Artists
Listed in alphabetical order according to first name.
Alexis Mitchell
Event: From Margin To Centre
Alexis Mitchell is a Toronto-based media artist whose video works and documentaries have screened all over Canada, the U.S and around the world. She has been creating performative documentary and hybrid visual works that deal with queerness, body politics, masculinity, and queer notions of diaspora. Most recently, Alexis has been experimenting with video, photography, installation and new media forms and concepts, and is currently studying with acclaimed filmmaker John Greyson in completing her MFA in Film Production at York University.
Within the realm of body politics, Alexis followed the “Fat Femme Mafia” in a documentary called Rubb My Chubb: Fat Activism and the Fat Femme Mafia, as well as created a fat-positive photo book entitled, It Ain’t Over: Fat Photos and Politics of Size. She worked alongside media-artist Tori Foster to create Circus Geeks & Sideshow Freaks, a video documentary following Toronto’s queer clown duo “The Hobo Homos”. Other collaborations include: a commissioned video project with Foster for Toronto Pride entitled Queeropolis: Toronto 1972-2008 - a topological study of the queer, urban fabric of Toronto, as well as a 3-part video installation queering notions of homeland and diaspora with Sharlene Bamboat entitled Inextricable. Alexis is currently working on her MFA thesis project looking at merging queerness and progressive Jewish politics through the performative and carnivalesque Purim holiday celebrations.
mitchell.alexis@gmail.com
www.alexismitchell.com
416-509-4680
Amai Kuda
Event: It Will Work!
Amai Kuda is a singer/songwriter, community activist and the mother of a young child. The name Amai Kuda means "mother to the will of the creator" in the southern African language Shona. Through parenthood, community work and art, Amai is a vehicle for creation and for change. She co-founded and coordinates two organizations, Moyo Wa Africa and R3, dedicated to the decolonization of African peoples and to indigenous solidarity respectively.
amaikuda@gmail.com
www.r3collective.org
www.myspace.com/amaikuda
Ami Mattison
Events: From Margin to Centre and Dynamite Writing Workshops
“A spoken word force to be reckoned with” (Atlanta Journal-Constitution), Ami Mattison is “a powerhouse poet...sexy, funny, funky, and yet substantive" (The Tennessean). Out and About Newspaper writes: “Defiant, poignant and straightforward Mattison’s work hits you where you live and cuts to the very core with a razor sharp edge of rage at the policies of exclusion, apathy and greed that permeate our society.” Unafraid to offend delicate sensibilities or coddle the faint-of-heart, Mattison tackles the issues of poverty, homophobia, gender issues, and civil rights with an unparalleled ferocity that challenges even the most stalwart of opposition.
Belladonna
Event: From Margin To Centre
Donna-Michelle St. Bernard aka Belladonna is an emcee, administrator and award winning playwright. In addition to various hijinks, exploits and shenanigans, she is General Manager of Native Earth Performing Arts and Artistic Director of New Harlem Productions.
newharlemproductions@gmail.com
www.newharlemproductions.wordpress.com
Brenda Joy Lem
Event: Homage to the Heart
Brenda Joy Lem has been showing her visual art for over twenty years in galleries across Canada and the United States. Her work has been included in exhibitions at A Space Gallery, York Quay Gallery, YYZ Artist Centre, and Open Studio in Toronto; SAW Gallery in Ottawa, Firehall Arts Centre in Vancouver and solo exhibitions at Moose Jaw Art Gallery, Esplanade Art Gallery in Medicine Hat, Richmond Art Gallery, and the Art Gallery of Mississauga. She has also shown her work in Buffalo at the CEPA Gallery and the Museum of Chinese in the Americas in New York City. Her work can be found in collections of the Walter Phillips Gallery, Moose Jaw Museum and Art Gallery, Toronto Public Library, and the Museum of Modern Art/Franklin Furnace Artist Book Collection, New York City. Along with her visual art practice, Lem is also a filmmaker, having screened her films at the Ann Arbor Film Festival in Michigan, the Festival of Independent Film and Video in Vancouver, the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax, the Asian American International Film Festival in New York and the Toronto International Film Festival among others. A writer and musician, Lem has published stories and poems and has performed and taught taiko drumming since the mid 1980’s. Brenda Joy Lem lives and works in Toronto.
