KIMI Mentor Roster

The Knowledge Incubator & Mentorship Initiative (KIMI) is a new program from ReDefine Arts (RDA) that provides opportunities for artists, arts workers, and community organizations to connect with experienced mentors, share knowledge, and develop projects that make a social impact. The program supports artists and community organizations to grow their creative practice through mentorship, skill sharing, and community learning. For more information, visit the KIMI webpage and the KIMI FAQ.

The full roster of KIMI Mentors is listed below. A plain text version is available here.

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ID: A person with short light hair stands indoors wearing a brown leather jacket and dark shirt. They hold black headphones to their ears, looking past the camera with focus against a neutral white-and-gray background.

Mentorship Availability: Online.

Mentorship Focus: 

• Devised practice
• De-centering sight through a creative process
• Dramaturgical support (e.g., developing ideas, scripts, music, or movement)
• Grant/proposal writing (guidance and feedback)
• Creative access approaches
• Curatorial feedback or critique
• Project development and feedback
• Navigating career paths in the arts

Mentorship Interest: Theatre artist, film maker, interdisciplinary artist, and/or writer.

Bio:
Award-winning, Canadian artist Alex Bulmer has over 35 professional years’ experience across theatre, film, radio and education. She is fueled by a curiosity of the improbable, dedicated to collaborative practice, and deeply informed by her experience of becoming blind.

Alex is founder of Blind Imaginings and Fire and Rescue Arts, which de-centres sight from imagination to creation. She established the groundbreaking New Writing department with Graeae Theatre in the UK, and is the writer of multiple BBC radio dramas, Breathe which opened the London 2012 Olympics, Dora-nominated plays SMUDGE and Perceptual Archaeology, and co-writer of the UK’s BAFTA-nominated television series Cast Offs. Alex has been involved with international Disability arts since 1990, and took lead creative roles in a number of short Disabled-led films including the award-winning Beauty, Finding A Sky, and Awake.

She is currently co-editing Rebellious Bodies and Radical Acts with Coach House Press, and researching Blind Directing with support from Arts Council England.

Artist Statement: 
To this mentorship, I bring over thirty five years of passion for Disabled-led art, and a need for the unexpected, undetermined and unpredictable infinity, aka creativity,  beyond “normal”.

My creative practice unfurls like the grooves of a vinyl record—circular and ongoing, gathering and iterative. I am currently exploring Blind time, the world in my hands and feet, Blind imagining and de-centering sight from concept to creation.

Values include openness, listening, rest, kindness and the virtues of inefficiency.

Link: alexbulmer.co.uk

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ID: A smiling woman with wavy brown hair and bangs stands outdoors beside a tree. She is wearing a brown sweater. Soft-focus sunlight filters through the forest behind her.

Mentorship Availability: Online, in person in the Ottawa Valley.

Mentorship Focus: 

• Rural arts ecosystems
• Conceptual development (for exhibitions, performances, or new projects)
• Self-representation (crafting bios, artist statements, CVs)
• Curatorial feedback or critique
• Project development and feedback
• Navigating career paths in the arts
• Arts administration

Mentorship Interest:

• Emerging artists
• Organizations wishing to engage with the arts

Bio:
Anya Gansterer is a curator, community arts facilitator, arts advocate and promoter of rural cultural, tourism and economic development in the unceded and unsurrendered Ancestral territory of the Algonquin Peoples, now known as the Ottawa Valley. 

Anya’s professional experience spans over 25 years and includes: municipal culture and tourism coordinator, Madawaska Valley Studio Tour, curatorial projects and a consulting practice. Anya is the Artistic Director for Ottawa Valley Community Arts and is currently working with partners to establish The Art Gallery of the Ottawa Valley. 

Anya is passionate about supporting artists and creative people to reach their artistic and professional goals. Through her advocacy and consulting practice, she also supports businesses and organizations to engage with art and culture as a means to social, environmental and economic sustainability.  

As Artistic Director for the Ottawa Valley Community Arts, she works collaboratively to promote the integration of art into the lives of individuals, families, and communities across the Ottawa Valley.

