Habiba recently visiting the Textile Museum.
I’m a multidisciplinary artist, curator, and arts administrator who studied drawing and painting at OCAD University. My practice moves between studio work, digital journaling, curation, and community programming, however, I’ve become just as interested in how art brings people together as I am in making it.
One of my favourite projects at North York Arts so far has been Introduction to Tatreez: Palestinian Embroidery. When we saw how quickly it filled up and realized we really needed that second workshop, it showed how hungry people are for spaces where they can connect and find common threads (pun intended). Not just attend an event, but learn alongside each other, ask questions, share stories. In a time when so many of us feel isolated, passing one another and missing opportunities for connection, I think community-engaged arts offer something we’re all craving: a reason to show up, to be present with people, and to care about something together.
A lot of my inspiration comes from graphic novels like Mis(H)adra by Iasmin Omar Ata, Marbles by Ellen Forney, and anthologies like Now: The New Comics Anthology. I love how they weave together text and image, how they make room for vulnerability and unique voices. That sensibility shows up in my own digital journaling and painting, especially in how I think about rhythm, sequencing, and storytelling.
Lately, I’ve been paying attention to small things: “unofficial” public art tucked away in unexpected corners, conversations that linger after an event ends, the way a workshop can shift the energy in a room. For me, art isn’t just about what we make. It’s about the connections we build and the spaces we create for each other to feel a little less lonely in such a big city.