us. This lived knowledge equips me to advocate for others and co-create more liberatory, care-based, and relational worlds. I homeschool/unschool one of my teens and support other homeschooling and unschooling families in Quebec. I also serve as a research advisor at the Toronto Art Therapy Institute and work out of Place des Artistes de Farrellton, a repurposed school turned artist-run co-op in rural Quebec. There, I engage in transdisciplinary and socially engaged practices alongside a community of artists committed to creative experimentation, mutual aid, and collective transformation.

art/re-search & social practice

While working full-time in education and parenting, I’ve continued to engage in art/research and research-creation through graduate studies and community-rooted practice—often beyond traditional gallery settings. I’ve experimented with material, meaning and space. I've co-developed social practice projects with artists, academics, youth, and community members, centering themes of resistance, pedagogy, relationality, and movement. For me, art is both grounding and disruptive; a way to hold complexity, invite curiosity, and build connections through emergent practices. I’m in an ongoing process of tracing creative forms of collective resistance, playfulness, and neuroqueer ways of knowing and working together.

Space marks (2025)
Installation art / re-search creation: sheets, acrylic paint, ink, pillow cases, old school chairs (dimensions variable)
Place des Artistes de Farrellton

Re-imagined pedagogical landscape experiments (2024)
Installation art / re-search creation: sheets, acrylic paint, ink, paper, chairs, rocks, bowl, cardboard, ink, projector (dimensions variable)
Place des Artistes de Farrellton

Data/Dada Maps and Masks (2022)
Installation art / re-search creation: Paper, acrylic paint, essays, envelopes (dimensions variable)
Place des Artistes de Farrellton

Data/dada series & memories from Art/Re-search (T)here (2018-2021)
Acrylic paint, paper, ink jet prints, t-shirts (dimensions variable)
Zine + limited edition t-shirt + PhD data/dada reading/drawings

Imagine Action (2021)
Social practice project in collaboration with the Imagine Action Youth Council & Patrick Thompson: T-shirts, acrylic paint, sheets, ink, paper (dimensions variable)
Place des Artistes de Farrellton + Public Interventions + La Fab

Collaborative Rock Warriors (2020)
Community art project
Compiled images from various community members (ages 3-40), ink jet prints
Place des Artistes de Farrellton

(Un)School (2018)
Social practice project in collaboration with Cara Tierney
Public Interventions + Ottawa Arts Court

Summerhill on Major’s Hill (2016)
Social practice project in collaboration with Adam Brown
Blink Gallery

Hauntology and silenced narratives (2016)
Wood, acrylic paint, grand-maman’s plastic flowers, ink jet prints, self-published book, videos (dimensions variable)
Gallery 115 & Blink Gallery

Free School (2014)
Social practice project & video (in collaboration with a grade 12 class)
A public secondary school in Ottawa, ON.

Here They Said: Victory Square Park & Habitat Island (2009)
Social practice project (in collaboration with Anna White & Riel McGuire)
Film stills: sit-ins, mending sessions, public interventions
Victory Square Park & Olympic Village, Vancouver, BC

Hollow Land/Mobilize (after the death of Morris & Wright) (2008)
Installation view
Pine, acrylic paint, ink jet print (dimensions variable)
The Brow, Emily Carr University of Art and Design

My Mother Worked in a Factory (2008)
Installation view (artist and curator)
Book (Little Women), Chair, Plastic Tree, Potatoes, Video (dimensions variable)
The Brow, Emily Carr University of Art and DesignIncluding works by Caroline Ballhorn, Francisco-Fernando Granados & Benjamin Larose

Course design

Included below is a list of courses that I have designed and taught at the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Education over the last 8 years. Grounded in a commitment to intersectional justice and guided by anti-oppression, my teaching practice is rooted in an ethics of care, accountability, possibility and safe(r) spaces. I centre a strength-based approach, while inviting all learners to reimagine what education can be. My pedagogy embraces the transformative power of relational learning—where land, bodies, lived experience, and experimentation are understood as pedagogical forces. Through (un)grading frameworks and communities of care, I invite learners to move with their own rhythms, re-storying knowledge through honesty, creativity, and collective responsibility.

