Allison Beula holds an Honours B.A.A. in film and is a recipient of the “Norman Jewison Filmmaker” Award. She furthered her training at The Randolph Academy For The Performing Arts, for whom she currently Directs, Choreographs, and Instructs. She is also on faculty for The Avenue Road Arts School and VIBE Arts. She has lead workshops and classes for dozens of institutions including: Mirvish (Lion King),The Toronto and Catholic School Board, OISE, and The Ontario School of Ballet to name a few. She trained with Upright Citizens Brigade and Dance Manhattan (NYC), and is a graduate of the Second City Conservatory Program.

Allison is a two-time recipient of an Ontario Arts Council grant for “Artists in Education”. Allison’s musical “The Tiki Bikini Beach Paradise Party A-Go-Go!” which she wrote, directed, and choreographed, made its debut at the 2011 Toronto Fringe Festival where it won “Patron’s Pick” and “Best of the Fringe” and then continued on to be in the January 2012 “Next Stage Theatre Festival”. Her choreography can be seen in the video “Hypnotized” (Jeffery Straker) which hit the “MMM” Top 10. She also choreographed for “CBC-CBC Days Live” and she continues to direct and choreograph multiple productions across the city every year.

As a performer she has appeared in dozens of musicals, music videos, and improv shows, and frequently makes appearances for SONY entertainment as a “Smurf” (Santa Claus Parade, Woofstock, TIFF Smurfs-Lost Village Gala Premiere). She recently made her television series debut as a principal lead, performing “DURP-E” the loveable robot, in Season One of “Oh Yuck!”

Andrew Judd is a professional illustrator and art director. An award winning graduate from the Ontario College of Art, he has exhibited in Vienna, Prague, London, Santa Fe, Montreal and Toronto. Andrew had a unique opportunity to learn the traditions of the Art Students League of New York while working for his first employer, William Biddle. Sharing this information with others in private, classroom, and workshop settings has been an important component of his own personal growth as an artist and teacher. Years of working in the business have taught him how critical the fundamentals of good drawing, value relationships and color are to the success of an image. Painting outdoors, in cafes, or working in the comfort of a studio, Andrew believes a simple, orderly, and knowledgeable working process contribute to the success of good art. Andrew’s illustrations are represented by Masterfile, and his original paintings and drawings are available through Westmount Gallery in Toronto. You can see his work at www.andrewjudd.com

Anna Yuschuk is a Toronto based visual artist working in painting, drawing and print. Exploring light and colour through minimalist paintings that bridge the gap between representational and abstract, she compels the viewer to focus on the act of seeing itself.

Anna was born and studied in Ukraine, graduating (MFA) from Lviv State Academy of Fine Arts. Anna has received multiple artist grants from Ontario Arts Council and exhibited her work in over 35 public and commercial exhibitions in Canada and abroad. She has been a member of Ontario Society of Artists, Propeller Gallery, Loop Gallery and Ingram Gallery in Toronto. Anna has taught at Avenue Road Art School, the Koffler Centre and privately, and enjoys sharing her experience with students in hands-on, relaxed yet practical approach.

Explore her website at www.annayuschuk.com.

Audrey Mah is a contemporary ceramicist. She graduated from the University of Waterloo where she studied Fine Arts. She continued her studies in ceramic design at the Ontario College of Art. Her work has been sold in Canada, USA, Mexico and has been exhibited at the George Gardiner Museum of Ceramics and Designer’s Walk. Audrey has received numerous awards from the Ontario Arts Council. She has taught at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Royal Ontario Museum and for the Toronto District School Board. Currently, she instructs and develops programs for children and adults at the Gardiner Museum of Ceramics. Audrey teaches for Vibe Arts and has been teaching at the Avenue Road Arts School since 2005.

Barbara Lilker graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Toronto in 1996. She is founding partner of the multidisciplinary design firm Lilker Hecht Design Studio, which concentrates on small-scale residential and commercial architecture. Since 2001 Barbara has developed and taught architecture programs to children of all ages as a faculty member of the Avenue Road Arts School, an outreach instructor for Vibe Arts and for various public and private schools in Toronto. Barbara’s focus has been to use architecture as a vehicle to integrate the arts, science and social studies objectives of the Ontario curriculum. Most recently Barbara co-developed and is an educator for No. 9 Contemporary Art and the Environment’s program: Imagining My Sustainable City. This program, in partnership with the Toronto District School Board, teaches grade 7 and 8 students about sustainable urban design and architecture with a focus on enhancing eco-literacy. Barbara has taught the Imagining My Sustainable City program to over 2000 Toronto students as well as in Chicago through a partnership with The Chicago Architecture Foundation and with the Hamilton Wentworth school board. Barbara is a co-recipient of the 2018 Community Art Educator of the Year award from the Ontario Arts Education Association.

