Grow North Awards

Grow North Awards

NYA Website grow north awards

Growth North Awards

The Grow North Awards (GNA) acknowledge the significant contribution that North York based artists make to the vibrancy, arts and culture of the North York community. This awards competition offers the opportunity to receive city-wide recognition from a jury of artistic visionaries.

The Awards recognize emerging, established, and community artists in North York and spotlight their contributions to the community and their respective disciplines. Our goal is to highlight the achievements of these artists and to build our local community’s appreciation for the art that is being created in North York.

The Grow North Awards are dedicated specifically to artists based in North York from a variety of disciplines including, but not limited to: Indigenous arts, Disability arts, dance, literature, media arts, multi and inter-arts, music, theatre, visual arts, film.

Meet our 2024 Recipients!

Ruben Esguerra

Established Artist Award

Meet Ruben

Beny Esguerra (Established Artist) is a Toronto-based, award-winning multi-instrumentalist, producer, spoken-word poet, and arts educator who arrived in Canada as a political refugee with his family from Colombia. Rooted in cultural activism, his work bridges traditional Colombian music with contemporary Hip Hop, earning him recognition such as the 2020 Ontario Arts Foundation Arts Educator Award and two back-to-back JUNO nominations for his latest albums. Beny’s collaborations have garnered international acclaim, including nominations at the International Indigenous Hip Hop Music Awards and wins in Music to Life’s Hope Rises II contest. His most recent project, “Eterno,” with Los Gaiteros de Ovejas, celebrates cross-cultural collaboration and musical heritage. Additionally, he co-leads the NTM Wheel it Studios mobile project, empowering Jane-Finch artists through mentorship and access to resources. Beny is a PhD (ABD) candidate in Musicology/Ethnomusicology, specializing in Colombian traditional music and Hip Hop culture.

Rashmi Mishra

Emerging Artist Award

Meet Rashmi

Rashmi Mishra (Emerging Artist) is a celebrated Indian dancer, choreographer, and educator with over 30 years of experience. Trained under the legendary Pandit Birju Maharaj Ji, she is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Kathak, deepening her expertise in this classical art. Rashmi has received prestigious awards in India such as the “Saraswati Samman,” “Braj Ratna Award,” and the “Best Kathak Dancer Award” from Governor, along with international honors from the “Book of World Records, London,” and the “Medallion of Honour of Nadezda Petrovic” in Serbia.

Rashmi has performed across the globe, including in Denmark, Dubai, and Bangkok. After relocating from India to North York two years ago, she expanded her Rashmi Academy of Performing Arts (RaPa) with branches in both Mumbai and North York. She has showcased her talent in Toronto at various events like Nuit Blanche, Rhythms of Canada, Festival of India etc. She also founded the North York Diwali Fest at Mel Lastman Square, bringing the communities together through vibrant cultural celebrations.

THE GREENPRINT NETWORK

Community Arts Award

Meet GREENPRINT

The Greenprint Network (Community Arts Award) believes that the arts are a powerful catalyst for community building and personal development. By providing a dynamic platform for young creatives to collaborate, the organization facilitates not just artistic exchanges, but also the formation of supportive networks that propel its members towards both individual and collective success.

Its programs and initiatives are designed to equip emerging artists with the tools and opportunities necessary to thrive in the creative industry. From interdisciplinary workshops and mentorship to live performances and exhibitions, the Greenprint Network strives to create an environment that is conducive to creativity and growth.

Through these efforts, the Greenprint Network aims to transform the landscape of Toronto’s artistic community, making it more inclusive, supportive, and vibrant. It is committed to being a cornerstone for young artists, helping them to lay down strong foundations for their artistic careers while contributing positively to the cultural fabric of the city.

Patrick de Belen

Established Artist Award - Honorable Mention

Meet Patrick

Patrick de Belen (Established Artist Award – Honorable Mention) is a rare breed of artist. This Toronto-based Filipino-Canadian spoken word poet, performer, speaker, filmmaker and educator is one whose formidable acclaim as a performance artist and writer is equaled by his commitment to his community, and his status as an enduring source of insight, energy and mentorship for young poets across North America. As a performer, Patrick has garnered praise and admiration for his ability to blend sharp social commentary with an exhaustless wit, charm and creative candour. This combination of talents has made him a national slam champion, as he was at the 2012 Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, and a performer of note on such platforms as CBC, TED Talk, the NBA, NFL and others. He is also the first ever recipient of the Spoken Word Youth Poet of Honour award at YouthCanSlam 2013 and the 2019 Canadian Poet of Honour at Canada’s national poetry festival, an award he won on the basis of his dual talents asa poet of remarkable ability and an educator of enduring devotion, passion and intelligence. Off the stage, he is committed to his work in arts education/mentorship and curating multigenre showcases; involved in partnerships with a long list of institutions and organizations including jails, schools, health centres, libraries and more.

