Instructor: Angela Walcott
Angela Walcott is a multi-disciplinary artist who focuses on integrating found objects into art. Aiming to reduce waste, she has developed creative ways to recycle, reduce and reuse in order to create upcycled pieces that promote functionality. She has taught courses in eco art through the North York Arts and Workman Arts Satellite Program.

Instagram: @artistwritermaker

Ashley Beerdat is a painter, art teacher and community arts facilitator based in the GTA. In her studio practice, she primarily works with oils in an impasto style to narrate fantastical stories based on references from pop culture, her childhood, and her imagination. Beerdat enjoys creating whimsical and playful compositions utilizing unique colour treatments and rich textures. She completed a BA in Studio Art and Art History from Western University in 2019. Her work is held in Mississauga’s permanent corporate art collection and has been exhibited at the Small Arms Inspection Building, Latitude 53, and The Artist Project. Beerdat also dabbles in public art and has completed mural commissions for the Brampton BIA, StreetArtToronto, LCBO and Hyatt Mississauga. As an arts facilitator, she has delivered workshops for EmpowHer, Jayu Canada, Sketch, and Workman Arts.

Instagram: @ashleybeerdatart

As a young, Black Biracial, Bisexual Woman with Type II Bipolar Disorder from Toronto, Ashley T. has coined herself as the “Bi-Fecta”. She is a multidisciplinary artist who creates within the realms of abstract visual art, literary art, and performance art. She works with diverse materials spanning from acrylic paints on canvas, to ink on paper, to her voice on the mic, to her body on the stage. She uses art to ground and remind herself of the power she possesses to be a positive change in this world. Each piece she creates is a small chapter of her visual memoir.

Renee Xu is a crochet artist, social worker and a mother. Crocheting provides her with both a creative outlet and stress relief. She enjoys creating unique stitches and patterns for bracelets, necklaces and other cuties. With limited spare time, she focuses on small and fun projects. She uses top quality T-shirt yarns to make chunky statement necklaces. All her chunky patterns are invented by herself, one of a kind. She also uses unusual yarns to generate impressive textures. Her exploration with yarn material including macramé cord, cotton rope and packaging ropes. Crocheting practice has been a channel for Renee to connect with the world. She taught crocheting classes in local community and is an active member of a healing art/craft group. She also crochet on TTC buses or subway trains on her way to work.

Social media: @yarnwonders4u

Originally from Costa Rica and Colombia, Stephan Dyer and Juan Cajiao are bilingual corporate leadership and communication trainers, who also happen to be award-winning comedians and improv experts.

Leaving their executive positions in the banking world in 2017 to pursue their professional careers in stand up comedy, they’ve successfully founded MalPensando, a bilingual (English, Spanish) comedy and public speaking school, as well as its corporate training company, the reTHINK Group, and have grown it to include clients in 16 countries including Canada, Switzerland, England, Singapore, Malaysia, Mexico, and the United States.

Their mission is simple: entertaining, teaching, and inspiring personal and professional growth through the lens of comedy, and they’ve fulfilled that mission by reaching a total of over 10K professionals worldwide and counting.

Social media: @stephandyer @juan_cajiao @malpensando

Dana Sewell is a Visual Artist, Creative Director & Designer, and Art Facilitator. She is a founder of Creative engAGING, a program for elder adults (55+) that promotes healthy aging and well-being through artistic self-expression.

She is passionate about sharing her love for art and facilitating artsy activities for seniors. Dana envisions the initiative of using art workshops and classes as a vehicle to building healthier and stronger communities: addressing the issue of isolation and loneliness by connecting seniors with each other and involving them within the community.

dana@creative-engAGING.com

Ashley Beerdat is a visual artist and community arts facilitator of Guyanese descent. She graduated in 2019 from Western University, completing a BA in Criminology and Visual Arts and Art History. Beerdat is primarily self-taught and uses oil paint to explore themes of mythology, folklore and storytelling to navigate the world around her. In 2020, she completed an artist residency at Visual Arts Mississauga Riverwood. Her work is held in Mississauga`s permanent corporate art collection and has been featured at PAMA and Artscape. As an arts facilitator, she is passionate about delivering accessible arts programming in the community and has facilitated workshops for SKETCH Working Arts, Making Space, Figment Toronto & EmpowHer. Ashley currently has an Exhibition “Messengers” with North York Arts as part of the Northbound Exhibition program.

Instagram: @ashleybeerdatart

Angela Walcott is a multi-disciplinary artist. Her Interests include sustainability; recycling and upcycling practices as well as the use of found objects as a means of reducing waste. She is passionate about the arts and eager to explore via different media. Integrating clay, textiles, photography and embroidery into her stories as well as typography and text-based poetry. Her work has been showcased at YYZ and Project Gallery. She has facilitated courses with Toronto Public Library and Project Humanity. Angela will be an artist-in-residence with Culture Days for 2022.

Instagram: @artistwritermaker

Mafa Makhubalo started dancing at the age of five and continued his training with Tony Campbell, founder and director of ZAPAC (Zamdela Performing Arts Centre) in South Africa. Mafa obtain a three-year National Diploma in dance at Tshwane University of Technology. After moving to Toronto, he completed a two-year training program at Ballet Creole School of Arts.  In Toronto Mafa had the opportunity to work with choreographers like Milton Myers, Danny Grossman, Debbie Wilson, Gabby Kamino, and was also a company member of, COBA (Collective Of Black Artist), Ballet Creole, OMO Dance Company, Nyata-nyata in Montreal as well as his own Mafa Dance Village. 

To learn more about Mafa, visit http://www.mafadancevillage.ca

“Everyone gets better when you do” are words Igho Diana lives by; as a spoken word poet, community educator, and wellness consultant. Igho wholeheartedly believes that it takes a village—not only to raise a child, but also to support adults through our healing & wellness journey. Her chief aim is to teach—by example, how to prioritize (y)our wellness.

Igho is the founder of Ebony Girls Obsession prioritizes black women in healing, growth, and celebration. We create + hold space(s) for black women to practice self-care in sisterhood. We do this through our events, workshops, self-care sessions and the Young EGO Mentorship Program.

Social Media: @EGOInitiative | @ighodiana