Artist Statement: 
I am a first generation Canadian of mixed European parents living on the traditional land of the Algonquin Peoples. A reoccurring theme in my work is the question of belonging and finding place in a transplanted world. I look to trees, plants and the natural world for guidance. I approach my practice grounded in an understanding of the reciprocity between all beings in our world.

My public facing artistic practice is curation. I enjoy distilling the stories of a time and place and working with diverse points of view to create an engaging experience. In my personal practice, I often work with textile and collage to support my wellbeing amongst the complexities of our world.

I am based in the Ottawa Valley and focus my practice on supporting rural artists and growing our arts ecosystem, however collaboration with other regions and lived experiences is exciting.

Link: ov-caos.org

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ID: A person with short curly hair smiles while holding headphones to their ears. They are wearing a red t-shirt, a black-and-white patterned shirt, and have a tattoo on one arm. The neutral background is grey.

Mentorship Availability: Online, in person Greater Toronto area.

Mentorship Focus: 

• Helping to build confidence and create more equal opportunities in the theatre community.
• Dramaturgical support (e.g., developing ideas, scripts, music, or movement)
• Conceptual development (for exhibitions, performances, or new projects)
• Creative access approaches
• Working in cross-cultural contexts (e.g., a disability-identified artist working with an artist/organization who is not disability-identified)
• Relationship and audience building
• Ethical community engagement
• Artistic processes and methods

Mentorship Interest: 

• Deaf and disability led theatre creation
• ASL performance

Bio:
Juan Jaramillo is a Deaf artist who works in theatre, dance, and visual performance. He has been involved in acting and dancing for most of his life, using ASL and movement to communicate ideas and emotions. His work focuses on making the arts more accessible and creating opportunities for Deaf performers.

His theatre projects, such as Fernando and His Llama Friend and But The Truth Is…, were performed with full Deaf casts and explore themes of communication, identity, and collaboration. Recently, he has begun researching new ways to combine ASL and dance, experimenting with how sign language can be integrated into musical interpretation and visual movement.

He continues to learn, create, and share his experience through mentorship and collaboration, supporting other artists as they develop their own creative practices.

Artist Statement: 
My work is focused on theatre that is accessible and inclusive for everyone. I believe Deaf and disabled artists should have more open doors and real opportunities to create and be seen. My practice combines ASL, movement, and visual expression to make theatre that connects with people through feeling and understanding, not just sound.

I often collaborate with both Deaf and hearing artists to build performances where sign language is part of the story, not something added later. 

I enjoy helping others learn how to make theatre more inclusive and respectful of different ways of communicating.

What drives me is seeing Deaf and disabled artists lead the way.... on stage, behind the scenes, and in creative decision-making. Theatre should reflect all of us, and I want to keep pushing that forward.

Link: linktr.ee/juan.jaramillo

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ID: A woman wearing glasses and a navy blue top smiles warmly. Her dark hair falls around her shoulders. Soft indoor lighting casts a glow against a neutral background.

Availability: Online, in person in Toronto.

Mentorship Focus: 

• Growing authentic self-expression via embodied exploration
• Dramaturgical support (e.g., developing ideas, scripts, music, or movement)
• Creative access approaches
• Artistic processes and methods

Bio:

Junia Mason is a dance artist, educator, and writer. A co-founder and former company member of COBA (Collective of Black Artists), a Toronto-based Dance company working within a cultural and social Africanist aesthetic, Junia honed artistic skill while broadening her cultural knowledge. Her dance education includes ballet, modern dance (Dunham, Limón), contemporary African dance (Vincent Mantsoe); dance fundamentals (Christine Wright) and advanced teacher training for people living with Parkinson’s (Sarah Robichaud, David Levanthal).

In her performance career she has worked with choreographer Noémie LaFrance, Djanet Sears, adri zhina mandiela, Weyni Mengesha, Casimir Nhussi (Nafro Dance), Maxine Heppner, Bill T. Jones, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, amongst other artists. 

Junia has designed and facilitated dance and movement workshops for community-based organizations and education bodies promoting self-agency, and creative expression essential to well-being – her artistic work and community engagement align with these principles. Junia earned an MA (York University) and is completing a PhD in Education.