Merey Ismailova

Emerging Artist Award - Honorable Mention

Meet Merey

Merey Ismailova (Emerging Artist Award – Honorable Mention) is an award-winning dancer, choreographer, and physical theatre artist based in Toronto, originally from Almaty, Kazakhstan. She received her professional training at the Sputnik school in Moscow and Ballet Creole School in Toronto, studying contemporary, ballet, modern and jazz. She has created numerous original choreographies performed in North America, Europe, and Asia. As the artistic director of The Ismailova Theatre of Dance, Merey has produced 14 full-length productions for North York audiences and organized community dance workshops for immigrant youth winning Newcomer Artist Award twice from the Toronto Arts Foundation.

Pam Lau

Community Arts Award - Honorable Mention

Meet Pam Lau

Pam Lau (Community Arts Award – Honorable Mention): PAM LAU is an independent photographer and educator. Ambassador for Canon Canada and Curatorial Advisory Board Member for PhotoED Magazine. Frustrated with a culture of gatekeeping and lack of transparency, Pam co-founded Ecru; a grassroots educational initiative for those who face financial, cultural and institutional barriers to entering creative industries.

Meet our 2023 Recipients!

Brian Jiang

Discipline: Visual Arts

Meet Brian

Brian Jiang (they/she) is a queer trans multi-disciplinary artist of Chinese-descent based in Tkaronto. Their practice comprises of animation, illustration, painting, graphic design and beyond. As an artist collaborator working within the cultural sector, their arts-practice is informed by the love for their communities. Brian’s work draws upon mythology, the natural world, and lived experiences to explore the ties between identity, diasporic migration, kinship, and ecological connections. They have been commissioned by Pride Toronto, Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, Inside Out Film Festival, Maisonneauve Magazine, LinkedIn StreetARToronto and more. Their work can be found at @_brianjiang.

This microgrant will be used to create a series of paintings that explore the implications of “passing” through my lens as a trans racialized individual.

Jay-Marie Phillips: pothound

Discipline: Music

Meet pothound

Jay-Marie Phillips, known as pothound, is a Trinidadian-Canadian musician, producer, and artist. Her music spans electro-pop and acoustic indie soul, exploring themes of identity, solitude, and the clash of cultures. pothound’s debut record, Video Garden is a concept album, drawing on visual themes of neon noir, solarpunk, and urban jungles.

Jay’s practice is intertwined with identity and belonging as a queer, trans, Scarborough-born, Trinidadian-raised artist and organizer living in Toronto. Her work strives to find meaning in being an outcast. In 2020, Jay co-founded Cooler Fete, a queer Caribbean diaspora party, and is one of the resident DJs.

This microgrant will be used to help aid in the creation and development of visual elements for my debut project, Video Garden, using 3D animation and illustration.

Nailah Renuka

Discipline: Circus and Dance

Meet Nailah

Nailah Renuka is a circus and dance artist celebrated for her exceptional athleticism, curious spirit, and captivating stage presence. Her creative approach prioritizes interdisciplinary collaborations among diverse visual, musical, and movement-based art disciplines as well as between various circus disciplines like contortion, pole, and lyra. She weaves transitional patterns and evocative imagery into her work, channelling the full spectrum of human physicality and the intricacies of musicality in her explorations of what it means to be human. Most recently Nailah has worked with Les 7 Doigts as a pole artist in the creation of a new show.

This microgrant will fund 8-month contortion, hand-balancing, and acrodance training with Samantha Halas and Katelyn Ettinger to enhance skills, artistry, and receive mentorship in the circus industry.

Natalie Paton

Discipline: Writing and Filmmaking

Meet Natalie

Natalie Paton is a writer and filmmaker who tells stories about womanhood, immigration, generational relationships, Western society, and power dynamics. She loves calling the multicultural city of Toronto her home and is continuously inspired by her experiences and the experiences of those around her. Her work focuses on a mix of fiction and documentary with the goal of contextualizing the systems around us through character-driven stories.

This microgrant will be used largely to pay for location-based filming in North York, interviewing local residents, and renting equipment for filming dates (est. 4 days).

Yago Mesquita

Discipline: Theatre

Meet Yago

Yago Mesquita is an emerging, queer Brazilian-Canadian theatre artist from Toronto, ON. He is a playwright, performer, and producer with values of authenticity, care, connection, creativity, and fun grounding his artistic practice.

Yago creates character-driven work from a young, queer, first-generation Canadian lens, heavily informed by his experience and that of friends, family, and fellow artists. Yago is keen to push the boundaries of theatrical storytelling through highly imaginative, poetic, sensitive, and revealing multidisciplinary work that uses stylistic surreal elements that divorce itself from realism.

This microgrant will support a self-directed experimentation process within the context of ABfe47 to better understand its theatrical form, which is essential to ABfe47’s development.

Meet our 2022 Recipients!

