HomePrograms ArtWorksTO: Skills for a Creative Future Meet the 2020/2021 Participants

Meet the 2020/2021 Participants

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Aprille “The Creadive” (pronounced cre·a·tive) Deus Aprille “The Creadive” (pronounced cre·a·tive) Deus is a filipino creative and LGBTQ+ community member. An expert at dreaming big, Aprille is a visionary who combines her passion, discipline, and meticulous work-ethic to produce creative work that provokes emotions and captures nostalgia. She has captured the likes of Barack Obama, Sashagai Ruddock, Desiire, Ari Lennox, Demaine Tyrone, and has shot for Jordan Brand, Manifesto Toronto, R.I.S.E. Edutainment, and many more. Currently Aprille works independently through her brand and creative business.
 
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Carmina Miana Carmina Miana is a Toronto-based artist interested in storytelling and image-making through the synthesis of digital and analog mediums. She values material meaning and strives to bridge the gaps between art, design, and craft. Carmina’s work draws on her interest in ecology, female labour, and her identity as a Scarborough-raised Filipino. Carmina has worked as a freelance graphic designer and illustrator on poster campaigns, packaging design, and zines. She has contributed to site-specific and community-based sculpture/installations, and has recently been developing her skills in photography, weaving, and ceramics.  She graduated from OCAD University’s Illustration program in 2017. When she isn’t making art, you can find Carmina birding in Toronto’s parks or baking gluten-free snacks.

Instagram Social Media@meanugh

carminamiana.com
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Chawntay Barrett Chawntay Barrett is a visual artist whose work explores Black identities, specifically that of Black women existing in the modern world. She works primarily as a painter across several mediums including oil, acrylic, and digital. Coming from both a Jamaican and Grenadian background, Caribbean culture is a vital underlying theme in her artwork.

Instagram Social Media@chawny_

http://chawntaybarrett.com/
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Ezra Li Ezra Li (Citizen Li, he/him) is an interdisciplinary video artist. As a genderqueer Chinese artist and Canadian immigrant, his work surrounds themes of identity politics, value dynamics, digital chauvinism, and globalization. He is heavily interdisciplinary; having studied (remove in) filmmaking, he works in both digital and traditional animation, live action video, as well as in analogue paper traditions, zine, collage, and writing. Currently he is experimenting within 360° videojournalism, and the effects of pastiche to critique capitalism. He strives to create growth opportunity for queer, Asian, and otherwise marginalized communities.

Instagram Social Media@citizen.li
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Janie Hao Janie Hao is a Chinese-Canadian illustrator based in the Toronto Area. Janie’s dedication to visual communication stems from her journey growing up as a new immigrant to Canada. As a child, she sought methods of expression past speech due to language barriers. Eventually, she leaned heavily into art as a method of communication and connection to the people around her. Inspired by her diverse work history in science, education, and volunteering, Janie loves working with topics regarding social, education, and environmental issues. When she is not drawing, Janie is devising stories and puns to amuse (and/or dismay) her loved ones.

Instagram Social Media@Janieator
Twitter Social Media@Janieator

http://www.janiehao.com/
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Lianne Rañopa Lianne Rañopa is a Queer Filipino working in Graphic Design. She received her BFA in 2016 from The University of Santo Tomas in Manila, and she recently attended a Business Administration and Marketing program at George Brown College in Toronto from 2019-2020. Using her background in fine arts and business, Lianne’s focus is supporting and creating Queer community through graphic design and marketing. She is currently concentrating on projects that support independent start-up businesses.
 
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Mike Regis is a filmmaker based in Toronto. With a focus on Black experiences,  community, family, and collaboration, Mike aims to portray cultural and societal nuances authentically. Mike’s visual style centres portraying authenticity through visual techniques, such as production design, lighting, and camera to further provide realism to his characters and story. Mike is a recent Business Management graduate from Ryerson University and POV 3rd Street Alumni.

Instagram Social Media@MikeRegis

http://mikeregis.com/
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Moe Pramanick is a South Asian illustrator based in Toronto, Ontario. Through her creative practice, she explores how to be in relationship with herself, the land and the loved ones she calls her community. She is inspired by the roles of imagination, dreaming and community healing in the building of a new world. By day, Moe also works as a Graphic Design Coordinator at FoodShare, designing digital and print material to support the organization's mission to advocate for food justice in Toronto. Some of Moe's favourite things are children's books, bright colours and trying new things.

