2009 Presenter Full Presenter List

Laura Archer

Human Being

PEI born and raised - started business degree - graduated as a nurse - said  “why not?” to job offer in California - hit and run car accident - serious financial debt - worked overtime for a year as an emergency nurse - travelled across Canada twice to get to know her homeland - back to San Francisco with the beatnicks at City Lights - realized over coffee one morning that she felt ignorant about the world - opted for the freedom 24 retirement plan - threw a dart on a world map - one way ticket to Vietnam - travelled for 18 months - tsunami hit while in Thailand - flew to India and set up a makeshift clinic to help as a volunteer - enjoyed it - continued solo roaming to Nepal - through the Middle East - Israel - took thousands of pictures - artistic explosion - decided it was time to do something useful - went to Montreal for the French thing - city rocks -  applied to work with Medecins Sans Frontieres - left for refugee camps in Chad - moved on to bush clinics Central African Republic - returned to Montreal - found a studio and bought some paints - completed first three paintings - left for Congo within 24 hrs of receiving call for 2 months of battling a measles epidemic - back to Montreal - fully inspired - painted non-stop for a year - shovelled snow and flipped eggs for cash - hosted 1st art exhibit - left for Darfur - spent five months running malnutrition programs - got kidnapped - back in the studio...