Aalyaland

Discipline: Pottery and Ceramics

Meet Aalyaland

Aalyaland is a Pottery and ceramics Artist that will use the Grow North Micro Grant to create a ceramic art installation entitled “Vigilaunties” depicting tea cups with red flags –spilling the tea on toxic aunties that perpetuate patriarchal mindsets and societal norms through their behaviours towards people of all genders.

“First and foremost, my goal is to make people laugh because of how relatable and unfiltered this project is. Most South Asian womxn and non-binary folks I know have experienced toxic aunty behaviour. My hope is to create an art installation that people capture, share, and send to aunties via WhatsApp (the App that they most use to send forwards on to their peers).” – Aalyaland

 

Anaiah Lebreton

Discipline: Multimedia

Meet Anaiah

Anaiah Lebreton is a Multimedia Artist that will use the Grow North Micro Grant to create a music video – merging graphic design with music production and videography to an original song highlighting queer love. On the second slide, you can find examples of Anaiah’s past work featuring snippets from a collaborative zine “Youth In Revolt, Rookies With Friends.”

“This project is important to me because I see it as an opportunity to actualize a vision of powerful rebellious Queer people I often see missing from media spaces” – Anaiah Lebreton

Miguel Caba

Discipline: Visual Arts

Meet Miguel

Miguel Caba is a visual artist/painter that will use the Grow North Micro Grant towards research on the demolition of apartment housing in North York and the stories of the people that live there and then produce art objects based on that research.

“This subject is important to me because I have also experienced displacement in North York as the building I have lived in for my whole life was demolished to build new condos. I know that this is not an isolated experience since many buildings are pending demolition or have already been demolished in North York and in each of those buildings resides hundreds of people all with their own stories similar to mine about navigating displacement.” – Miguel Caba

Pierre Poussin

Discipline: Sculpture

Meet Pierre

Pierre Poussin is a large-scale sculptor that will use the Grow North Micro Grant to learn and refine his skills of digital-hand-sculpting, helping his concept development and fabrication processes become much more efficient.

“This activity is very important to me because it would allow me to bring my digital art-making processes and public art skills to the next level. I want to take the time to learn digital sculpting, because I will be able to use this newly-acquired skill within my public art practice. I will hopefully be able to digitally-sculpt just as effectively and efficiently as sculpting with clay.” – Pierre Poussin

Shan Fernando

Discipline: Theatre

Meet Shan

Shan Fernando is a theatre artist, who will use the Grow North Micro Grant to fund research and writing of a new play, in addition to paying for a playwriting workshop.

“My play is about an affluent Toronto family, the Austins, as they navigate mental health, addiction, and the acceptance of one’s sexuality”- Shan Fernando

Shanika Lewis Waddell

Discipline: Music

Meet Shanika

Musician Shanika Lewis-Waddel will use the Grow North Micro Grant to fund the creation of a new work mixing electronic/ambient/experimental music with steelpan.

“I am curious to incorporate styles/instruments/sounds that aren’t commonly heard together. With a goal of play, exploration, curiosity to see what new things can expand from these often separated genres…I plan to interview my 94 year old maternal grandfather who lived the majority of his life in Trinidad. I want to incorporate some of his stories into the music and let that guide the creation. I want this to be a project that allows me to learn more about him and Trinidad through his eyes.”- Shanika Lewis-Waddel

This program is supported by:

City of Toronto Logo

The Animation Project

The Animation Project

The Animation Project for Seniors

The Animation Project for Seniors (55+) is back! Join us for one of (2) cohorts this fall to get hands-on learning in animated stop motion storytelling.

WHAT IS THE ANIMATION PROJECT (TAP)?

The Animation Project for Seniors is a series of online and in-person animation workshops for seniors, prioritizing those living in North York. Through animated stop motion storytelling, seniors will interweave creative expression, storytelling from their own perspective with the development of digital literacy.

HOW WILL THE COHORTS WORK?

There will be (2) cohorts for the program that will cover the same three modules, just held at different running periods. **Please sign up for just one of the two cohorts.**

COHORT 1 and its 3 workshop modules will run from: September 8th – October 8th.

COHORT 2 and its 3 workshop modules will run from: October 20th – November 19th

You can learn more about the cohort modules by viewing the cohort in-take forms below.

HOW WILL THE PROGRAM WORK?

The artist and program facilitator will be Cristal Buemi, a Puerto Rican-Canadian, award-winning multidisciplinary artist (stop motion animation, video art/installation, collage and digital design) and educator.

Participants will have the flexibility to sign up for all 3 modules in a single cohort, or to focus on just one module. The online sessions will be 2 hours long and the in-person sessions will be 4 hours long.

The program will conclude with an in-person session to celebrate the end of the program and give participants the opportunity to connect across both cohorts.

If you’d like to learn more about The Animation Project for Seniors, join us for a Zoom info session on August 22nd at 11am.

Module 1: Foundations in Technology + Animation

Module 1: Foundations in Technology + Animation 

1) Digital Literacy + Me (Online)  

Cohort 1: Monday September 8th, 6-8pm

OR

Cohort 2: Monday October 20th, 6-8pm

This workshop is all about getting comfortable with a virtual community and environments.  We will explore different platforms/ terminology, file sharing spaces and review best practices for photo and video capturing on a smartphone.