A Canadian-born, with Trinidadian roots, is a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist known for his energetic, eclectic and emotionally capturing performances. His versatility to sing and play several genres including but not limited to Jazz, R&B, Soul, Funk, Pop, Rock, Classical and Latin, is one of the many reasons he is in high demand by many. He has received tutelage from some of the World's renowned vocal coaches like Falconer Abraham (vocal coach to many top Toronto artists like Melanie Fiona, Neverest and Aleesia), Lorraine Lawson (vocal coach to CTV's The Launch and many more) and Seth Riggs (vocal coach to some of the world's greatest vocalists like Michael Jackson, Prince, Barbra Streisand and Stevie Wonder). Darnell has also done musical work for hit TV Shows like Glee and Disney's Overruled! and worked with artists like Nelly Furtado and Fefe Dobson. He has produced, directed, written and performed in numerous musicals and songs featured in films and tv shows. Select music directorial credits include Little Shop of Horrors, Hairspray, Footloose, Beauty & The Beast, Urinetown, Enchanting and Mamma Mia. In 2008, he competed in the World Championships of Performing Arts, held in Hollywood, where he won four gold medals and won the Grand Champion of the World Title – Instrumental category playing the Steel Pan.

Darnell has arranged, produced and performed in several charitable concerts in collaboration with UNESCO (an arm of The United Nations) to raise funds for many charities. In 2009, he established the Keys to Dreams Foundation, which provides financial assistance through scholarships to performers. In 2015, Darnell was invited to audition for The Voice UK & X Factor UK. Darnell
currently holds a Masters Degree in Vocal Performance & Ethnomusicology from York University and is a guest lecturer for the music department at York University. He also recently joined the Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design at Sheridan College as a professor in the musical theatre department. As an educator with extensive knowledge of performing arts pedagogy, he has also been involved in mentorship and curriculum and program development at many schools. He also participates in education workshops in New York City, led by established Broadway directors, artists and performers. He has served on numerous arts and charity related boards.

In 2017, Darnell established GTA’s newest and highly sought-after corporate, wedding and special events band, D & The Groove Factory. He also co-founded a youthful vocal group, Vocalics, who has made waves in the GTA for their rich harmonies and vocal talents. Darnell materialized one of his artistic dreams becoming the co-founder and co-artistic director of Cue The Lights Productions, focused on shining the spotlight on established and up-and-coming professional singers, actors and dancers in both original and popular shows. In 2018, Darnell co-founded the TDM Creative Group, which serves as the creative holding company for his artistic companies including his performing arts’ school, The Institute For The Performing Arts. He is also the Musical Director of the musical theatre program at The Avenue Roads Arts School in Toronto.

Amid all this, he still finds the time and energy to give back to the community both local and international and meet the live music demand at several venues on a regular basis.

David Lapp is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art & Design and the University of Western Ontario (BA Psychology). He has been teaching cartooning at the Art Gallery of Ontario and Avenue Road Arts School for over twelve years. Dave has created three graphic novels, Drop In, Children of the Atom, and People Around Here, which have been published by Conundrum Press. His artwork can also be seen regularly in Taddle Creek magazine and weekly in Vermont’s indie paper Seven Days. Dave’s work was chosen for the ‘Best American Comics’ series for 2010 and 2011. He is currently working on a 500 page graphic novel for which he has two Canada Council grants.

David Warrack has been composer and musical director of more than 250 shows and has worked with orchestras and bands across North America. His one-woman show with Maureen Forrester played around the world and his recent show Rob Roy played to sell-out crowds at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He regularly shares the stage with Broadway’s Louise Pitre, Tony-nominated star of Mamma Mia, and Michael Burgess, Toronto’s Les Miserables and the legendary Jackie Richardson. He is the conductor of the Canada Pops Orchestra and the brand new Rose Orchestra in Brampton and has also conducted the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, the Mendelssohn Choir and the Kitchener/Waterloo Symphony. David has performed, as a pianist, on the stages of Roy Thompson Hall and the Princess of Wales Theatre and many other venues in Canada and the U.S. He has won numerous awards for his work including four Dora Mavor Moore Awards. Visit www.davidwarrack.ca.