EDU6290: Research Methodologies

This graduate course introduces students to the ways in which scholars undertake research using a wide range of methods and approaches in educational and counselling contexts. It is designed to offer students an opportunity to work on and receive feedback about the research they intend to conduct for their Major Research Paper (MRP) or thesis. Students examine the theoretical, epistemological, and ethical issues that underpin research methodologies while engaging with interactive workshops, presentations, debates, creative activities, critical analysis, and self-reflection.By the end of the course, students are expected to demonstrate a critical understanding of diverse research approaches and their relevance to their own emerging research trajectories. They will learn to identify appropriate methodologies for a range of research problems and objectives, with attention to ethical considerations and the broader commitments of equity, inclusion, and diversity. Students will develop research questions suitable for various contexts and engage in ongoing inquiry as reflective, lifelong learners. Through the analysis and synthesis of scholarly literature, they will strengthen their ability to use library databases to conduct a literature review or scoping review in preparation for a research proposal. Students will also be expected to construct a convincing argument for the significance of their research objectives, situating their aims within inclusive, ethical, and socially just frameworks. Finally, they will collaborate with peers to foster a learning community grounded in mutual respect, collective growth, and a shared commitment to ethical research methodologies.

PED3161: Gender, Sexuality and Diversity

This course critically examines gender and sexual diversity through an intersectional lens, exploring how these identities interact with race, class, ability, and other social factors. Through engagement with critical theories, curriculum analysis, and creative projects, students develop strategies for fostering inclusive and equitable learning environments. They examine how language, policy, and curriculum shape experiences of gender and sexual diversity, and identify systemic barriers in sexual health, education, and school practices. Throughout the course, students reflect on their own identities, privileges, and the broader systems of oppression that inform educational spaces. They create an Art & Activism Project to communicate messages about gender, sexuality, and diversity, using creative expression to challenge discrimination and advocate for social change. As part of their applied learning, students also design transdisciplinary lesson plans that meaningfully integrate gender and sexual diversity. They also consider how to foster safe(r) spaces through pride networks, GSAs, inclusive discussions, and relational pedagogies. Collaborative research and presentations on key issues in gender, sexuality, and diversity deepen group learning, while ungrading frameworks support personal learning goals, self-assessment, and critical reflection as integral parts of the process.

PED3138: First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Education – Historical Experiences and Contemporary Perspectives

This course explores the historical experiences of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples, with attention to colonial histories and their enduring effects, while engaging directly with the Calls to Action as a framework for reconciliation. Learners critically examine Indigenous and non-Indigenous relations, emphasizing the importance of positionality, privilege, and the shift from allyship to co-conspiratorship. A central focus is placed on unlearning colonial narratives and centering Indigenous voices and knowledge. The course includes opportunities to learn with and from Algonquin Anishinaabe knowledge carriers to guide relationship-building, land-based learning, culture, self-determination and language preservation. Throughout the course, students recognize how their own identities, positionalities, and privileges shape their roles in these processes, and actively co-create Safe(r) Space Agreements that are upheld through ongoing care and accountability. Through self-evaluation, positionality mapping, and community-based projects, students reflect on their personal learning journeys and deepen their understanding of what it means to teach from a place of humility, decolonization and relational accountability.

EDU4102: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Education

This fourth-year elective course welcomes students from a variety of disciplines into an engaging and reflective learning community. Through interactive workshops, collaborative presentations, research, creative exercises, critical analysis, and self-reflection, students are invited to explore pressing questions such as: How do equity, diversity, inclusion and decolonization (EDID) take shape across different educational and societal contexts? What are the consequences when these principles are not upheld? Together and individually, students will examine and reframe their own assumptions and lived experiences related to EDID. They will deepen their understanding of key theories, practices, and policies that shape EDID work in diverse settings, and explore how these frameworks both challenge and sustain systems of oppression—such as sexism, racism, colonialism, ableism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, and classism—particularly in their intersecting forms. Throughout the course, students will build agency and connection within a transdisciplinary community of practice, grounded in care, curiosity, and a shared commitment to more just and inclusive futures.