2) Introduction to Frame by Frame Art Making (Online)

Cohort 1: Wednesday September 10th, 6-8pm

OR

Cohort 2: Wednesday October 22nd, 6-8pm

We will begin to explore the wonderful world of Stop Motion Animation in this introductory workshop.  Covering the history, terminology and basics of this diverse and unique medium where the possibilities are endless.

Module 2: Mixed Media Animation

Module 2: Mixed Media Animation 

In-Person 

All in-person workshops in this module will be at TAIS:
Located at 1411 Dufferin St Unit B, Toronto, ON M6H 4C7

1) Animation Principles 

Cohort 1: Saturday September 20th, 1-5pm

OR

Cohort 2: Saturday November 1st, 1-5pm

No matter what type of animation you are interested in, understanding the 12 principles of animation will help elevate your skills by creating smooth, engaging and interesting movements.  Through discussion and practice we will discover what the principles are, and how they work together.

2) Collage + Paper 

Cohort 1: Saturday September 27th, 1-5pm

OR

Cohort 2: Saturday November 8th, 1-5pm

Through a hands-on approach, in this workshop we will discuss and explore the wonderful world of collage/ paper animation.

Module 3: Storytelling

Module 3: Storytelling (Online)

1) Deconstructing Stories 

Cohort 1: Monday September 29th, 6-8pm

OR

Cohort 2: Monday November 10th, 6-8pm

To become better storytellers first, we must understand what different types of story structures are out there.  In this class we will explore different narrative/ non narrative storytelling formats.  We will then explore how language can connect to colour, texture, movement and composition to help drive our visual stories forward.

2) Sound for Animation 

Cohort 1: Wednesday October 1st, 6-8pm

OR

Cohort 2: Wednesday November 12th, 6-8pm

Music and Sound effects play an important role in animation.  In this workshop we will dive into the use of sound in various animations, and how to capture tone, and mood when pairing movement with sound.  We will also review how to source or create your very own sound effects.

3) Storyboarding 

Cohort 1: Monday October 6th, 6-8pm

OR

Cohort 2: Monday November 17th 6-8pm

In this workshop we will learn the ins and outs of what makes a good storyboard.

4) Drawing in Animation

Cohort 1: Wednesday October 8th, 6-8pm

OR

Cohort 2: Wednesday November 19th, 6-8pm

Through a hands-on approach, in this workshop we will explore different animation techniques. Participants have the opportunity to create their very own expanded flipbooks and animated sequences using hand drawn techniques.

Final Session and Celebration!

This is an in-person session to celebrate the end of the program and give participants the opportunity to connect across both cohorts.

Final event is tentatively Saturday, November 29th. The exact date and time will be shared with participants once finalized.

All registrants and participants are welcome to join the session! Food and drink will be provided.

PROGRAM DETAILS

This program is for those ages 55+ living in North York

All North York residents are encouraged to apply to this program, but please note that priority will be given to Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour as well as to 2SLGBTQ+ community members and Newcomers (people who arrived in Canada within 7 years).

Date & Time: Classes meet Mondays, Wednesdays, or Saturdays, 6–8 PM (hybrid format, schedule varies by cohort).

*Additional Materials will be provided by NYA & TAIS

*Materials pick-up info will be sent out to participants 

This is an application form. You will hear from our team with next steps.

Program contact information tap@northyorkarts.org

 

Fall Workshop

Dates: Classes meet Mondays, Wednesdays, or Saturdays depending on Cohort schedule.

Time: 6–8 PM

Where: Hybrid format (online Zoom + in person), In person location – @TAIS – 1411 Dufferin St. Unit B, Toronto, ON M6H 4C7

Price: Free

Deadline to Apply:

Cohort 1: Tuesday, September 2nd, 2025

Cohort 2: Thursday, October 16th, 2025

Check out the final projects from our previous participants!

2024
2023
2022
2021
2020

Meet your Instructor : Cristal Buemi

About Cristal Buemi, Lead Facilitator

Cristal Buemi is a Puerto Rican-Canadian, award-winning multidisciplinary artist (stop motion animation, video art/installation, collage and digital design) and educator (OCADU Experimental Animation).  Her work pushes frame by frame boundaries by exploring the diaspora through land and its relation to the body, materiality and inherent beauty found in the minutia.  Through a mindful, feminist, experimental, and ecological lens, Cristal focuses on abstract storytelling, sustainability and texture.  Her works have been exhibited worldwide including: The NYC Independent Film Festival, Yonge-Dundas Square, Animac, Harbourfront Centre, Fashion Art Toronto, Cardiff Animation Nights and broadcasted on AMC, MTV, BellMedia and HBO.  Cristal most recently co-founded Frame by Frame, a research and programming initiative that through the magic of stop-motion animation creates flexible and adaptive artistic opportunities accessible to participants of all abilities.

