Art for Community Health & Social Change
Community-engaged Arts |Art-based Learning | Cultural Production
My creative practice centers around projects that improve mental health, prioritize gender & racial equality, share prosperity and promote environmental sustainability. I curate substance-free experiences centered around art, music, movement, and dialogue that not only build community, but also increase our awareness of ourselves, others, and nature.
Queer & Trans Joy Community Mural for Pride
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In partnership with the Aids Committee of North Bay and Area and Sound Freqs Entertainment, a nature-based community mural titled "Queer & Trans Joy" was painted as part of a family-fun Pride celebration.
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Shabogesic Beach, North Bay, ON, Nipissing, Métis & Algonquin First Nations Territories
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June 2022
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Role: Lead facilitating visual artist
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Tomoyo Suzuki
'Nature as Muse' Poetry, Visual Art and Nature Immersion Workshop Series
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People from across Canada gathered weekly for 2 months in a virtual setting to learn about and create poetry, Indigenous legends and visual art together. Their creations were inspired by a walk in nature taken during the workshop or in the days leading up to it. Over 100 poems, stories and visual art pieces were created by 15+ participants as part of this community project made possible by the Futures/forward mentorship program, an initiative of the International Centre of Art for Social Change and Judith Marcuse Projects, in partnership with Sierra Club Canada Foundation - Prairie Chapter and with the mentorship of Laura Barron, Artist and Executive Director of Instruments of Change.
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Zoom
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August 2020 - March 2021
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Roles: Community-Engaged Artist, Co-Producer, Co-Facilitator
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Debra Thornington
Katharine Fletcher
Lindsay Boucher
Sabine Modder
'From parking lot into a vibrant community hub'
is a community-engaged placemaking project that will transform a shipping container into a unique community space in the Vanier neighbourhood.
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Ottawa, Ontario
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September 2020
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Role: Community-engaged Supporting Artist/Producer
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Lead artist, producer & photo credit: Kseniya Tsoy
'COVID-19 Online'
During physical distancing, we continued to engage with the community by hosting:
- Monthly Women's Creative Circles
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- Open Mic Events for Emerging Artists
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- Virtual Dance Parties for Workplaces
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- Music, Movement & Self-massage Wellness Events
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Zoom
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April 2020 - August 2021
Roles: Producer, Arts Facilitator, DJ, Emcee
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'Girlfriends Women's Circle'
A monthly gathering for women to hold meaningful and vulnerable conversations and connect around artmaking.
Themes include:
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- Inclusion & Racism
- The Environment & Wellness
- Femininity & Masculinity
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Ottawa, Ontario & Zoom during distancing
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January 2020-January 2021
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Roles: Co-producer, Co-facilitator
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'The Poverty Challenge' & 'The Mental Health Challenge'
Community-engaged education events whereby participants were assigned roles and asked to physically navigate simulated systems of care. They later found out that their experience was based on an individual's real story and spoke with the person in whose shoes they had just walked.
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University of Ottawa
Ottawa, Ontario
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May 2018 & November 2019
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Roles:
Lead Producer, Emcee, Scriptwriter (2019), Co-producer (2018)
'Francophone Culture Conference & Flash Mob'
As part of a day-long French culture gathering for 250 French immersion high school students, I produced an unexpected flash mob to start their day, complete with original music created by an emerging French-second language artist.
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University of Ottawa
Ottawa, Ontario
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May 2014
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Role: Lead Producer, Dancer
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'Francophone Culture Event & Concert'
As part of the annual French for the Future conference to promote FSL studies to youth, I produced a field trip that included French culture workshops, a traditional sugar shack lunch and a musical performance by Mehdi Cayenne.
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University of Ottawa
Ottawa, Ontario
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May 2014
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Role: Lead Producer