PED4193: Teaching Senior Visual Arts

This course invites teacher candidates into independent and relational inquiries exploring the pedagogies of senior visual arts education within contemporary schooling and society. The course emphasizes artistic practice, studio confidence, and critical engagement with both historical and contemporary art. Through presentations, sharing circles, and experiential learning, we explore a/r/tography, creative process, critical analysis and assessment. Teacher candidates investigate theories and practices of art education in relation to broader social contexts and learn to facilitate sketchbook explorations and portfolio development for senior students. The course also examines current and alternative assessment practices in visual arts, and considers the transformative potential of art education by engaging with four special topics: Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion; the Anthropocene and Decolonization; Mental Health & Social Media. In addition, we practice facilitating difficult dialogue and nurturing safer spaces, while designing mentor artworks and lesson plans that inspire student engagement and foster relational communities of practice.

Peer-reviewed publications

Cloutier, G., Rowe, G., Lorenzi, L., Flagel, N., Jansen, I., & Clare, A. (under review). Art/Re-search (T)here and transpedagogical data/dada assemblages of transdisciplinarity. Journal of the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies.Cloutier, G., Rowe, G., Flagel, N., Lorenzi, L., Jansen, I., Crocker, W., & Clare, A. (2025). Métissage in Art/Re-search (T)here: Entanglements of be-longing and re-storying. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 58(2), 1–28.Cloutier, G., Rowe, G., Flagel, N., Lorenzi, L., Jansen, I., Crocker, W., & Clare, A. (2024). Getting Lost Through the Relational Mail Art of Art/Re-search (T)here: A Decolonizing Methodology. Art/Research International, 9(1), 236–265.Shields, A., Cloutier, G., Fursman, J., Lara-Osuna, R., Castillo Inostroza, J., Arias-Camisón, A., Do-Nguyen, L., Gajdošíková, P., Gillard, Y., Jamouchi, S., Klungland, M., Kukkonen, T., Lee, N., Wicks, J., & Wurtzel, J. (2023). Inhabiting/Living Practice: An Emergent Collaborative Arts-Based Exhibition. In H. Mreiwed., M. R. Carter., S. Hashem., & C. H. Blake-Amarante (Eds.), Making Connections in and Through Arts-Based Educational Research. Springer.

Cloutier, G., Shields, A., Do-Nguyen, L., Jamouchi, S., & Gillard, Y. (2022). “‘Becoming I / We’” Together as Critical. In C. Burkholder., F. Aladejebi, & J. Schwab-Cartas. (Eds.), Facilitating community research for social change: Case studies in qualitative, arts-based and visual research (pp. 259-276). Routledge.

Cloutier, G. (2019). Transformation and interdisciplinary arts-based methods. In B. Andrews (Ed.), Perspectives of arts education research in Canada, Volume I: Surveying the Landscape (pp. 66-76). Brill.Cloutier, G. (2016). An a/r/tographic inquiry of a silenced First Nation ancestry, hauntology, g(hosts) and art(works): An exhibition catalogue. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 17(30). Retrieved from https://ijea.org/v17n30/index.htmlMorawski, C., & Cloutier, G. (2016). Memories, Crossings, and Station Stops: Displaced Pasts Into Present Teaching of Language and Art. Journal of the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies, 15(1), 55-74.Cloutier, G., Ibrahim, A., & Pratt, D. (2016). Subversive identities at the art museum: an ESL student’s experiences at the National Gallery of Canada. Canadian Review of Art Education: Research and Issues, 43(1), 70-75.Cloutier, G. (2016). Moving from art school to the academy as an a/r/tographic spatiality: Decentralizing the box, In A. Shields & M. Emme (Eds.), Emergent Art Education: Next Directions in Canadian Research (pp. 17-26). [iBook Version], Retrieved from https://books.apple.com/us/book/emergent-art-educationCloutier, G. (2015). Working through a Silenced First Nation ancestry with a/r/tography: presence, absence, and movement. Canadian Art Teacher, 13(2), 22-26.Cloutier, G. (2013). Art party rhizome, social practices… With legs on top. Canadian Art Teacher, 12(1), 12-15.Publications about my work
Schelling, S. (2009, May 7). Dutch Masters Meet Art’s Next Stars, WestEnder, 15-18.
Granados F-F & Adler, R. (June, 2009) Here They Said. Western Front Magazine, 23-27.