Artist Statement: 

Self-awareness and personal growth gained through my journey as a dance artist and educator inspire me to explore movement improvisation as a pathway to authentic self-expression. By tapping into the body’s innate wisdom, we learn to trust our instincts, ignite creativity, and embrace limitations as invitations for self-discovery.

My passion lies in guiding the curious, the hesitant, and the bold through movement explorations that affirm their sense of self and deepen their comfort in their own skin. This work invites participants to step out of hiding and express themselves—authentically, joyfully, and without apology.

I engage with movement as a means to enrich our relationships with ourselves and with the communities we create together.

Link: Junia's Moving Bio

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ID: A woman with long blonde hair, wearing a high-neck black top, smiles while standing against softly lit gray fabric.

Mentorship Availability: Online, in person in Toronto.

Mentorship Focus: 

• Dramaturgical support (e.g., developing ideas, scripts, music, or movement)
• Conceptual development (for exhibitions, performances, or new projects)
• Creating safer spaces in creative practice
• Creative access approaches
• Working in cross-cultural contexts (e.g., a disability-identified artist working with an artist/organization who is not disability-identified)
• Self-representation (crafting bios, artist statements, CVs)
• Relationship and audience building
• Ethical community engagement
• Curatorial feedback or critique
• Project development and feedback
• Navigating career paths in the arts
• Arts administration
• Artistic processes and methods
• Overcoming artistic blocks

Bio:

Kathleen Rea danced with Canada’s Ballet Jorgen, National Ballet of Canada, and Tiroler Landestheater. Her life’s course changed 25 years ago when she fell in love with contact improvisation and has devoted her career to this dance form ever since. She has choreographed over 50 dance-works and been nominated for 7 DORAs. She has a learning disability that results in writing taking 8 times longer than average. It is a surprise and mystery for her that despite these struggles she developed a love of writing and is a published author (“The Healing Dance”, and two blogs). She has a Master’s Degree in Expressive Arts Therapy and has a passion for functional movement through her study of the Axis Syllabus. She is the director of REAson d’etre dance production, producing dance jams, film festivals, and productions. In explaining what it is like to live with autism she also has been drawn into educating the world about neurodiversity.

Artist Statement: 

I strive to provide artistic expression through movement that is inclusive of age, ability, level, or background. I create, stage, and program dance works based on Contact Improvisation, embracing the inclusiveness that this dance form offers. My vision is for both professional artists and everyday people to be inspired by and invigorated through dance.

Link: reasondetre.com 

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ID: A woman with long hair smiles warmly in a black-and-white photo. Soft lighting highlights her face, creating a relaxed portrait.

Mentorship Availability: Online.

Mentorship Focus: 

• Grant/proposal writing (guidance and feedback)
• Technical support (materials, processes, technologies)
• Relationship and audience building
• Project development and feedback
• Arts administration

Bio:

Lindsay Fisher is a Deaf artist, designer, and community builder living in Kingston, Ontario. As founder of Creative Connector, she has built a national online hub dedicated to amplifying the voices of Deaf and Disabled artists and fostering accessible, inclusive cultural spaces. Over the past two decades, Lindsay has worked at the intersection of art, design, digital strategy and advocacy, creating projects that explore identity, storytelling, and community. Her own artistic practice focuses on textile works that reflect themes of beauty, difference, and belonging. Beyond her artwork, Lindsay is passionate about cultivating spaces where artists can thrive—connecting people, sparking collaborations, and reimagining what access in the arts can look like. She brings warmth, creativity, and a strong belief that art has the power to shift attitudes and open up new ways of being together.

Artist Statement: 

My artistic practice continues to be informed by a deep curiosity about beauty, self, belonging, and connection. Growing up deaf and with a facial difference, I often lacked the community, language, and role models that might have helped me see myself through a positive lens. That absence shaped my understanding of identity and beauty, and it continues to drive the work I create today. Artmaking, for me, is both a personal and communal act: a way to process and reclaim, but also a tool for fostering connection and belonging. I gravitate toward processes that allow time for reflection, intimacy, and care. Through this practice and my work at Creative Connector, I strive to illuminate overlooked stories and build spaces where difference belongs. Ultimately, my work is about creating openings—for myself and for others—to find ourselves and our voices.

