For Immediate Release— All Female Paint Jam Women
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For immediate release— All female paint jam Women Paint transforms Parkdale lane into an outdoor gallery TORONTO—(July 6, 2017) From July 14 to 16, nineteen female-identified artists will transform 2,000 square feet in a vandalized Parkdale alleyway into a series of murals expressing intersectional feminism—a perspective that acknowledges the overlapping identities that shape individual experiences. With support from the City of Toronto Transportation Services Division’s StreetARToronto program, the 19 emerging and established Toronto-based artists will turn the laneway that runs north behind 1468-1486 Queen Street West—between Lansdowne Avenue and MacDonell Avenue—into an outdoor art gallery. Working side by side, the collective will paint 18 murals that respond to the theme of "Intersectional Feminism: Representing Diverse Experiences". The murals will be as stylistically diverse as the artists creating them; designs will include portraits, florals inspired by Eslimi designs, and a bold typographic statement to name a few. “Women Paint is empowering female street artists by providing them an opportunity to showcase their talent and tell their stories,” says Bareket Kezwer, herself a Parkdale-based artist, who is organizing the paint jam. “As women, it’s important that we add our underrepresented voices into the public sphere.” Women Paint invites community members and mural enthusiasts to meet the artists and be inspired by the murals at the closing celebration on Sunday, July 16 from 3:00-7:00pm. Light snacks will be served. StreetARToronto (StART) is supporting Women Paint in partnership with the Toronto Police Service 11 Division through the StreetARToronto Toronto Police Service Partnership Program. StART is a pro-active program that develops, supports, promotes and increases awareness of street art and its unique role in adding beauty and character to neighbourhoods across Toronto, while also counteracting graffiti vandalism and its harmful effect on communities. StART's mission is to revitalize and engage communities through street and mural art while embracing the City's motto "Diversity our Strength". Additional support has been provided by the DRAKE Hotel and the Parkdale Village BIA. “The BIA supports numerous community events in Parkdale and this wonderful project falls in line with our commitment to street art, beautification and community engagement,” says Anna Bartula, Director of the Parkdale Village BIA. #WomenPaintTO *** For additional information, please reach out to: Bareket Kezwer, Project Coordinator & Artist [email protected] 647.779.7056 Jodi Callan, StreetARToronto Project Manager [email protected] 416-338-2951 Who are the artists participating in Women Paint? Aitak Sorahitalab Aitak Sorahitalab is an award winning visual artist and art instructor with more than 15 years’ experience. Holding BA and MA from Art university of Tehran, she had held several exhibitions, and was commissioned to create public art in Iran. She worked at Art and Creation Department at KANOON; lecturer at University of Applied Science; and Art Manager at Airsa NGO, worked with UNICEF, UNODC and UNAIDS. Since immigrating to Canada in Oct 2013, she has had some exhibitions, continued teaching while maintaining her artistic production. She won 7 art grants and awards in Canada, and have curated two exhibitions in Toronto. “Intersectional feminism is so important to me because it aims to include all groups in the movement for equality regardless of color or background. We should be thinking of all groups and not just the ones we are involved in or express an interest in. We have to try to get rid of all biases we hold and aim to include every single minority in our fight for equality.” @aitakst www.aitak.ca Andrea Manica Andrea Manica is a freelance illustrator, mural painter, sign painter and artist living in Toronto Canada. She graduated from OCAD University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Design in Illustration. She regularly collaborates with other female painters and together with artists Nicole D'Amario and Melissa Luk, formed an all-girls mural collective in 2014 called the Buck Teeth Girls Club. They have completed pieces throughout Toronto and traveled to Argentina for a mural painting residency in 2015. Andrea has painted murals internationally in Los Angeles USA, Melbourne Australia, and Yogyakarta Indonesia. Her art is inspired by nature, femininity, rebelliousness, and the insertion of beauty in unlikely places. Andrea has a strong attachment to local businesses, and organizations with community focus and feminist ideals. “I am thrilled to be a part of this painting project. I think it's vital for women to create art in a sphere