Cammy Lee
Event: Family Fun Day!
Cammy Lee was born and raised in Kingston, Ontario. She wrote her first novel for the 2006 3-Day Novel Contest and was shortlisted. Following this, she wrote ten children’s stories, four of which were shortlisted for the Writers’ Union of Canada Contest in 2007. Her story, Seven Days Cereal, appeared in a 2008 issue of Ricepaper magazine. A 2008 graduate of the Humber School for Writers, she currently resides in Toronto and works as an ESL teacher.
sugarbush_1200@yahoo.ca
416-705-9712
Clare Nobbs
Event: Family Fun Day!
Clare Nobbs loves telling to listeners of any and all ages. She is equally comfortable sharing songs and fingerplays in a room filled with 6 year-olds as with presenting storytelling and communication workshops to groups of adults. Clare is a member of Queers In Your Ears, a group of tellers who like to shake up the senses with humour and a little dash of sauce. Clare’s credits include Toronto Public Library, Toronto District School Board, Centre Dufferin Catholic School Board, Mayworks and Heritage Canada, as well as on radio and at storytelling festivals in Ottawa, Toronto and Niagara-On-The-Lake.
clareytales@rogers.com
647-435-3158
DLishus
Event: It Will Work!
poet mother firegoddess diva storyteller
dispensing words of wisdom
laced with dub and framed by womanly hips
hard hitting political sistah
telling it like it is and
why a spade should never be called a spade
feminist dyke warrioress
spinning it and spitting it
to educate the yoots
fighting hate with words and poetry and
starting love-fires everywhere
breaking the bonds of mental bondage
with my word[s]word
Drum Artz (Samba Kidz)
Event: Family Fun Day!
Drum Artz Canada is a registered charity committed to making music and arts programming accessible to all people regardless of age, class, race, (dis)ability or gender. With a range of educational programs headed by professional artists, DAC encourages creative expression, team building, youth leadership and self-esteem.
Since inception in 2004, DAC has directly affected over 400 children and families in many underserved Toronto communities. Last year DAC held workshops for over 1000 children and youths in schools and community centres, and our performing troupe reached audiences of over 12,000.
gilgur@rogers.com
www.drumartz.com
416-538-6342
Humble the Poet
Event: It Will Work!
Appearances can be deceiving, and Toronto based artist Humble The Poet has used every misconception and assumption about him to amplify his message to the masses. Humble The Poet has the ability decompose heavy concepts and articulate them clearly and creatively without sacrificing the essence of the message. His first public release, Voice for the Voiceless, is a social commentary on the Taboos of the South Asian community, and has been the subject of acclaim and reference during public discourse on topics ranging on domestic abuse, violence in the community.
Humble The Poet has recently released pieces related to police brutality, illegal deportations, and celebritism of political figures. Not to be placed in a box of exclusive social activism, Humble The Poet has released many pieces dealing with romance, relationships, and human nature.
thepoetproject@gmail.com
www.thepoetproject.com
647-521-0173
Karine Silverwoman
Event: From Margin To Centre
Karine Silverwoman is an artist, counselor and community activist. Her art focuses on poetry, video making and dancing. She has worked with Nightwood Theatre , performed her poetry at different events in Toronto such as Mayworks festival for Working People and the Arts and at 'Granny Boots' at the Gladstone hotel. Her short video, 'Hello, My Name is Herman' won "best-liked video audience award", and received an honorable mention for jury selected best short videos at the Toronto Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. 'Hello, My Name Is Herman' was short listed for the Iris Prize in Wales (www.irisprize.org) and has screened internationally at over 30 film festivals. Her writing has been published in No More Potlucks. She currently works at Supporting Our Youth as the Pink Ink facilitator, a creative writing group for queer and trans youth. She is finishing her degree in Social Work at Ryerson University.
ksilverwoman@hotmail.com
647-222-3606
LAL
Event: It Will Work!
