There are no doubt many artists to celebrate, however, these three Black Canadian artists have been on the collective radar of many for their illustrious work.

• Brian (Kelechi) Amadi
  
  Brian Amadi is a self-taught semi-realistic and surrealistic painter born in Nigeria, rooted in St. Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador. Looking at his artwork, it’s no wonder that he is also a tattoo artist. The depth, imagination and fanciful approach to his work is beautiful. He’s extremely passionate about art. Always immersed in fictional literature, where I’m sure some of the storytelling and landscapes of his favourite books spill onto his canvas. Amadi is big on cultural participation, feedback and community. He believes, “...the clearer we can see our community, the more we can act consciously in it.
  
  Notable mentions: In 2022, Amadi was commissioned by BIPOC Creators Collective and Eastern Edge to create an anti-racist-themed mural outside Eastern Edge Art Gallery in St. Johns and Labrador. Presently, Amadi has a piece included front and centre at Grenfell Art Gallery in conjunction with The Association of New Canadians and The Rooms, exploring the migrant experience to Newfoundland. Making Homes Here asked the artists to share their artful perspectives on the challenges of relocating, domesticity, marginalization and the importance of multiculturalism. Amadi’s piece depicts a hand reaching out to a crystal blue sky, illuminated by a brilliant sun. The hopefulness and prospect of reaching beyond what’s doled out by the system for a new life are undemandingly captured.
  
  He’s also your quintessential Renaissance man, displaying his love for the arts in poetry, fashion and other mediums he excellently dabbles in. There’s no doubt there is so much more on the horizon for Amadi, and he’s just getting started.
  
  
  
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• Stanley Wany
  
  This artist’s work falls under various creative banners such as paintings, drawings, installations and graphic novels. Stanley Wany is a multi-disciplinary artist who deep dives into exploring identity and cultural myths in his work. Residing in both Ottawa and Montreal, he has studied his craft in both cities. Wany holds a BA in Arts and Design from the Université du Québec en Outaouais and will be graduating this year with a Master's in Fine and Media Arts from Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM).
  
  Over the years, his works have been collected locally in Canada, and internationally in the U.S., Australia, France, Finland and Portugal. Using our rich tapestry in Black history, Wany includes many of our nuances and culture in various stages of his art to educate us and honour our blackness. Whether he’s naming a piece or interpreting his perspective, his outlook on Afro-descendant persons in Western society is ever-present.
  
  Notable mentions: In 2018, Wany was involved with an artist residency in Finland. Before his time away, he was continuously immersed in ideas relating to his art. After seven years of experimentation and exploration, in 2021, his love for writing and drawing graphic novels collided. Wany published Helem, his first pictorial graphic novel with Conundrum Press. 2022 saw Wany taking part in an exhibit with Black Artists’ Networks In Dialogue (BAND) called Opacity: Obscured Meaning. The distinguished creative sits on the Board of Directors at the Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG), and his most recent exhibit in 2024, Unpredictable Spaces, was received with rave reviews.
  
  Clearly, we need to give Wany his flowers for being a creative OG. The many outlets he dabbles in will provide years of beautiful art for us to enjoy.
  
  {https://www.instagram.com/p/CgMhDqUgmMP/?hl=en&img_index=1}
  
  
• Letitia Fraser
  
  We don’t talk enough about the art form of quilting. I wasn’t aware of the rich history Black Canadian communities had in correlation to the craft. I always equated it to American history, not thinking of its prominence in use with secret codes used to help slaves escape using the Underground Railroad in Canada. First familiar in clothing in China, the Middle East and North Africa, quilts are now primarily known in the creation of bedcovers and wall art.
  
  Interdisciplinary artist Letitia Fraser uses the quilt-making craft as a way to depict her stories of family in everyday life and her experiences as a Black woman growing up within Black Nova Scotian communities. Fraser’s pieces are sizeable, from three to six feet. She infuses portrait painting and quilting together, drawing inspiration from her grandmother’s works. Her pieces of acrylic on quilt are stunning.
  
  Fraser’s studies at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) supported her journey, graduating with a BFA in Interdisciplinary Arts. Born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, she weaves her storytelling together via the use of paintings and textiles.
  
  Notable mentions: Fraser has been on the Canadian art scene for several years. She’s been a part of group exhibits including Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (Family Patterns, 2022) and Icehouse Gallery in Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia (I Am What I Am, 2021). Fraser also held many solo shows in Canada at Zalucky Contemporary in Toronto (Binding Threads, 2022), and the Chester Art Gallery in Nova Scotia (Every Chain, 2022) alongside others. She has also contributed to writer Craig M. Smith’s book The Journey Continues: An Atlantic Canada Black Experience and Black Girl, Black Girl by Angela Bowden as an illustrator. Presently, her exhibit This Is My Fabric will run until June 2024 at Woodstock Art Gallery in Woodstock, Ontario.
  
  Fraser’s art is about connecting to her audience and presenting the ability to see oneself and the Black experience reflected in her pieces. She seeks to keep the art form of storytelling alive via a medium we should all familiarize ourselves with accordingly.
  
  {https://www.instagram.com/p/CwVVE1HLbGR/?img_index=1}

Canada is home to many creatives whose work can be found in prestigious galleries or with a quick Google search. Attend the exhibits, follow their socials and tell a friend about your discoveries—cultural participation is crucial. For Black History Month (and beyond), let’s celebrate Black artists across Canada who are putting in the work and continue to share their creative gifts with the country.