Desire Lines I
Keisha James
Filmmaker and Community Arts Worker who has found her calling as a facilitator and coordinator in the community arts sector. “It feels incredible to have this opportunity. This is my largest scale solo project to date, and although it is hard work, I am excited to share my story and what I have been creatively brewing.”
Jasmine Wemigwans
Jasmine Wemigwans is a Toronto-based artist that identifies as a biracial Indigenous woman. She loves painting with bold colors to create her imagery. She wishes to depict Indigenous significance placed on the months of June and July in this mural. June is considered the Odemiini-giizis (Strawberry Moon) often associated with themes of reconciliation. As well, July is called Abitaa-niibini-giizis (Halfway Summer Moon) or Mskomini-Giizis (Raspberry Moon), where often great change is accepted. There is also imagery depicting ceremonial smudging, which is for purifying a person or place, Abaabasige (s/he smudges). The smudging faces new directions or the future.
Jason Julien
I’m a multidisciplinary visual artist born in Toronto, I started practicing art by experimenting with different mediums during my battle with depression and anxiety in 2013, learning everything I know by following YouTube tutorials and “skill sharing” with other artist building a network of creative minds. I really enjoy the process of creation, having a background in singing and songwriting I was able to use that creativity in a different way. The accomplishments I’ve made over the past 2 years has been amazing. I didn’t have much confidence in my artistry a couple of years ago, I had this mindset that I wasn’t a “real artist”. I didn’t have a Fine Arts education. The community arts work I’ve done has gotten me grounded and is helping me heal old wounds. The hands-on experience is somehow giving me momentum to continue my art journey.
Mirka Loiselle
Illustrator, Artist, and Educator. “Desire Lines gave me the push necessary to see through a large-scale project from start to finish. Illustrating picture books is a long-standing career goal of mine, and I hadn’t yet given myself the challenge of illustrating a storybook from start to finish. Funding from this program allowed me to set aside some time to accomplish this goal.”
Sydanie
Rapper, mother, art facilitator, student, and founder of The MOCHA Project. “I really enjoyed working with the youth at The Spot Youth Centre. They were so intelligent and engaged; the topics and lessons were relevant to them. They taught me the importance of shaping my voice around experiences and tailoring information to them. Sharing knowledge is the most natural way of building intergenerational relationships and continuing my own learning.”
Vicky Wang
A visual artist and musician whose work reflects her zest for life, Vicky finds herself surrendering to lines, whether they be in paintings or songs. As a singer-songwriter by the moniker “Earlybird”, she is known for her alternative soul-folk style and warm sound, echoing the likes of Norah Jones, Lianne La Havas, and Charlotte Day Wilson. Her “pastel bell” voice, paired with her candid and heartfelt songwriting becomes soothing tunes that listeners can’t help but follow along as they unfold line by line. With her voice secure and guitar in hand, she creates deliberately honest music that sheds light on the beauty in brokenness; her songs are brimming with rawness, vulnerability, and ultimately, hope.
Listen and stay updated with her music and art here: linktr.ee/theearlybirdsings
Nicholas Ridiculous
Growing up ya know? Ugh... We have become so complacent to the powerful, with their own intentions in mind. We feel more inclined to live in a cloud of blissful ignorance just to make it through the daily. A generation raised by fiction, forcibly obsessed with the capitalistic nature of society. Desperate overtures, and sweaty serenades. Intentions wane for the value of a dollar. Why teach the youth how to fix the world, when you can just teach them how to exist in a broken one. Drunk on so much unhappiness, we spend and self-serve just for a half-baked smile that isn’t even our own. Our eyes though, show the hardships. All that entertainment in our veins is laughing at us, and the emotional desperation for virtual validation is a mess we never asked for but invited in all the same. Mother nature got an iPhone, who’s footin’ the bill?