LAL is a collective of musicians representing Uganda, Bangladesh, Barbados and India featuring vocalist Rosina Kazi, laptop musician, Nicholas “Murr” Murray, and bassist Ian de Sousa. With a strong belief in the link between art and social change, the group has developed their own unique sound over the last decade, fusing South Asian roots, West Indian fruits, and melancholic vocals with jazz sensibilities, hip hop influences, down tempo grooves, broken soul, and electro. Weaving their distinct sound with lyrical, socially conscious poetry, LAL has produced two full length albums, Corners (2002), and Warm Belly High Power (2004), which was awarded the best soul album in 2004 by Exclaim, Canada’s premier music magazine. They have also performed in a wide variety of festivals and impressive venues across Canada, Europe, and Pakistan, and have been recognized with support from the Canada Council for the Arts for composing and recording in 2006/2007. LAL continues to bring you even more captivating material with the release of their latest record, Deportation (spring 2008), which may be their most impressive work to date.
www.lalforest.com
www.myspace.com/lalforest
Mama D
Event: It Will Work!
Mama D was born very old at a very young age. She is an artist, poet, actor, and justice activist. Toronto born and raised with roots in Northern Saskatchewan (CREE mother with a wee bit of French), and a Polish/Scottish Jewish father, she refers to herself as a horizon dancer; her musical style as: old new world revolutionary ballroom dance music.
She works as a street musician and subway busker and is described as having a “Voice like a barn - big, earthy and full of timber". She stopped playing music for many years in order to open Ontario's adoption records. To this she says: "It has been done. I am finished. Enough with this legal BS. Power is with the people and music". You can find where Mama D is playing at 416 393-info. Just ask where #48 is today!
bigbear3@sympatico.ca
www.myspace.com/mamadhorizondancer
Marcos Arriaga
Event: Many Years Later
Marcos Arriaga was born in Lima, Peru. He graduated from San Martin de Porras University in Lima, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications in 1985. Marcos worked as a Journalist and Photographer for the daily newspaper Marka, and the weekly magazine Amauta. He immigrated to Canada in 1987 and graduated from the Sheridan College Media Arts Film Program in 1995. He earned a Masters of Fine Arts in Film Production at York University in 2003. Marcos has completed 7 short films and a medium long documentary, which have been shown widely in Canada and internationally.
arriaga@sympatico.ca
www.marcosarriaga.com
Marinda + Solari
Event: It Will Work!
marinda + solari are an acoustic duo that blend world-folk with jazz. Since 2007, they have performed together on international stages in the US, Canada, UK, Switzerland, Spain and France. They won ‘Best Jazz’ for their debut EP release, Cup Of Tea, as well as being acclaimed ‘best show of the year’ in Vevey, Switzerland. They are currently touring their first full-length album, Motif. At Mayworks Festival, they will be joined by acclaimed bassist Roberto Riveron.
clichemanagement@gmail.com
www.myspace.com/marindamusic
www.myspace.com/solarimusic
MataDanZe
Event: It Will Work!
“Our body is the expression of our spirit, color and emotion...our movements the language of justice, love and peace.”
We are a dance-theatre collective founded in 2006 by Victoria Mata and Olivia Davies. MataDanZe is currently made up of eight female artists who come together in order to empower women through dance and activism, and transform the stigmatized role of women. We are determined to bring our work to communities across Canada and abroad, in order to inspire and enrich people's lives through artistic expression. We aim to offer dance classes and workshops that are accessible to the working class and that include a variety of dance styles. We welcome gender diversity and embrace multiculturalism. Our choreographies explore the power of storytelling, with a focus on women's stories. We use contemporary dance and elements of theatre to bring our projects to life. As well, we believe in the power of collaboration with other artists including musicians, designers, and activists, in order to promote the growth of our artistic community.
Olivia Davies is an independent choreographer, dancer and teacher, and human rights activist working to empower women.
Lilia Leon is an independent dance artist from Mexico City, teacher, and choreographer who graduated from York University and The School of Toronto Dance Theatre.