Link: creativeconnector.art 

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ID: A woman with shoulder-length black hair smiles warmly. She wears a black top and blazer and red lipstick, posed against a plain light gray background.

Mentorship Availability: Online, in person in Toronto.

Mentorship Focus: 

• Dramaturgical support (e.g., developing ideas, scripts, music, or movement)
• Conceptual development (for exhibitions, performances, or new projects)
• Grant/proposal writing (guidance and feedback)
• Navigating career paths in the arts
• Artistic processes and methods
• Overcoming artistic blocks

Mentorship Interest: 

• Open to mentoring anyone, but often can offer Asian artists some specific cultural knowledge and perspective

Bio:

Born in Tkaronto (Toronto) to Hong Kong immigrants, Marjorie is a writer and director for opera, theatre, and various intersections of performance including collective forms. As a writer of over 20 major works, her opera and plays have been performed in the US, Hong Kong, Russia, Scotland and across Canada. Two of her plays, CHINA DOLL and LADY SUNRISE were finalists for the Governor General’s Literary Award. She has been nominated for 11 Dora Awards (spanning performance, writing and directing) and is the recipient of 4 awards. Marjorie has also received the K.M. Hunter Artists Award, Entertainment World Award (Best New Work), Harold Award, Bra D’Or Award, as well as the George Luscombe Award for Mentorship. Her most recent play, THE YEAR OF THE CELLO, which premiered at Theatre Passe Muraille, was co-created with composer Njo Kong Kie and will see a Cantonese-language production in Macao in the fall of 2026. She most recently adapted the novel DO NOT SAY WE HAVE NOTHING by Madeleine Thien into an opera with composer Tim Brady. Marjorie is also the Artistic Director of Theatre Passe Muraille.

Artist Statement: 

With over 30 years in the theatre industry, working at various intersections of the stage form, I have experienced and been privileged to a wide range of work and processes. Some of the constants include: 

Music – I am deeply passionate about my work in opera as a librettist as well as the story-telling potential of music. I feel that the possibilities of opera and music offer profound emotions and scale that no other artwork can achieve. 

Accessibility - I began a journey when I first starred in a production that required me to learn ASL. Following that, a Deaf friend wanted to attend the premiere of my play, but there was no access for him. Since then, I have been passionate about theatre that can be more inclusive. 

Collaboration – I very much value the opinions and people in a room. I think the most meaningful and beautiful work comes from a collaborative and sharing spirit. There is no work more important than the well-being of the people involved.

Link: marjoriechan.com 

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ID: A woman sits outdoors in profile, wearing a black hat, white embroidered top, and layered beaded necklaces. Her black hair is braided. Plants and a wooden fence are in the background.

Mentorship Availability: Online, in person in Toronto.

Mentorship Focus: 

• Dramaturgical support (e.g., developing ideas, scripts, music, or movement)
• Conceptual development (for exhibitions, performances, or new projects)
• Ethical community engagement
• Project development and feedback
• Artistic processes and methods

Mentorship Interest: 

• People of colour, Indigenous, Latin American, performing arts

Bio:

Mexican of Yoeme/Basque heritage, performer, choreographer, and instructor living in Tkaronto, Norma works in different modalities within the arts blending dance, physical theatre, vocals, percussion, and text with cultural and traditional themes in a contemporary context.

Norma has studied with international artists such as Jerzy Grotowski, Eugenio Barba, Natsu Nakajima, Tascabile di Bergamo, Kei Takei, Pol Pelletier, Charles Koroneho, among others. 

Norma is the co-artistic director of Vanguardia Dance Projects, a collective promoting Latin American and Indigenous of the Americas dance artists. She holds a master’s degree in dance ethnology from York University and she graduated from the Expressive Arts Therapy Program at CREATE Institute. She supervises students and Expressive Arts and psychotherapists/practitioners. Her work has been presented at different venues in Tkaronto, throughout Ontario, Montreal, Hungary, California, Rochester, NY, New York City, Colombia and throughout Mexico.