Emily Soden is an illustrator, designer and portrait artist who enjoys working with mediums such as oil, acrylic, pencils, scratchboard and her favourite, watercolour and ink. She gathers a lot of inspiration from nature and animals and you can see this recurring theme in her work. Emily graduated with honours from Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advance Learning with a degree in illustration. Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, she has lived all over Canada, but she currently resides in Toronto, Ontario. Emily has been teaching art at numerous camps and schools since 2001. View her work at emilysoden.com.

Evan Hutchinson is a lens-based artist, with a practice that incorporates mixed media, performance and installation, whom currently resides in Toronto. After graduating university, Evan relocated her practice to London, U.K., where she continued her development in art education at the Royal Academy of Arts. She has exhibited at The Great Hall, Artspace, Vs.Vs.Vs. Collective, Maximum Exposure, Full Frame and Elgin Winter Garden Theatre.

Evan graduated from Ryerson University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, specializing in Photography. Recognized for her academic achievements, she was awarded the Roloff Beny Foundation Photography award in 2014 as well as the Photography and Digital Communication Award in 2015.

Jennifer Chin is a professional visual artist and educator. She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree (Hons. M.F.A.) from the University of Windsor and an Associate’s Diploma (Hons. A.O.C.A.D.) from the Ontario College of Art and Design. She has exhibited her multimedia works across Canada and the US and has lead numerous adult and youth focused, community arts programs across the Toronto and Ontario with a variety of organizations such as: Vibe Arts and The Royal Ontario Museum; The Art Gallery of Algoma; The City of Toronto’s Cultural Services Department and Canon Canada. To learn more about her practice visit jenniferchin.ca.

Jennifer Hinrichs graduated from Central Technical School’s Fine Art department. She has worked as an art director in publishing and has been painting and exhibiting her work for over 20 years. Her subjects include the figure and the landscapes and interiors they inhabit, in a variety of mediums including charcoal, pastel, oil and acrylics. Jennifer has taught drawing and painting at George Brown College, and is an experienced creativity workshop leader. Her work is in private collections around North America and Bermuda, where she was an artist in residence with Masterworks Foundation. Jennifer’s work appears at the John B. Aird Gallery, and Main Gallery, Neilson Park Creative Centre. Visit www.jenniferhinrichsart.com and www.grandmananartists.com.

Jessica Rysyk is a Toronto-based mixed media artist. Rysyk received a Bachelors of Fine Art in the Sculpture and Installation program at OCAD University, and a certificate in Art and Design from Georgian College. Recent venues Rysyk has been exhibited at include The Gladstone Hotel, Toronto Outdoor Art Show, Giants of Africa, Interior Design Show, Queen West Art Crawl, and Koffler Gallery. Jessica has also worked in the scenic department for film and television. She has worked as an instructor for adult and youth programming since graduating.

Rysyk’s personal practice uses semiotics through object-making to express her concerns on modern world-systems. Contemplating and responding to environmental issues is important facet of her work. She explores concepts of decay and preservation within ecosystems and environments. Jessica communicates humankind’s relationships with the environment and mass-consumption through object-based metaphors. Please visit www.jessicarysyk.com.

Joseph Romantini is a visual artist and art instructor. His style of work focuses on contemporary realism. He completed his formal studies and graduated from both the Ontario College of Art & Design and the Academy of Design. Joseph has been teaching at the Avenue Road Arts School for the past seven years. Visit www.jromantini.com and P.I. Creative.

Katherine Wilson is a native of Vernon, British Columbia, where she grew up dancing, singing and performing in local theatre. She moved to Toronto to pursue her passion for performing and broaden her talent. Katherine has explored work in the Toronto/International TV and Film scene as well as delved into the vibrant world of hair & makeup for live theatre. Although her passions are many, Katherine’s true love is singing. Over the past couple of years she has explored collaborations with other musicians to hone her craft and share her talent amongst the city’s ever-so-vibrant music scene. Katherine is proud to be the lead vocalist in Blue Copper, her Crystal-Folk-Soul band, native to Toronto. A long standing member of The Avenue Road Arts School faculty, Katherine could not be more enthusiastic to have the opportunity to work with kids who share her love of the arts! Learn more at www.kmmwilson.com.