Victoria Mata is a Venezuelan choreographer, dancer and activist, empowering women and youth across the GTA.
Wendy Miller is a dancer, photographer, and yoga instructor originally from Niagara Lake Region.
Misset Parata is an Afro-Venezuelan dancer from Caracas, Venezuela, and a professional accountant in Toronto.
Corrie Sakaluk is a Canadian dancer, writer, Stage Manager and political activist.
Grisel Severino is a versatile film-maker, drag-king artist and theatre director originally from Venezuela.
Irma Villafuerte is a passionate salsa dancer, originally from El Salvador, as well as an activist for youth and women.
matadanze@gmail.com
www.matadanze.com
Picture Dis! Collective
Event: Bookends
Alicia Alexander, Farhia Hirad, Ladan Omar, and Hanan Osman are all young women of Caribbean and African descent who live, work, and play in the neighbourhood of Lawrence Heights, an area in the city that is slated for revitalization (or gentrification) in the coming years. These young women, all between the ages of 17-22, are very active in the community and are apart of numerous initiatives as young leaders and advocates. They create work that speaks to the essence of their neighbourhood and their relationship to it. Debra Friedman is an established and internationally exhibited photographer currently working on a collection of photography on the residents of Lawrence Heights. Ashley McFarlane is a media arts practitioner and teacher who hosts media camps on media literacy and anti-oppression, film, photography, journalism, and poetry/spoken word.
ashley@urbanalliance.ca
www.freedomyouth.ca
416.703.6607 x3
Pink Ink
Event: Pink Ink Zine Launch
Pink Ink is a creative weekly writing drop-in group facilitated by Karine Silverwoman. Pink Ink is a program through Supporting Our Youth and Sherbourne Health Centre and is sponsored by the Toronto Arts Council.
Red Slam Collective
Event: It Will Work!
In the fall of 2008 a diverse collective of emerging indigenous writers, musicians, and performers manifested after a 12 week Slam Poetry workshop series facilitated by spoken word artist Mahlikah Awe:ri at the On-U Youth Program, located at the Native Canadian Centre in Toronto. With support from the Toronto Urban Aboriginal Strategy fund the collective began professional development recording workshops with award winning recording artists Digging Roots. Red Slam Collective is poetic song stories infused with hip hop, rez blues, powwow reggae, and drum talk. A variety of themes are expressed in the pieces, but the underlying goal is to: uplift, self-identify and promote unify through Spoken, Lyricism which Arranges Meaning (SLAM). Lena Recollet Anishnaabe from Wikwemikong First Nation, an emerging playwright, actress, resident artist for Red Pepper Spectacle and 7th Generation Mentor Artist; John Hupfield Anishinaabe from Wasauksing First Nations, writer, filmmaker, and youth worker; Miles Turner Mohawk Six Nations, filmmaker, emerging musical producer, and part of the NDN Uncensored Creative Team and On-U Youth Program Coordinator; Isaac Llacuachaqui Native, Spanish, Black Inca ancestry from Peru, a song writer and musician with RiverWalker Music; Mahlikah Awe:ri, 9th generation Afro-Native of Mohawk and Mik’maq First Nations with Nova Scotian roots, is a spoken-word, slam-rap poet, arts educator, with Royal Conservatory of Music’s Community Outreach Programs and digital storyteller creator and facilitator.
redslamcollective@gmail.com
www.myspace.com/redslamcollective
Red Tree Collective/C3 Collective
Event: Scouring City, Brushing Sky
Red Tree Collective, based in Toronto, has been working for twenty years on interdisciplinary cross-cultural projects. We have developed a consensual and collaborative process, facilitating projects that emerge from a specific community issue or cultural practice. Collective members may invite guest artists, cultural workers or members of diverse communities to participate. Red Tree works with local immigrant/refugee communities and international arts communities, and in collaboration with the arts community as workshop facilitators, project initiators and collaborators. C3 collective members Margo Charlton, Amelia Jimenez, and Lynn Hutchinson are committed to community-engaged arts practices and are interested in the way in which art-making can activate communities and increase expression and self confidence in individuals. In addition to our work in community arts we are professional artists who have produced a diverse range of work. In our community arts work we seek to foster an appreciation of our art forms and to introduce participants to the possibilities of expression and creativity that is not strictly issue-driven.