Artist Statement: 

My fundamental principles are based on the research I conducted over two years called “representational art” (dance theatre performances with an anthropological view). These fundamentals are influenced by the work of Jerzy Grotowski and Eugenio Barba, international theatre directors who have had a major impact on my work.

For me, the process is the most important element in creating a piece. I see the interpreter as an individual with a history, background, feelings, desires, barriers, and inhibitions, all of which are reflected in the creative process. The artist and the individual are one, affecting and enriching each other.

Repetition is a crucial element because it allows one to reach a state of perception different from everyday life. It opens a window to primary impulses and our interior consciousness. It is authentic and honest because it reflects my own life.

Being open to disciplines beyond dance and theatre is also a vital part of my creative process and, ultimately, the outcome of that process. The use of music and visual arts enriches the expression of dance and theatre, and embracing a multidisciplinary approach allows me to connect more closely to the “origins” when the arts were not separated but integrated with each other.

Link: vanguardiadanceprojects.com 

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ID: A person with short, dark brown curly hair and glasses is seated and laughing warmly. They wear a black top and rest their hands are loosely clasped. The portrait is black and white, with a bright, plain background.

Mentorship Availability: Online, occasionally in person in Toronto.

Mentorship Focus: 

• Dramaturgical support (e.g., developing ideas, scripts, music, or movement)
• Conceptual development (for exhibitions, performances, or new projects)
• Creating safer spaces in creative practice
• Writing an access rider
• Working in cross-cultural contexts (e.g., a disability-identified artist working with an artist/organization who is not disability-identified)
• Project development and feedback

Mentorship Focus: 

• I'm especially interested in mentoring someone with a strong point of view that they're looking to explore and who prioritizes accessibility and care in their practice.
• In terms of art form, I feel most confident supporting someone in writing, storytelling, performance and facilitating/designing spaces, concepts, collaborative processes and experiences. 

Bio:

Ophira is a writer and performer whose recent credits in TV and theatre include One More Time (CBC), Rubble and Crew (Treehouse TV), Wordsville (TVOKids), Dino Dex (Amazon Prime), The 52 (Museum of Toronto) and their solo show Literally Titanium, which has been featured as a case study in accessible production.

Ophira has also taught workshops and provided mentorship internationally on storytelling, accessibility and disability narratives. They have co-created and led the Disabled Producers Lab, worked as the inaugural creative director for the Accessible Writers’ Lab, and supported the design and facilitation of several other programs including AccessCBC and the ReelAbilities Film Festival Toronto.

Additionally, Ophira has curated a number of multi-disciplinary disability arts projects including Making Space: Stories of Disabled Youth Past and Present and Dis/Play, a public media arts project that projected the stories of over 50 Deaf and Disabled creatives onto exterior building walls.

Artist Statement: 

I understand art as a community practice. We’re inspired, learn, and grow both from and with the people around us, and then share those reflections back through our craft, with each audience member bringing their own experience to each piece. And of course, when we work collaboratively, as most of us do in some way or other, we are building little communities ourselves, with all the beautiful and messy things that brings. 

I believe that how we create is just as important as what we create. I use the phrase ‘crip the script’ to describe the kind of practice I strive for. To me, it means challenging, reframing and reclaiming language, systems, stories and spaces, learning from disability justice and leading with care. 

Some of my favourite words and phrases: collective access; delicious tangles; stories; agency; intention; pressing pause; the bubbling energy that comes with great collaborations.

Link: ophira.ca 

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ID: A person with long, straight dark hair smiles widely. They wear round glasses and a long-sleeved purple, black, and green color-blocked sweater. Their hands are clasped in front of them. The background is a smooth gray gradient.

Mentorship Availability: Online, occasionally in person in Toronto.

Focus: 

• Conceptual development (for exhibitions, performances, or new projects)
• Creative access approaches
• Working in cross-cultural contexts (e.g., a disability-identified artist working with an artist/organization who is not disability-identified)
• Project development and feedback
• Navigating career paths in the arts
• Arts administration

Bio:

Sean Lee (he/they) is an artist and curator exploring the assertion of disability art as the last avant-garde. Orienting towards a “crip horizon”, his practice explores the transformative possibilities of access aesthetics as an embodied politic that can desire the ways disability disrupts.