For more information about Cristal visit her website: https://www.cristalbuemi.com/

 

Meet your Program Lead : Declan David

Declan David is an emerging visual artist and animator based in Toronto, celebrated for his vibrant use of colors and innovative styles. Influenced by his Trinidadian and American heritage, the Neo-expressionist movement of the 1980s, and the graffiti culture of the 1990s, Declan’s works delve into the contemporary Black male experience. His diverse portfolio includes experiential paintings on glass and canvas, illustrations, and animations, steering away from sensationalized depictions of Black bodies.

declan-david.format.com

Northbound 2025

Northbound 2025

Northbound 2024 bridges boundaries cultural convergence

NORTHBOUND 2025: Songs of Sovereignty

Experience Northbound: Songs of Sovereignty, a powerful exhibition curated by Muse & Museums, Shadio Hussein, and Funmi Ajala, presented by NYA in celebration of Emancipation Month.

The show highlights original works by five Black and Indigenous artists from North York, reflecting shared histories of resistance, resilience, and survival. Each piece exists as a visual “song” imagining liberation—personal, communal, and societal.

📍 North York Centre Mall – Main Atrium
5150 Yonge St, North York, ON M2N 6L8

🗓️ On view through October 2025

Go see the beautifully curated space and experience these vital voices in art.

Northbound is made possible through the partnership and support of GWL Realty Advisors.

Northbound Exhibit, Jassira, Jasmine, and Angela in the middle of their exhibited artworks.

NORTHBOUND 2025

Songs of Sovereignty

Northbound: Songs of Sovereignty is presented by North York Arts and curated by Funmi Ajala and Shadio Hussein of Muse and Museums, a Toronto-based curatorial team dedicated to spotlighting local BIPOC artists.

Northbound: Songs of Sovereignty unites five contemporary Black and Indigenous artists whose works embody resilience, cultural memory, and self-determination. Presented for Emancipation Month, the exhibition honours the ongoing pursuit of freedom across generations.

Spanning portraiture, abstraction, textile, and digital media, the artworks explore sovereignty through spiritual inheritance, political refusal, ancestral memory, and daily embodiment. Apanaki Temitayo’s textile muses channel resilience and healing; Claudia Luz Doare honours Miskito culture by rendering memory into form; Ghislan Sutherland-Timm’s collages trace water’s ties to diaspora; Segun Caezar’s portraits are rooted in historical reclamation and ancestral witnessing; and Yinkore’s mixed media reveres the depth of Black womanhood.

Together, their works form a visual chorus, each a distinct voice in a shared song of memory, identity, and liberation.

Through this collection, Songs of Sovereignty invites viewers to witness the ways artists hold space for memory, identity, and liberation. It is not only a celebration of cultural pride, but also an acknowledgment of the ongoing struggles for justice, freedom, and recognition. Each work is a note in a larger composition; a visual chorus that insists on the right to exist fully, to tell one’s story, and to be heard.

Please read full Curatorial Statement HERE.

You can explore and purchase all these beautiful pieces at the following link: https://www.museandmuseums.com/shop/northbound

Northbound Artists 2025

Apanaki Temitayo 

Angela Walcott Headshot

Artist Bio

Apanaki Temitayo

Apanaki Temitayo Minerve is a Trinidadian-Canadian multidisciplinary artist, art facilitator, and mental health advocate whose work embodies resilience, ancestry, and radical healing. Her practice is rooted in textile collage, quilting, and mixed media, using vibrant African fabrics to honour diasporic memory, spiritual identity, and storytelling.

Instagram: @apanaki_apnki / @apanakitemitayo

Self Portrait - Jassira De Almeida

Title: Wisdom
Medium: Mixed media on wood panel
Size: 32″

Artist Statement

“Wisdom” stands as the ancestral keeper, embodying the spiritual intelligence, cultural knowledge, and lived experience passed down through generations of BIPOC women. Her cloak tells stories through pattern and symbol, and her face reflects generations of BIPOC women who have carried the burden of injustice and still passed down love, insight, and resistance. 

She reminds us that liberation doesn’t start in courts—it begins in stories, in rituals, in blood memory. Wisdom is the voice that echoes long after the rally cries fade, insisting we remember who we are and what we deserve.

Mom in Jamaica - Jassira De Almeida

Title: Persistence
Medium: Mixed media on wood panel
Size: 32″

Artist Statement

“Persistence” is a testament to the unwavering power of BIPOC women who continue to fight for bodily autonomy and reproductive justice in the face of erasure and oppression. 

Cloaked in vibrant Ankara fabrics, this muse is rooted in cultural tradition while pushing forward against the tide of colonial systems.  Her gaze is fierce, her presence immovable—she represents the ancestral will to survive despite systemic barriers. This piece channels the legacy of women who have resisted control over their bodies for generations and continue to rise, stitched into the landscape of resistance.