Instagram Social Media@ohnomoe_

http://moepramanick.com/
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Muna (Warda) Youssouf is a writer and visual artist based in  Toronto. Born in Djibouti and raised in the UK, Muna is a self-taught artist. Muna was the recipient of the David Maltby Award in 2019 for her exhibition Roots, and also received the Toronto Arts Council’s Newcomer and Refugee Artist Mentorship grant, to help develop her first feature film, People from Nowhere (2019). Her practice engages themes of home, change and displacement. She has exhibited at Gallery 44 (2019), Hashtag Gallery (2018-2020), Ryerson Image Center (2019) and Day’s and Atkinson’s Almhouse Photography Competition (2013), where she placed third for her depiction of the ever-changing housing hardships in London, UK. In under 2 years in the film industry, she has produced 3 shorts Confessions (2020), Emancipation of Egbert (2019), Menagerie (2019) and with over 10 credits in commercial productions as a PA, AD and within art departments. Nowadays, you can find her working on her short ‘Tahira’, as well as her documentary ‘The Power of Names’.
 
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Nathalia Allen is a visual storyteller and Creative Director based  in Toronto, Canada. She is best recognized for her work with high-profile retail brands. Nathalia became an Ambassador for Nike Training Club (NTC) in Toronto in 2015 and has been a leading photographer for Nike Canada's campaigns. In 2017, she was the only Canadian selected for VSCO Connect, where she went on to creatively direct campaigns for brands including Oakley and PowerBar. Nathalia’s work can be seen and experienced from brands including Seventeen Magazine, Make-up Forever, Adidas, KITH, Lululemon, Chevrolet, and North Face.

Instagram Social Media@amillionminds

https://www.amillionminds.ca/
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Niya Abdullahi is a Tech-Enthusiast and Multi-disciplinary Media Artist. She is the founder of @Habasooda, a platform dedicated to sharing the richness of the Muslim experience through a variety of storytelling avenues including short films and data-based graphics. She uses her art as a vessel to promote social change! Her first short film 'By the Train' premiered at the Regent Park Film Festival in November 2020.

Instagram Social Media@habasooda
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Pree aka Sticky Mangos (they/them) is an artist educator currently based in Tkaronto, originally from Tiohtià:ke. They're a child of immigrant settlers from Punjab who has an interdisciplinary arts practice under the name ‘Sticky Mangos’, with visual arts pieces inspired by nature, selfhood and community care. Pree also facilitates arts-based workshops, makes short films, performs drag (as 'Gayram Masala') and engages in community organizing. They cofounded the Non-Binary Colour Collective, and currently organize with WAYF (Where Are You From collective).

Instagram Social Media@stickymangos
Instagram Social Media@gayrammasala
Twitter Social Media@preezilla

http://prehal.com/
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Sariena Luy is a multidisciplinary artistic activist specializing in film, photography, event curation and communications design. The Jane-Finch native is the founder of the youth-led organization called "The Flaunt It Movement," which fosters self-love and highly-esteemed representation for womxn through creative, community projects. Sariena uses the arts to create social change and represent the complexity of transnational and intersectional identities. Alongside her art, Sariena's versatile background includes her highly-proficient academic education and years of entrepreneurial experience to strengthen how she can serve her community. She is currently completing her honours studies as an Adobe Creativity Scholar and was recently recognized as the 2020 recipient of the Alterna Prize for Women Social Change Leaders award.

Instagram Social Media@sariena_

http://www.sariena.com/
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Tricia Strachan is half dreamer, half mystic. Her unique ability has always been the power of visualization. Whether visualizing her own vision or that of her client's, she realizes these ideas with resonance, spunk, and accessibility.  Tricia is a lifelong creator, with over 7 years experience in writing, editing, video production, and social media design in the digital media industry. She's always had a knack for creating compelling stories with an accessible voice, and has tailored her creative chops to specific business objectives. Tricia discovers creative solutions and delivers engaging content optimized for online, mobile, social media, and video platforms. Currently, she is a part-time Digital Content Strategist for Toronto's non-profit organization, Black Women in Motion.

https://triciastrachan.com/
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Vipooshan Gangatharan is a media artist in Toronto, Canada who currently works as a Social Content Creator for FCB Canada.  In addition, Vipooshan also works as a freelance artist creating and editing videos. Vipooshan has edited films such as The Worst Student Ever, and My 18th Birthday. Vipooshan has also worked with the city of Toronto, Toronto Public Health Network and Toronto Youth Job Corps to create short videos. Vipooshan aims to create and contribute to community-oriented stories.

Instagram Social Media@Vipooshan_g

http://www.vipooshan.wixsite.com/mysite
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Whyishnave Suthagar is an installation artist and graphic designer from Toronto. She has received her BFA from McMaster's School of the Arts. Her practice focuses on creating graphics & site specific installations (using black light, fluorescent thread and soundscapes). Her work plays with light, space and sounds to create immersive meditative experiences. Themes she explores in her body of work include ancient myth, dreams, memory and the subconscious mind. She specifically creates work reflecting on her experience as a member of the second generation Tamil diaspora community assessing her dual heritage being both of Eelam Tamil descent and born in 21st century Canada. To date, she has shown her work at the McMaster Museum of Art, Much Music HQ, the Gladstone Hotel, ManifesTO, The Drake Hotel, Stackt Market, the MOCA Toronto, the Toronto Distillery District & Artscape Daniels Launchpad. She has received support from both the Toronto Arts Council and Ontario Arts Council to develop her upcoming artworks.

