DIVERSITÉ FEMININE DIVERSITY (DFD)

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Donna Lynn Debassige Brinkworth is an Ojibwe artist living in Edmonton, Alberta. When Donna first started painting, she made copies of Morrisseau’s work to practice the woodland style and develop her own version. Not as abstract as Morrisseau, she prefers semi-realistic images with recognisable animals such as polar bears, eagles and ravens.

Raneece Buddan, an emerging interdisciplinary artist, is quickly making her mark. Born and raised in Jamaica of an Afro-Caribbean mother and an Indo- Caribbean father, her eye-catching art intertwines a mixture of both heritages. Raneece explores media combinations using textiles and synthetic hair to broaden her understanding of the cultures she comes from.

Madhu Kumar was born into a military family in India in 1963. She had her first brief exposure to painting in the eighties, but her parents encouraged her to pursue teaching for the stability it offered. Madhu moved to Regina, Saskatchewan in 2013 and enrolled in art classes at the University of Regina. Madhu believes that art acts as a universal language.

Erica Donovan, an Inuvialuit artist from Tuktoyaktuk, takes inspiration from the land and the skies to craft beautiful earrings. Crafting has been a trade that has been passed down from generation to generation by the women in her family. 

Dawn Oman, an established painter in Nova Scotia spreads cheerfulness with her joyful acrylic paintings. Moving between foster homes she grappled to find any stability. She embraced her artistic skills and drawing became a happy escape from her living situation.

Bushra Yousaf, an Edmonton based visual artist. Growing up in Multan, Pakistan she mastered sketching and drawing at a young age, and her skills quickly became well known in her community.

Mohar Gupta, a Calgary-based interdisciplinary artist and art educator, heals her community through art. Growing up in India, her childhood was a whirlwind of Indian culture. Starting her art career was much harder than  expected and fitting into the art community was difficult. 

Emerging interdisciplinary artist, Corinna Wollf explores herself and her environment through many forms of art. Born to a Red River Métis mother and a Mennonite father, Corinna spent time with both, but never fully explored her own identity within those cultures until later in life.

Elsa Robinson is a mixed media artist, sculptor and painter born in Toronto, Ontario and raised in Jamaica. She currently lives in Edmonton, Alberta. Growing up in Jamaica, art supplies were scarce, forcing Elsa to look to other objects (shells, rocks, grasses) for her art. 

Autumn Whiteway, a Saulteaux Métis archaeologist and visual artist overturns colonial narratives through powerful digital art and photography. Spending her childhood displaced from her community in Barens River, Manitoba, she felt a disconnect to her culture growing up.

Avy Loftus, a Montreal-based interdisciplinary artist, explores the world through a variety of mediums including textiles, drawings, oils and watercolours, adding a unique perspective with her Indonesian, Mongolian and Dutch heritage.

She incorporates batik into her art.

Linda Ould is an Edmonton-based multi disciplinary Métis artist who specializes in acrylic painting and crafting. In First Nation culture, nature is especially important, and in most of Linda’s work, nature provides an outlet for her creativity. Linda explores many types of art and media.

Christina Ignacio-Deines, an Edmonton based artist, designer, and event producer, creates inclusive and beautiful spaces. As a child of immigrant parents, she was raised Canadian with little connection to her Filipino roots.

Ravina Toor, an Edmonton based interdisciplinary artist, is working to create inclusive spaces within the art world. Her work highlights her Punjabi heritage as well as her Canadian identity.

Gloria Ho is a watercolourist who grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, where she currently resides. Her parents are Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong. Her work is illustrative, comical, inviting, and in a way magical. 

Josephine Nakafeero, a Ugandan sustainable fashion designer, is ready to make her mark in Canada. Through her fashion design company, Jose House of Creations, Josephine goes beyond upcycling to empower those around her. 

Natalie Melara is an emerging multi-media artist whose work explores her relationship to her “composite identity” as a Salvadoran Canadian. She is constantly evolving her idea of “in-between” spaces as an artist and a mother.