Claudia Luz Doare

Angela Walcott Headshot

Artist Bio

Claudia is a Miskita-French artist and aspiring landscape architect exploring a variety of mediums including painting, sewing and murals. She enjoys the freedom colors allow for creativity in self expression and art making. Through her work Claudia explores themes of mixed identities, ecology and community reflecting on her personal experiences.

Instagram: @claudialuzd_

Self Portrait - Jassira De Almeida

Title: Plun pi aya
Medium: Acrylic on canvas board
Size: 12″ x 12″

Artist Statement

“Plun pi aya” (“Dinner’s served” in Miskito) offers a quiet yet profound glimpse into a traditional communal hunting ceremony. The work captures a moment of connection between people and the land that sustains them. The hunt is not merely an act of survival; it is a ceremonial practice, embedded in a network of relationships between human, animal, and environment. 

Mom in Jamaica - Jassira De Almeida

Title: Mi Tierra
Medium: Marker on Illustration board
Size: 16″ x 20″

 

 

Artist Statement

“Mi Tierra” is an intimate self-portrait and a vivid meditation on Miskito heritage. Through rich patterns and layered vegetation, Doare envisions La Moskitia as it existed before colonization, abundant, diverse, and alive with harmony between people and land. 

“Mi Tierra” operates as an act of reclamation, drawing ancestral land into the present through memory and imagination. It asserts the beauty and resilience of Miskito identity, showing that self and place are inseparable, and that culture is not only remembered but actively lived and sustained today.

Ghislan Sutherland-Timm 

Angela Walcott Headshot

Artist Bio

Ghislan Sutherland-Timm is a multidisciplinary craftsman and media researcher based in Tkaronto. Their work is ignited by the ephemerality and tactility of sound, poetry, analog cinema, and archival materials. They frequently utilize collage techniques across a diverse range of mediums to shape autobiographical-fictional narratives.

Instagram: @orphicinema

Self Portrait - Jassira De Almeida

Title: vol. iii. this body loves too
Medium: Mixed media
Size: (2) 11” x 14” // (2) framed within a single poster frame about 22″ x 28″ inches

Artist Statement

“vol. iii. this body loves too” s part of an ongoing autobiographical-fictional collection of work entitled Why is water so heavy? (c. 2022–present). Shaping a visual diary, this series interlocks the fluidity and borderless nature of water with themes of diaspora and landmarking. 

In this entry, “vol. iii. this body loves too” examines the complex relationships enslaved Africans formed with both land and water through the Atlantic slave trade. These ties to non-native lands were forged in the forced exploitation of people and ecosystems across plantations of coffee, sugar, tobacco, cotton, and indigo. 

Yet within this violence, cultural resilience endured. Power was renegotiated through care, survival, and the blending of African and Indigenous traditions. Today, this legacy lives on in Tkaronto/Toronto’s diasporic cuisines—plantain, jerk chicken, ackee and saltfish. 

Segun Caezar

Angela Walcott Headshot

Artist Bio

Segun Caezar is a Nigerian-born visual artist whose practice centres on realistic portraiture as a tool of historical reclamation, emotional depth, and ancestral witnessing. His work foregrounds Black subjects, particularly immigrants and their descendants, and often integrates recurring motifs like koi fish and to explore spiritual endurance, displacement, and transformation.

Instagram: @hicaezar

Self Portrait - Jassira De Almeida

Title: Salvatore Nigrum
Medium: Oil on panel
Size: 30” x 48”

Artist Statement

“SALVATORE NIGRUM” reimagines Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi through an African diasporic lens. Here, the sacred figure is adorned with dreadlocks, royal blue agbada, and a serene gaze. One hand blesses, while the other cradles a golden koi. 

The fish, here, replaces the orb—representing both global burden and spiritual inheritance. The painting critiques the colonial roots of Christianity while reclaiming its iconography through an African diasporic lens. It asserts that liberation must include spiritual sovereignty, and that salvation, for the colonized, may look radically different from what was once preached.

Mom in Jamaica - Jassira De Almeida

Title: All my friends are Koi
Medium: Oil on panel
Size: 16” x 20”

 

Artist Statement

In “ALL MY FRIENDS ARE KOI,” a young Black girl gazes directly at the viewer, her eyes framed in gold, her cheek pressed gently against a koi fish. The stark grey background sets the tone for a quiet confrontation between innocence and history.

The koi, long associated with perseverance and transformation, carries layered meaning. It functions here as a silent companion, an ancestral witness, and a bearer of stories too long ignored. Its presence is central to the work’s exploration of isolation, beauty, and inherited memory. Through the subject’s stillness, Caezar asks what freedom looks like when shaped by survival.

Yinkore

Angela Walcott Headshot

Artist Bio

Yinkore is a self-taught Nigerian artist exploring the juxtaposition of her traditional culture and new age media. She uses her artistic voice to navigate her lived experiences as a Black woman, by exploring themes of intersectionality and representation in the art she creates, stories that are hardly ever told.