Selected presentations, panels and workshops

Cloutier, G., Mantas, K., Durocher, R. (2025). A/R/T Emergence: Belonging with Relational Artistic Encounters and Emergent Co-Creation. Presented at the Canadian Society for Studies in Education (CSSE) ARTS SIG Pre-Conference, Toronto Metropolitan University.Cloutier, G., & Clare, A. (2025). Art/Re-search as relational and entangled virtual material space. Presented at the Canadian Society for Studies in Education (CSSE), George Brown College.Cloutier, G., Mantas, K., Wicks, J., Poczobut, S., Agarwal, M. (2024). A/R/T Emergence: the equitable, diverse and inclusive embodied encounters of a relational art exhibit. Presenting at the Canadian Art Education Association Conference (CSEA / SCEA), NSCAD, Halifax, NS.Cloutier, G. (2024). Art/Re-search as a decolonizing and entangled relationality. Presented at the Canadian Society for Studies in Education (CSSE), University of Montreal.Cloutier, G. (2023). Transpedagogical data/dada assemblages of Art/Re-search (T)here. Presented at the Canadian Society for Studies in Education (CSSE), York University.Cloutier, G., Mantas, K., Poczobut, S., Agarwal, M., & Jennifer, J. (2023). A/R/T Emergence: Re-Visiting a Collaborative Exhibit. Presented at the International Society for Education through Art (InSEA) World Congress, Turkey (virtual live).Cloutier, G., Davidge, M., Doleman, T., Mantas, K., & Sokolowski, J. (2022). A/R/T Emergence. Presented at the Canadian Art Education Association Conference (CSEA / SCEA), Emergence, Ottawa Art Gallery.Cloutier, G., Davids, J., Di Stefano, I., & Dunham, J. (2021). A creative self-care zine for teachers: a collaborative verb in/action. Presented at the Canadian Art Education Association Conference (CSEA / SCEA), Encounters: Art Education, Social Justice, and Democracy, Virtual Conference.Cloutier, G., Flagel, N., Lorenzi, L., & Rowe. G. (2019). Honouring the collective pieces of experimental and collaborative transdisciplinary mail art: A participatory arts-based research workshop. Presented at the International Society for Education through the Arts Conference, University of British Columbia.Cloutier, G., Flagel, N., Lorenzi, L., & Rowe. G. (2019). Getting lost in Art and Research (T)here: the emergent possibilities of arts-based and artistic research within transdisciplinary academic spaces. Presented at the International Society for Education through the Arts Conference, University of British Columbia.Cloutier, G. (2019). Digital Art and Education Panelist, Tournée numérique – Digital tour – Culture Outaouais, Ottawa Art Gallery.Cloutier, G. (2019). Art and research (t)here: a transdisciplinary and collaborative arts-based research project. Presented at the Canadian Society for Studies in Education (CSSE), University of British Columbia.Cloutier, G. (2018). Language Learning at the Art Museum, Presented at the American Educational Research Association, New York, New York.Cloutier, G. (2017). Arts-based methods, interdisciplinarity and transformational potential, Presented at the Creative Connections Conference, Fredericton, New Brunswick.Cloutier, G. (2017). Social Practice Art and Alternative Pedagogical Experimentation, Presented at the Canadian Network for Arts and Learning Conference, Ottawa, Ontario.Cloutier, G. (2016). Summerhill on Major’s Hill, Guest artist/speaker for Cultural engineering, Saw Gallery, Ottawa, Ontario.Cloutier, G. (2016). Democratic Education at Summerhill on Major’s Hill, Presented at the Canadian Society for Education through Art (CSEA / SCEA), Victoria, BC.Cloutier, G. (2016). Arts-based methods and interdisciplinarity. Presented at the Association for Interdisciplinary Studies Conference, University of Ottawa.Cseke-Robinson, M., & Cloutier, G. (2016). Imagination, creativity and innovation at University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Education, Presented at the Canadian Society for Education through Art (CSEA / SCEA), Victoria, BC.Cloutier, G. (2015). Moving from art school to the academy as an a/r/tographic spatiality. Presented at the Canadian Society for Studies in Education (CSSE), University of Ottawa.Cloutier, G. (2015). A silenced First Nation ancestry and the difficult spaces in-between. Presented at the 5th Triennial International Association for the Advancement of Curriculum Studies Conference, University of Ottawa.Cloutier, G. (2014). Hauntological movement: An art installation as educational research. Presented at the Canadian Art Education Association Conference (CSEA / SCEA) Visual Revival Conference, Halifax, NS.Cloutier, G. (2013). Contemporary art, interdisciplinarity & aesthetic relationalism: A collaborative performance and sculptural happening. Workshop presented at the 9th International Conference, Holistic Learning: Breaking New Ground, Toronto, ON.Cloutier, G. (2013). Rhizomatic manifestations of an art party. Presented at the Canadian Art Education Association (CSEA / SCEA) Interconnection Conference, Montreal, Canada.Cloutier, G. (2013). Pedagogy of the Living. Presented at the Provoking Curriculum Studies As Strong Poets Conference, in association with the Canadian Association of Curriculum Studies, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario.