Kaycee Chapman is a textile and mixed media artist, born and raised in Saskatoon, SK. She has a Bachelor of History at the University of Saskatchewan and a post-graduate certificate in Advanced Specials Effect from Sheridan College. Now residing in Toronto, her work has been displayed at Fan Expo Canada, and featured in the publication Crush. She is looking to work with youths to develop their creativity and encourage agency within the arts and media. Explore more of her work here.

Lauren Lavery is a visual artist, writer and editor. Her interdisciplinary practice consists mainly of sculpture, painting, installation, textiles and ceramics. She is interested in the discourse of taste, value and politics surrounding aesthetic objects and environments, mainly situated within the domestic sphere. Her visual art has been exhibited throughout Canada, in solo and group exhibitions in Vancouver, Toronto, Cambridge, and Winnipeg. She is the founder and editor of Peripheral Review, a Toronto-based online platform of exhibition reviews of Canadian emerging artists and spaces. She holds a BFA with honours from Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts in Vancouver, BC.

Linda Prussick is a multidisciplinary artist with an unbridled passion for paper and colour. An award-winning graduate of the Ontario College of Art & Design, she has combined her skills as a designer, illustrator, lettering artist and writer to create 2- and 3-dimensional paper-based art. More recently, she has been incorporating assorted metals into her work. Linda has worked with Beyond the Box™ facilitating numerous workshops. In addition to teaching at the Avenue Road Arts School, Linda is also a Registered Aromatherapist and she often uses Aromatherapy to help her class focus and gain inspiration for particular projects.

Marcela Campos is a Toronto based artist and educator whose works are held in private collections across Canada and around the world. She has held 16 solo exhibitions as well as participating in group shows, mural projects and selected for 2 CD covers by acclaimed Toronto Jazz musician. Marcela’s work is an ever changing form of expression. Process dictates her compositions, they are possibilities, intuitiveness and spontaneity.

Marcela attended Emily Carr University of Art and Design and has worked in the arts community for 25 years teaching in schools and centres across the GTA. She is a member of the faculty at Vibe Arts and Avenue Roads Arts School as well as working as an independent artist in schools.

Martha Johnson received a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Honours, from the University of Guelph, worked with and was mentored by Tom Hodgson (Painter’s 11). She is known for figurative and landscape painting as well as ephemeral animal sculptures typically seen in installation and photography. Her work often incorporates an environmental subtext. Martha has researched and developed a body of work based on a hundred-year-old narrative about an Albatross found in the Bay of Fundy. As a history painter SHADOW RED, a solo exhibition in 2017 referenced the hundredth anniversary of Tom Thomson’s death. She shares a family connection to the discovery of the artist’s remains on Canoe Lake (The Tom Thomson Mystery; Judge William T Little). A listed Canadian artist, her work is held public, corporate and in private collections worldwide. Martha’s work is carried by Art Interiors and White Wall North in Toronto. Visit www.marthajohnson.ca.

Matthew Tarini is an artist and instructor currently living in the Hamilton, Ontario area. Matthew began his art education at a traditional art academy before earning his Bachelors of Fine Art at York University and Masters of Fine Art at the University of Western Ontario. He was an instructor at Western University and the University of Alberta and has taught workshops across the country. Working mostly in oil paint his subject matter consists of cityscapes, still lifes, landscapes and figurative work. Along with creating work in these genres, Matthew is actively pursuing a career as a portrait artist. He has done private and public commissions, including portraits for University of Toronto and Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives and has appeared on the television show Star Portraits where his work was selected by the comedian Sean Cullen for his private collection. So far Matthew has had four solo exhibitions, including a recent solo show in Edmonton at Scott gallery in 2018. He has also been included in numerous group exhibitions across Canada, including a show at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Calgary. His work is in collections across Canada and internationally.

Melanie Billark is a multidisciplinary Toronto based Artist, achieving an advanced diploma in 2011 at Sheridan College’s Craft and Design Program for glass in Oakville, ON. Following her degree she completed a year artist residency at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga, ON, in 2012. Melanie graduated from OCADU's Sculpture and Installation program, obtaining her BFA in 2016. She has participated in a number of shows including venues such as Toronto Pearson Airport, Lonsdale Gallery, Canadian Sculpture Centre, Gladstone Hotel, Xpace Cultural Centre, and has shown internationally participating in Treefort Music Fest. Melanie has also won a number of bursaries and awards including The Masonic Foundation of Canada Bursary in 2011 and was recently the recipient for The OALA Ground Award in 2016, for her sculptural work Rewilding. Melanie’s current body of work is focusing on the cross over of art and ecology and interested in where they intersect when thinking about urban planning.