Instagram: @yinkore_

Self Portrait - Jassira De Almeida

Title: Redefining Boundaries
Medium: Digital illustration on archival canvas
Size: 36” x 48”

Artist Statement

“Redefining Boundaries” dismantles reductive archetypes that have long confined and flattened Black women into singular narratives. Through a rich layering of photographs, floral motifs and digital collage, Yinkore explores the emotional complexity of a father-daughter relationship marked by absence, longing, and the possibility of no repair. 

This piece refuses erasure by creating space for vulnerability, grief, and resilience. Through digital collage, Yinkore pieces together fragments into a sovereign self, insisting on full personhood. 

Mom in Jamaica - Jassira De Almeida

Title: We come in peace
Medium: Digital illustration on archival canvas
Size: 24” x 32”

Artist Statement

“We come in peace” celebrates the joy of queer love – soft, intimate, and defiantly visible. Yinkore’s layered digital collage, blending photography and painting, creates a visual space where tenderness is both celebrated and protected. 

The composition challenges the societal narratives that have historically flattened Black women into one-dimensional portrayals, stripping away complexity and depth. Here, intimacy is not hidden or diminished; it is centred. 

NORTHBOUND 2024

Bridges, Boundaries, and Cultural Convergence

Northbound 2024 was curated by Jasmine Vanstone, a Black Jamaican-Canadian artist living in North York. In partnership with GWL Realty Advisors and North York Arts, this exhibit amplifies the voices of Angela Walcott, Jassira De Almeida, and Jasmine Vanstone, to take up physical space in a high traffic location in Willowdale. Jasmine’s curatorial vision is rooted in the amplification of Black voices in conversation with Black Futures and highlights the importance of celebrating Black voices all year round. 

The Black Futures exhibition explores Bridges, Boundaries, and Cultural Convergence. Bridges are often symbols of relationships built between two entities and can be a metaphor for exchange. Boundaries are imagined or felt borders and walls that can limit the vulnerability or openness to exchange. Cultural convergence is a theory which recognizes changing relationships and experiences informed through open dialogue and appreciating the value of exchange while acknowledging and celebrating diverse cultures. 

Northbound Exhibit, Jassira, Jasmine, and Angela in the middle of their exhibited artworks.
Six artworks on big boxes in the atrium of the North Centre lobby. Photo by Maria Vega

Northbound Artists 2024

Angela Walcott

Artist Bio

Meet Angela

As a multidisciplinary Angela Walcott uses found objects as a bridge between past and present identities. Her visual narrative emerges from Caribbean, African and Latin American traditions. Various techniques are used to highlight sustainability and waste reduction in her practice through the use of living and lived natural inks and botanicals. By incorporating traditional and non-traditional methods Angela stretches the conversation with mixed media and elements of drawing, painting, ceramics, photography and typography as guides that inform her practice.

Instagram: @artistwritermaker

Jassira De Almeida

Artist Bio

Meet Jassira

Jassira De Almeida is an Angolan-Canadian visual artist who creates work digitally and traditionally. She is an undergrad animation student at OCAD U. When traditionally working, graphite, acrylic, watercolour, and oil are the mediums she uses for drawings, illustrations, and paintings. She combines analog and digital techniques when making stop-motion and 2D animation. She also experiments with photography and digital portraiture. She has recently been creating representations of herself and what inspires her (people in her life, nature, music, animation). She is focused on making fun and thoughtful stories with time-based and traditional media.

Jasmine Vanstone

Artist Bio

Meet Jasmine

Jasmine Vanstone is a Jamaican-Canadian multidisciplinary artist, arts facilitator, arts administrator, and curator based in North York. She experiments primarily in collage, poetry, murals, and paper crafts to share visual reflections of cultural identity, wellness, and environmental justice. Through vibrant colours and lyrical abstraction, she conveys the complexity of identity by visual overlapping of layers and interdisciplinary creations. Natural elements such as botanicals, animals, and produce become symbols of cultural environments, behaviours, and blessings through their creative manipulation. Each creation documents lived experiences and reflections to ultimately serve as a catalyst for exploration and introspection, inviting viewers to engage with the complexities of identity and the profound beauty of the world around us. With passion and the power of mentorship, Jasmine’s work has been featured at Meridian Arts Centre, Finch TTC station, Nuit Blanche, Gallery 44, DesignTO, Pearson Airport, KUUMBA, StreetARToronto, JAYU, VIBE Arts, and more.

Instagram: @articulately_jasmine

Website: https://www.jasminevanstone.com/

In partnership with

Art Connects Community Mural

Art Connects Community Mural

Art Connect Mural Unveiling Gibson House 12pm to 3pm

Art Connects 2025

Art Connects: Call for Indigenous Artists

Art Connects is an ongoing initiative that started in 2019 to address North York Arts’ (NYA) role in Truth and Reconciliation. As North York Arts builds programs, partnerships, and relationships, we continue to ask ourselves “As a non-Indigenous organization, what can we do to support the process of decolonization and build right relations with Indigenous communities?” 