that is so heavily male-dominated. I look forward to meeting all of the other female-identifying artists involved so we may collaborate in the future!” “Intersectional feminism to me means bringing forward those who have been oppressed, listening, and placing importance on the experiences of others. To allow space for more stories from people of colour, queer folx, and femmes. Lets bring artwork made by these people to the forefront!” @andreamanica www.andreamanica.com Aura Monique Bedard (Aura) is Haudenosaunee (Oneida) artist who grew up in a small town in Southern Ontario. She has been deeply and passionately involved in visual arts for 13 years. In 2006, she began a formal study of visual arts at Fanshawe College in London, ON. After three years of studies in London, she moved to Lethbridge, AB to complete an undergraduate degree at the University of Lethbridge. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts (Studio Art) degree in 2010 and returned to Ontario where she began instructing group art lessons with children, youth and adults. Monique currently resides in Tkaronto as an artist, workshop facilitator and muralist. She is inspired by the healing journey: "I have the passion for community engagement, and collaboration where stories are shared through the art making process. It is my aim to empower people by focusing on our strengths. My goal is to build art projects that lead to a deep sense of understanding while connecting through unity, collaboration and transformation." “This project is important to me because it creates spaces for our voices. We have a lot to express and having a wall to visually tell our stories empowers me and supports my healing journey.” @auralast http://auralast.wixsite.com/auralast Bareket Kezwer Bareket Kezwer is a visual artist, muralist and eternal optimist. Her work is motivated by a desire to spread joy, nurture present minded living, cultivate gratitude, and foster new social interactions. She work with bright colours and bold patterns to captivate people’s attention and fill them with delight. She is passionate about creating art that both aesthetically and psychologically brightens the streets and wants to contribute to the collective conversation around positive living. She has created murals for clients including the City of Toronto, the City of Mississauga, the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Toronto, Facebook Canada, Airbnb Canada, the Steps Initiative, and Baycrest Health Sciences and has been featured in publications including The Globe and Mail and Toronto Life. “I organized Women Paint to connect with my fellow female artists by creating an opportunity for us to tell our stories and amplify the female voice in public space. I saw an opportunity to build a supportive community of female artists, to inspire young women to build meaningful careers through murals and community engagement, and to raise awareness and foster dialogue about intersectionality and equity. In Toronto, a city that celebrates diversity as our strength, I want to create public art that helps communities learn about and from each other.” @bkez www.bareketkezwer.com Caitlin Taguibao Caitlin Taguibao is an illustrator, graphic designer and gardener from Toronto, Canada. She has worked with local organizations such as the Toronto Seed Library, Green Thumbs Growing Kids, Greenest City and has been the resident gardener at Artscape Gibraltar Point for the past 3 summers. Caitlin's interests revolve around community projects and public engagement, which is what led her to paint murals. Her work often incorporates natural elements such as plants, fungi and animals from different places into one, touching upon themes of diversity and mixed identities. “I am really excited to be a part of this event that is supporting and connecting a group of diverse female artists together. Through the theme of intersectional feminism, we can bring awareness of other marginalized groups and recognize ways in which we can work together to better understand and empower each other.” @taggybowow www.caitlintaguibao.com Cheif Lady Bird Chief Lady Bird is an Anishinaabe (Potawatomi and Chippewa) artist from Rama First Nation with paternal ties to Moose Deer Point First Nation. She grew up on-reserve and is currently based in Toronto. Chief Lady Bird’s work exists at the crux of her experience as an Indigenous womyn, wherein critiques of Nationalism and Indigenous identity reclamation meet, resulting in imagery that empowers Indigenous peoples and challenges the lens through which Indigenous people are often viewed. She often creates collaborative murals that allow viewers to step into our worldviews for brief moments, to create dialogue that is imperative to reclaiming our cultural identities in a country that never saw our worth. Chief