Sean is currently the Director of Programming at Tangled Art + Disability. He holds a B.A. in Arts Management and Studio from UTSC, and was recently the ACM Artist-in-Residence at UTSC. 

Sean has been working at the intersection of art and disability for the last decade, adding his insights and perspectives to conversations across Canada, the US, and internationally. He has been a returning faculty at the Banff Centre, and serves regularly as an instructor for institutions such as NODE Curatorial Studies Online, Humber College and the Goethe Institute. He currently serves on the board of the Toronto Arts Council (TAC) and CARFAC Ontario, and is Chair of TAC’s Visual and Media Arts Committee. Previously, he has served on the boards of the8Fest and was Board Chair for Creative Users Project; peer assessment panels for the Ontario Arts Council, Manitoba Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, Ford Foundation (USA), etc.; advisory committee for City of Toronto’s Action Plan for Toronto’s Culture Sector and Ontario Art Council’s Deaf and Disability Advisory Group.

Link: criticaldistance.ca/profile/sean-lee/

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ID: A smiling woman with shoulder-length dark hair and glasses looks directly ahead. She wears a pink top under a cardigan and a long beaded necklace with a circular pendant. She sits on a yellow couch, against a white wall.

Mentorship Availability: Online.

Mentorship Focus: 

• Working in cross-cultural contexts (e.g., a disability-identified artist working with an artist/organization who is not disability-identified)
• Ethical community engagement
• Artistic processes and methods

Mentorship Interest: 

• Disability-identified artists

Bio:

Sylvia Tennisco is an Algonquin cultural artist based in the Ottawa Valley, working across a variety of mediums including illustration, painting, photography, and multimedia. With over 25 years of experience in the visual arts, she holds a degree in Visual Creative Arts and Graphic Design and has received multiple awards throughout her academic career, beginning with the prestigious Arts Program at Ottawa’s High School of Commerce.

A proud alumna of St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Sylvia also earned her Multi-Media Certification from Toronto Image Works. Early in her career, she became a published illustrator for Cree language children’s books with the Cree School Board of Quebec. Following this, she returned home to deepen her connection to Algonquin culture, focusing her work on First Nation themes that celebrate animals, nature, and people.

Sylvia’s public art can be seen throughout the Ottawa Valley, including murals with local school boards and community spaces. She is an active participant in the Madawaska Valley Studio Tours since 2017 and the Ottawa Valley Community Arts Pop-Up exhibitions since 2019. Her artwork is displayed in communities from Pikwakanagan to the City of Ottawa, including prominent locations such as Lebreton Flats, Pimisi LRT Station, and Pindigen Park. In 2022, her work was officially acquired for the City of Ottawa Art Collection.

Through her art, Sylvia Tennisco celebrates Algonquin culture while creating connections between communities, nature, and heritage.

Artist Statement: 

I thrive on creativity and love exploring new mediums, whether in my intimate studio or out in nature painting en plein air. My artistic practice is driven by a curiosity to continually learn, experiment, and express ideas in unique and meaningful ways. I am inspired by fresh concepts, bold themes, and creative challenges that push me to grow as an artist and connect more deeply with the world around me.

Link: facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057623500689

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ID: A woman wearing a black top and a clear glass bead necklace smiles. Her light hair is pulled back. Soft interior lighting highlights her face. A glass and lace sculpture is suspended beside her.

Mentorship Availability: Online, in person in the Ottawa Valley

Mentorship Focus: 

• Glass exploration and learning
• Conceptual development (for exhibitions, performances, or new projects)
• Technical support (materials, processes, technologies)
• Self-representation (crafting bios, artist statements, CVs)
• Portfolio development or review
• Project development and feedback
• Artistic processes and methods
• Overcoming artistic blocks

Bio:

Tanya Lyons graduated with honours from the Sheridan College glass program, studied at the University of Art and Design Helsinki, Finland, The Atlin Art Centre in BC, and the Toyama Institute of Glass Art in Japan. She taught glass at Sheridan College, was a resident at the Harbourfront Centre and on the Board of Directors for the Glass Art Association of Canada.