In 2023, North York Arts and Gibson House Museum commissioned artist Mo Thunder to create a mural for and with participation of the local community launched at Gibson House and unveiled during Earth Day 2024.

This year, in lead up to a Earth Day 2026 launch, we are commissioning new artwork to be created in consultation with local community members. The content of the artwork, the method of community engagement / consultation (workshops, gatherings, lectures, participatory art creation) will be determined and led by the artist and facilitated by NYA.

The artwork will be unveiled on/around Earth Day 2026 (Spring 2026) and will remain onsite for 2 years. 

Project Objectives:

  1. To provide and amplify voices of Indigenous artists and communities, as well as compensation by featuring an Indigenous artist mural at Gibson House Museum 
  2. To have (2) community consultants incorporating community feedback into the design
  3. To facilitate educational workshops to share Indigenous knowledge

 

Project Timelines:

  • Summer 2025 – Call out for artists
  • Fall 2025 – Community consultations (2)
  • Spring 2026 – Launch

 

Compensation: $7,000 CAD

Learn more about Art Connects here: https://www.northyorkarts.org/project/art-connects-mural/

Eligibility: First Nations, Inuit and Métis residing in Treaty 13.

Selection Process: Artists will be selected by a panel made up of North York Arts staff. 

DEADLINE: Friday, July 25th at 5pm

Please contact Elizabeth Mudenyo, Elizabeth@northyorkarts.org if you have any questions.

Indigenous Community Mural Space

Visit The Gibson House at 5172 Yonge Street to see rotating community artworks on display in this space, designed and led by Indigenous Artists.

2023/24 Art Connects Community Mural

skyworld and beyond
Designed by Mo Thunder

Join us for the unveiling of skyworld and beyond! This is a collaborative mural piece created by Indigenous Artist Mo Thunder. During two interactive art-journalling workshops led by Mo, North York community members had the opportunity to contribute to the creative brainstorming process that inspired the artwork.

Art Connects is an ongoing initiative to address North York Arts’ role in Truth and Reconciliation. As North York Arts builds programs, partnerships, and relationships, we continue to ask ourselves “As a non-Indigenous organization, what can we do to support the process of decolonization and build the right relations with Indigenous communities?”

Mo Thunder

Artist

Learn more about Mo Thunder

Mo is a nonbinary/fluid, neurodivergent multidisciplinary artist and facilitator who grew up in a small town along the St. Clair River, they currently live in T’karonto, which has been home for over a decade. They are Haudenosaunee (Oneida Nation of the Thames), French-Canadian and Anishinaabe (Aamjiwnaang First Nation). Mo holds a BFA in studio art with a focus on drawing, silkscreen printing, photography and video from Fanshawe and Lethbridge University, however, they are also self and community-taught. In June 2022, Mo graduated from the Toronto Art Therapy Institute. Through their multidisciplinary art practice (painting, murals, mixed media, beading, journaling, poetry and textiles), they create visual stories about their lived experiences in connection to their personal healing. Mo is also inspired by intergenerational connections and healing, family and memories, personal and collective empowerment, and all of creation, especially skyworld.

2022/23 Art Connects Community Mural

Two-Row Wampum Belt

Designed by Lindsey Lickers

In 2022, North York Arts hosted seven Indigenous talks about Treaty, the geography of North York, our responsibilities to Water and Land, and Indigenous Stewardship, Symbolism, and Art. This series was curated by Lindsey Lickers, and featured Jason Mercredi, Chyler Sewell & Daniel Rotsztain,Carolyn King, James Carpenter, & Raiden Levesque.

Inspired by these talks and teachings, community members and program participants were invited to come together to create a collaborative mural led and designed by lead artist Lindsey Lickers.

This piece depicts the Two Row Wampum, being restored in collaboration with the broader community, supported by the inclusion of participants’ visual responses to the truths shared within the Art Connects, I-Talks series. The wampum beads, stories, and commitments are framed by Lindsey’s stylized interpretation of spirit world above, with land and water below. Watch the mini-documentary below for a closer look into the creation of this project and mural.

Lindsey Lickers

Multi-media Artist, Arts Facilitator and Program Developer

Learn more about Lindsey

Lindsey Lickers is a Haudenosaunee/ Anishinaabe multi-media artist, arts facilitator, and program developer originally from Six Nations of the Grand River with ancestral roots to the Mississaugas of the Credit. Her traditional name is ‘Mushkiiki Nibi Kwe’, which translates to ‘Medicine Water Woman’ and she is of the turtle clan. Recently, she was awarded a commission to create a permanent public installation for the Region of Waterloo’s light rail transit system that will speak to the historical stewardship of the land base of Waterloo and the importance of agriculture from a First Nations perspective.

North York Arts is committed to continue working along Indigenous peoples to deepen our understanding and to bring truth to our programs.

 

In Partnership with The Gibson House Museum

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