Consulting/Advising

I support individuals in developing inclusive, sustainable, strength-based, and curiosity-driven inquiry and practices. My consulting services are co-created and tailored to your specific context—whether you're navigating a transition, seeking EDI-D strategies, developing individualized approaches to learning and pedagogy, working on curriculum design or a research project, needing thesis advising, or addressing systemic barriers. Sometimes, the work simply begins by talking things through with someone who shares similar lived experience and understands the complexities you may be facing. My goal is to foster safe(r) spaces and collaborative exchanges grounded in curiosity, care, and deep respect for your unique needs.

My work is especially informed by experience with:

Some examples of how we might work together:

Workshops

I offer workshops to teams and organizations ready to engage in transformational and sustainable change. Grounded in relational accountability, creative inquiry, equity and care-centered practices, these sessions are grounded in principles of anti-oppression and communities of care:

Relational Practices: Safe(r) Space Agreements & Sharing Circles

Co-developing values-based community agreements alongside facilitated sharing circles to support brave conversations, mutual respect, and inclusive dialogue across differences.

Creativity & Collaboration for Change

Arts-based, hands-on sessions that invite teams to reimagine collaboration, foster connection, and engage creatively with complex challenges.

Inclusive Curriculum Design & Development

Workshops that support educators, organizations, or creative practitioners in designing responsive, equity-informed curricula. Whether you’re reworking lesson plans, decolonizing resources, or mapping transdisciplinary connections, I support a process that is reflective, creative, collaborative, and tailored to your team's needs.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization (EDID) Action Planning

Sessions about learning from each other, sharing what we do, and imagining what’s possible in the realm of EDID. Through open, supportive conversations, we’ll co-create practical strategies that fit our unique contexts and help us move toward more inclusive, equitable, and positive systems. Rooted in a strength-based approach, this is a space for curiosity, connection, and collective change.

Homeschool Support

As a certified teacher in the province of Quebec (listed on the AQED website), I am also pleased to offer learning project evaluations for homeschoolers!Evaluations are offered in English and French, and available for elementary and secondary levels across subject areas.

Need help creating your learning project or curriculum?

In addition to evaluations, I also offer consulting/advising services to support families in shaping their learning goals, building personalized curriculum plans, and navigating alternative education with confidence. If you're looking for guidance as you design your learning project for the DEM, I’d be happy to work with you. Please take a look at my consulting/advising offerings for more information.

Contact/connect

Please get in touch to inquire about working together. I offer sliding scale options, exchanges and/or creative collaborations. I aim to be as accessible, equitable, reciprocal and responsive as possible.