After 14 years in Quebec, Tanya has moved back to Ontario. She teaches at the Haliburton School of Art and Design, collaborates with the Ottawa Valley Community Arts organization and was the Coordinator of the Madawaska Valley Studio Tour. Tanya uses glass with natural and found objects to express her experiences, thoughts and questions about the world and who we are. Her work has been exhibited throughout North America, Europe and Japan and is in many private and public collections including the Musee National des Beau-arts du Quebec.

Artist Statement: 

I have always been a gatherer, collecting and taking in objects, moments and memories. With glass, I discovered a material that had a life of its own, rich with qualities and full of endless possibilities to reflect life. I fell in love with clear glass and the strength it held. I started to combine glass with natural objects to reflect moments and emotions. 

Making life-size glass dresses to express the idea of changing how you feel as simply as changing your clothes. 

Questioning our identity and the roles we play in society. Creating pieces that trigger thoughts and raise questions.

After working in clear glass for 25 years, I started working with coloured glass, exploring change and the transition of colours.

I've returned to the Ottawa Valley, to the rocks, trees and water, to a place that heals and inspires. Drawing importance to the environment that surrounds and supports us.

Link: tanyalyons.ca

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ID: A person with short black hair sits in profile, looking toward the camera with a steady gaze. They wear a black leather vest and orange pants. Their left arm has a sleeve tattoo. Dark theatre curtains are in the background.

Mentorship Availability: Online, occasionally in person in Toronto.

Mentorship Focus: 

• Creative access approaches
• Relationship and audience building
• Navigating career paths in the arts
• Arts administration
• Artistic processes and methods

Mentorship Interest: 

• Taiko facilitation and curriculum development

Bio:

Wy Joung Kou is an interdisciplinary artist and arts worker based in Toronto. Their body of work includes mosaic, public art, performance, composition, media and installation. Wy-J has exhibited, produced commissioned work, and gained recognition as an independent mosaic artist within the Toronto disability arts sector. They have been a Performing Member of RAW Taiko since 2019 and a core staff member as of 2023. Prior to that, they worked for nearly a decade with ReDefine Arts in the realms of community-engaged art, permanent public art, large scale mosaic production, digital storytelling, and more.

Artist Statement: 

As a disabled artist, I approach my practice with flexibility, responsiveness, and patience for the ever-evolving landscape of chronic illness. My focus discipline may vary from year to year, but at my core I am driven to explore languages of expression beyond words; the textures and movements of grief, the sounds and rhythms of joy, the shape and sheen of longing, transformation, and persistence. As a teacher, I am fulfilled by opportunities to share knowledge in cultural & community specific contexts, and to build intergenerational learning spaces for queer people, people of colour, and disabled folks.

Link: wyjoungkou.com

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ID: A woman stands between two large drums, holding drumsticks mid-motion. She has short dark hair and wears a black top with a red sash. A lit drum behind her glows warmly against the dark background.

Mentorship Availability: Online.

Mentorship Focus: 

• Conceptual development (for exhibitions, performances, or new projects)
• Creating safer spaces in creative practice
• Curatorial feedback or critique
• Project development and feedback
• Artistic processes and methods

Mentorship Interest: 

• Asian, Asian-Canadian, queer, dance, music [arts/artists]

Bio:

Young was born in South Korea and immigrated to Boston Massachusetts when she was 7-years old. She began studying music (viola) at the age of ten, attending New England Conservatory, Prep Division and Walnut Hill School of Performing Arts.

She attended Eastman School of Music and then transferred to Oberlin College, where she also studied modern dance. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Music from Oberlin College, she pursued further music and dance studies at University of Michigan, where she received her master’s degree. In 1992, she co-founded SAFMOD (Cleveland, OH), a multi-disciplinary performing arts group that focused on the creation of original dance, music and visual art. As Artistic Director of SAFMOD from 1993-2004, she created numerous original dance choreography, influenced by movement styles like Butoh, Contact Improv, capoeira and stilting.

She joined RAW Taiko in 2007, became Artistic Director in 2017. She is also the Festival Director of Toronto Taiko Festival.

Artist Statement: 

Fierce creativity and courageous openness.

Link: rawtaiko.ca 

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