Helen Humphreys
Helen Humphreys is award-winning the author of seven novels, four books of poetry, and three works of creative non-fiction. She lives and works in Kingston, Ontario. Her latest books are the novel, The Evening Chorus, which was a finalist for the Governor General's Award for Fiction in 2015, and The River, a creative non-fiction meditation on a stretch of river in southern Ontario. Her next book will be The Ghost Orchard, forthcoming from Harper Collins in 2017.
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Susan Close PhD
Susan Close is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Architecture and a Senior Fellow at St. John’s College, both at the University of Manitoba. Her book, Framing Identity: Social Practices of Photography in Canada (1880-1920), was published by ARP in 2007. This study was supported by a Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) doctoral fellowship. Her research interests include photography and the built environment, social activism and design, identity, gender, and visual culture.
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Shawna DempseyShawna Dempsey is one of Canada’s best-known performance artists. She and collaborator Lorri Millan have created pieces such as We’re Talking Vulva, a five-minute rap featuring giant female genitalia, and Lesbian National Parks and Services, a multi-media project in which uniformed Rangers protect the fragile lesbian ecosystem. Dempsey and Millan are also known for performance installations that engage the public, such as Grocery Store (a functioning grocery store in the Exchange) and Wild Ride (a carnival midway on Toronto’s Bay Street during the financial crisis). Their work has been featured in women's centres in Sri Lanka and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. They have also published books (Lesbian National Parks & Services Field Guide to North America and Bedtime Stories for the Edge of the World), and curated exhibitions at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Dempsey is also Co- Executive Director of MAWA, Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art.
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Ina Baas-PennerIna Baas-Penner B.A, M.A., is a retired health care chaplain whose clinical areas included acquired brain injury, dementia care, geriatric assessment and palliative care. Ina’s long held interest in the interplay between spirituality and art, and how these support a person’s well-being, informed her spiritual care practice.
Ina’s personal artistic practice involves paper and pencil, sometimes paint; mostly she enjoys working with fabric and thread. Ina is also an avid reader who enjoys poetry. Ina is married to her best friend, Jim, who struggles to keep Ina’s feet on the ground (quite literally) as she works and plays on their little piece of Eden in the rural municipality of Ste. Anne. |
Michael BossMichael Boss is an artist and educator living in Winnipeg, Canada. His artwork ranges from drawing and painting to photography, sculpture, installation, performance and poetry. His work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions across Canada, in the United States, Australia, Germany and Ukraine. Michael held the position of Assistant Professor of Fine Art at Mount Allison University and Lakehead University. He has also taught art at other post-secondary institutions in Manitoba and Ontario. He was Head of Education at The Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba in Brandon for 7 years and, from 1998 to 2014, was the Head of Studio Programs at The Winnipeg Art Gallery.
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Shayani TurkoI am a Spirit-taught artist, blogger, and art-facilitator.
I am also the Dreamer-in-residence at Dreams in between Spaces and the founder and facilitator of Awakening a Bold Love Story. During a difficult time in my life, the Spirit taught me that “art is the compassionate alternative to healing soul pain" and introduced me to the process of intuitive creative expression. Through this process I learned the art of self-compassion; I understood how to listen, name, explore and ultimately express emotions, thoughts and experiences in my life, with colours, and without judgement. When I started to paint, it was mostly to help myself navigate through pain. But as I continued, I was rewarded by the discovery of who I really am, which led me to identify incredible dreams for my life. I AM ARTIST. One of my dreams is to encourage people with beauty. Dante said that beauty awakens the soul to action. I believe this wholeheartedly. In the safe space of creative play, I facilitate others to discover the beauty in the cracks, and broken spaces of their lives. Through quiet creative evenings, I teach people to listen, name, explore and give voice to the pain and hope; the fear and faith; the expectations and the disappointments; the unresolved and the abiding realities of their hearts. Giving voice to yourself and to others is an act of justice. I am alive the most when I am facilitating dreamers to awaken to who they are and to boldly give voice to their dreams through creative expression. |