Over the years Melanie has been creating and developing unique arts based curriculum that focuses on a variety of mediums and techniques such as creating community art projects, eco-arts, sculpture and installation, and painting and drawing. Melanie has years of experience facilitating courses, leading workshops, art directing, program coordinating, and presenting lectures across the GTA for people of all ages and skill level. Melanie is passionate about art education, community development, and creating art opportunities that bring people together, in order to create positive change.
Visit www.melaniebillark.com.

Moira Clark’s Teaching Philosophy: “I think it’s great when people of all ages and experience want to study visual arts. In teaching painting my intention is to foster individual expression and growth for students by providing a solid foundation of technique combined with the freedom to experiment and play with the medium. Ultimately I enjoy seeing students discover their own personal style.”

Moira Clark has a BFA from York University. Her prints and paintings have been exhibited across Canada in public galleries such as the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Art Gallery of Hamilton, the Burnaby Art Gallery, the Albright- Knox Gallery in Buffalo and her work is in many public and private collections. Her paintings in acrylics and oil have evolved over the years from representational observations of still life and architecture to her current abstract works. Moira has exhibited in Toronto art galleries since 1977 and was a founding member of the artist-run gallery, Loop, in 2000. She has taught printmaking and painting since 1979 at Open Studio, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto School of Art, and Sheridan College/UTM. Visit moiraclark.weebly.com and at the Centre for Contemporary Canadian Art.

Molly Grundy is an energetic and extremely dedicated Arts Educator, Artist and Designer. Working in everything from Fashion, Film and Character Design to Illustration and Installation she builds on her skill set everyday excited to share these findings with her students and fellow makers. Molly is overjoyed to be joining the amazing team at The ARAS, teaching Fashion Design and Wearable Fabrication!

Patrick Rose is a veteran of the musical comedy field. He graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in Theatre Arts and then joined the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre. He directed the hit show Pump Boys and Dinettes and has guest-directed at the Charlottetown Festival and Ryerson Theatre School. Patrick is currently fronting a barber-shop quartet, “The Retro Ramblers”.

Pete Smith is an artist and writer who lives in Bowmanville, Ontario. His recent image based work explores the collective anxiety around environmental change. Smith has exhibited his work extensively since completing his BFA from York University in 1998 and his MFA from the University of Guelph in 2007. Recent solo exhibitions include: Winter Kept Us Warm at the Toronto Public Library (Leaside), NOANOA at St. Johnsbury Academy on Jeju Island in the Republic of Korea (2018), Habitat at the Oshawa Center (in Conjunction with the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in 2018), Open Letter at Bowmanville Town Hall (2017), Southern Pastoral at No Foundation, Toronto (2017), Postscript at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa (2015), New Frontier at Kelowna Art Gallery (2015), Initial Public Offering at Station Gallery in Whitby (2013), New Drawings at Colorida Exposicoes in Lisbon, Portugal (2012) and Proverbs for Paranoids at Elissa Cristall Gallery, Vancouver (2010). His work is included in numerous private and public collections in Canada and abroad including TD Bank, The Colart Collection, Imago Mundi (Italy), The Robert McLaughlin Gallery and The Art Gallery or Guelph. His writings on art have frequently appeared in Canadian Art and Border Crossings magazines. Smith has held teaching positions at Western University, the University of Guelph, and the University of Toronto. He is a lecturer in the Department of Drawing and Painting at OCAD University, and has taught at the Avenue Road Art School since 2012. Visit www.petesmith.ca.

Rachel Crummey is a visual artist working primarily in painting and drawing. Her work incorporates pattern, improvisation, and collage. She has worked with children in a variety of contexts and loves sharing her passion and enthusiasm for art making. She has been an artist in residence with Kulturkontakt Austria and the Salzburger Kunstverein, and was the 2015 winner of the Joseph Plaskett Foundation’s Nancy Petry Award for emerging Canadian painters. She has exhibited in Canada, London UK, Austria, and Italy. She gratefully acknowledges the support of the Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council. She received her BFA from Concordia University in 2010, and her MFA from the University of Guelph in 2014.