Sulong Theatre Collective
Event: Future Folk
Sulong means ‘battle cry’ in Filipino. For the Sulong Theatre, our battle cry is in the form of multidisciplinary experiences that shout, wail and scream on behalf of brown women everywhere. Our mandate is to produce theatre that is by and about women of colour.
This affects the way in which we work, since this must be cognizant of the needs of women of colour: equal treatment, fair pay, child-friendly rehearsals and child-friendly performances. Sulong Theatre is comprised of Karen Ancheta, Aura Carcueva, Romeo Candido and Catherine Hernandez.
sulongtheatre@gmail.com
www.sulongtheatre.webs.com
416-648-7340
Sundus Abdul Hadi
Event: Warchestra
Sundus Abdul Hadi was born in the United Arab Emirates in 1984 to Iraqi parents. She immigrated to Canada in 1994, where she later received both a BFA in Studio Art & Art History from Concordia University, as well as a Graduate Diploma in Communication Studies. Her formative years were spent in the post 9-11 West where she became acutely aware of her identity as an Arab woman. Since the war in Iraq began in 2003, she has dedicated her brush to speaking about issues that are important to her regarding the media portrayal of Iraq and the Middle East. Abdul Hadi draws her reference from her visits to Baghdad in juxtaposition to her critical consumption of the Western media. She has taken part in a number of group exhibitions in the United States, Canada and the United Arab Emirates, with her first solo show, Warchestra, being held in Mayworks 2010.
sundusah@yahoo.com
www.warchestra.com
SweLL
Event: So The Story Goes
SweLL is a queer multidiscipline performance troupe founded by Anna Camilleri, Ivan E. Coyote, and Lyndell Montgomery. Swell is the (re)iteration of Taste This, a Vancouver-based performance troupe. Taste This that created and toured four stage works in Canada and the US, between 1995 and 2000, and co-authored Boys Like Her: Transfictions (Press Gang Publishers © 1998) to critical and public acclaim. After a nine-year hiatus as collaborators and many book, performance, and recorded works to their individual credit, founding members Anna Camilleri, Ivan E. Coyote, and Lyndell Montgomery initiated SweLL to create So The Story Goes, for which they are joined by visual artist Leslie Peters.
The premiere one-off performance of So The Story Goes was presented at the 10th Annual Vancouver Pride in Art Festival in August 2009, to a sold-out, standing ovation house at the Roundhouse Theatre. So the Story Goes is a multidisciplinary performance work—all of the parts may stand alone, but they belong together. This artistic layering is possible because of authentic artistic connection forged 15 years ago in the Taste This project.
www.reddressproductions.blogspot.com
www.annacamilleri.com
www.ivanecoyote.com
www.lyndellmontgomery.com
Truth Is
Event: Day Of Mourning Ceremony
A great leader and powerful public speaker of our time was noted for using thunderclap rhythm with a distinctive voice, blending ecstasy and despair. That would also be a perfect description of Truth Is...Her passion is only surpassed by her desire to explore and express the truth itself and this becomes obvious when her poetry is spoken. Truth Is is a current 2009 Grand Slam Champion. She has also been a member of the 2006, 2007, 2008, & 2009 Toronto Slam Team.
truthisellipsis@gmail.com
647-688-7884
Zena Lord
Event: From Margin To Centre
Zena Lord is a spoken word artist, musician, and comedian. She is a dynamic support worker who brings her own love of the arts and creative expression in to her work with marginalized populations in the community. She has facilitated spoken word/poetry, music and art workshops in elementary/high schools, community groups, and shelters. She has shared art-based partnerships with a number of organizations, including Red Dress Productions and TRCC, York University Matters of the Arts, Red Tree Collective, Artists in Education/Ontario Arts Council. Zena is the co-director of Last Nerve Productions an innovative spoken word performance company that uses dance/movement, theatre and music to entertain and educate.