Instagram Social Media@whyishnave

Foundations Stream

Lily Huang is a first-generation Chinese-Canadian visual artist and illustrator based in Toronto. Her artistic practice references the history of heritage in technique and materials. Through her artwork, she aims to communicate the intricacies of connection, of people and the world we inhabit, and represents the empowerment and celebration of personhood. In her illustrative practice, she utilizes digital and analog tools to create original designs to be used in web and print media such as conceptual illustration, packaging, and advertising.

Instagram Social Media@hualilee
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Brian Jiang (they/them) is a queer Tkaronto-based designer, illustrator and artist of Chinese descent. They graduated from OCAD U (2020) with a Bachelors of Design (Illustration). Their multidisciplinary work combines both digital and analogue (drawing, painting) media to discuss topics such as identity politics, queerness, communities, and communal spaces. Through their work, they explore the connection between the individual, the community and the greater world. Currently, they are also experimenting with animation and motion graphics. Most recently, they worked as the illustrator for Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy’s  “Get Sensible” campaign which strives to provide evidence-based cannabis-use education for youth. Brian finds inspiration in the formal qualities of folk art, 60’s Japanese Graphic design, Surrealism, print ephemera and the natural world.

Instagram Social Media@_brianjiang

www.brian-jiang.ca
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Pranavi Suthagar is a Toronto based designer and artist. She is an OCAD U graduate with over 5 years of industry experience designing at various successful businesses and corporations, and creating commissioned artworks for companies including SONY, Reebok and Atlantic Records. Pranavi is also the creator behind her personal illustration series turned brand Not Sari - an exploration of identity, culture and personal reflections. She also continues to work in the arts sphere through creating illustrations for city wide banners, commissioned mixed media artworks, planters and much more.

www.notpranavi.com
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Paul Daniel Torres is 23 years old videographer who was born and raised in Toronto by Ecuadorian immigrants. A filmmaker, poet, and youth worker, his films have screened at TIFF Next Wave and NFFTY. Paul’s work often deals with identity, race, mental health, family and love (platonic, romantic and familial). He is trying to figure out himself and the world, and hopefully make others laugh, cry and everything else along the way.

Instagram Social Media@pauldanieltorres
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Selin Ayman is a multidisciplinary artist with a focus on digital illustration and graphic design. She experiments with various mediums such as installation, sculpture, and interactive work incorporating themes of experimentation and the human experience. When she is not designing, you can find her making music and dancing.

Instagram Social Media@film_kween

https://selinayman.design
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Serville Poblete is a Filipino-Canadian filmmaker based in a highrise community in downtown Toronto known as “Bleecker Street”. His work explores boyhood and sports culture in urban and familial settings. After spending his young adulthood pursuing a professional basketball career in the Philippines, Serville has used the locker room to revise and retell adolescent gender roles and friendships, often in the context of his first-generation immigrant upbringing.

Instagram Social Media@serville_
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Lucy Reddy is a filmmaker specializing in contemporary art and directing video productions. Lucy ensures her storytelling skills engages with a diverse audience and generates solidary values. While producing for Red Betty Theatre, Lucy adheres to making space for BIPOC, LGBTQ2+, and women playwrights, and shows a promising new direction for Canadian Theatre and Film.

Instagram Social Media@redxrebellion
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Mudja Hakime is a Toronto-based artist and graphic designer with 5 years of experience. As a self-taught artist, Mujda enjoys creating dynamic designs to help clients communicate their ideas and strengthen their business or brand. What makes Mujda unique is her combined expertise in visual design, user interaction and illustration. Design is mostly focused on visual organization of information while user interaction is focused on using design principles to enhance user experience. That means creating designs that are accessible, usable, useful, desirable, intuitive and credible. Her skills in graphic design, UI/UX design and Illustration allows her the freedom to create full seamless and cohesive design systems. Previous Clients include York Reserve Unit, Edmonton Reserve Unit, Yorker Magazine, Incite Magazine, McMaster University, Western University, and other private clients.

Instagram Social Media@mujdahakime_art
Instagram Social Media@mujdahakime_design

mujdahakime.crevado.com
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River-Jordan Allick is an interdisciplinary artist currently focused on documentary film and creative writing that sheds light on and gives a voice to disadvantaged communities, including currently persons with lived mental health experiences, visible minorities, newcomers and 2SLGBTQIIA+ individuals. River-Jordan wants to use art as a medium to denormalizing stigma and discrimination in Canada.