Roberto Rosenman graduated with honours from York University in Fine Arts and Literature. He also attended the Ontario College of Art and Design and The Grand Central Atelier in New York City where he studied classical painting techniques. With an interest in contemporary realism, he switches between still life and portraiture, always incorporating strong symbolism and narrative in his work. He was awarded a Visual Artist Grant (2014), and a Chalmers development grant for Visual Art (2013) from the Ontario Arts Council. He teaches Art and Design at George Brown College and is represented in Toronto by Loch Gallery. Visit www.robertorosenman.com.

Sadko studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo, Bosnia, earned his MFA at the University of Belgrade, Yugoslavia (1984) and arrived in Canada in 1993. Since his arrival from Bosnia, Sadko has participated in over sixty exhibitions in public galleries and artist-run centres across Canada. He is the recipient of visual arts grants from Toronto Art Council, the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts. Sadko continues to explore identity, and its cultural and social implications, with an extensive portraiture-based body of work using mixed media and collage, and an array of references to popular culture. Visit www.sadkohadzihasanovic.com.

Sam Paonessa is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art. He has been a professional artist for over 30 years creating paintings and illustrations, which have been reproduced as greeting cards, calendars, magazines and home décor reproductions. His love of painting is demonstrated in exhibitions and he has gained the attention of fine art collectors, which include private and corporate collections in North America and Europe. Sam is a founding member of Plein Air Canada and a member of the Ontario Society of Artists. Over the years Sam has enjoyed conducting workshops sharing his valuable experience as an artist in the GTA, Haliburton, across Ontario, and Morocco. Visit www.sampaonessa.com.

Sandra Tarantino received a Bachelor of Fine Arts through the Ontario College of Art and Design and Bachelor of Education at Western University. She has actively participated in the artistic community as Founder and Director of C1 art space from 2004-2011 and Co-founding Director of AWOL Gallery and Studios from 1996-2012. She is a past recipient of the Ontario Arts Council’s Visual Artist Grant (2007, 2005, 2003), Exhibition Assistance Grant (2006, 2005) and Artist in Education Grant (from 2008 to 2012). Teaching all ages in a variety of media including mural creation, mixed media painting and ceramic sculpture, she currently teaches at Avenue Road Arts School and throughout GTA communities and schools with various arts organizations including VIBE Arts. Tarantino’s personal art practice incorporates elements of both painting and sculpture through shaped canvases, ceramic figurative pieces and other mixed media work, which are held in private and corporate collections across Canada, U.S.A and Europe. Visit www.sandratarantino.com.

Sarah Jane Gorlitz has been working as a visual artist since 2002 across the mediums of painting, collage, video, installation, and sculpture. She holds an MFA from the Malmö Art Academy in Sweden (2011) and an HBFA in painting from the University of Waterloo (2002). She was a finalist for the RBC Painting Competition in 2008 and the recipient of an Edstranska Fellowship in 2011. Meanwhile, her video-centered collaborations with Wojceich Olejnik under the name Soft Turns have been widely exhibited at institutions in Canada and abroad, including Oakville Galleries (Oakville), Skånes konstförening (Sweden), Greusslich Contemporary (Berlin), Centre Clark (Montréal), Southern Exposure (San Fransisco), Stride (Calgary), O’Born Contemporary (Toronto) and YYZ (Toronto). Their work has been recognized by numerous grants from Toronto, Ontario and Canada Arts Councils, the latter awarding them the Joseph S Stauffer Prize for Emerging Artists in 2008 as well as a 2013 Paris Residency. Visit her website.

“My teaching strategies employ a balance of critical discussion and contemplation. More than anything I believe that imagination, curiosity and the drive to challenge oneself are the most necessary elements to be nurtured in art students."

Visit her website here.

Sarvenaz is an Iranian visual artist now based in Toronto. She received her BA in Painting and Visual Communication from Art University in Tehran. She has exhibited her work internationally and has recently participated in group exhibitions at Urban Space, Evergreen Brick Works and Capital One in Toronto. Last summer, Sarvenaz led People & Trees, a SPARK project about the life of trees that culminated with an art installation in East York’s Dentonia Park.

Susie Whaley attended Rhode Island School of Design and the Galasso School of Design. She has worked in arts education for over 20 years. In addition to teaching at the Avenue Road Arts School, and Haliburton School of Art and Design, Susie is the Community Program Manager with VIBE Arts in Toronto. VIBE Arts is a non-profit providing free arts education to approximately 8000 children and youth, who have limited access, across the GTA annually. In 2015 Susie was commissioned to design and create The Honsberger Award, a medal awarded to one outstanding lawyer annually by the Toronto Lawyers Association.