Amira Alamary is the owner/founder of Areej Artists Centre in Toronto.

Nehassaiu deGannes expresses her artistic practice through the worlds of both theatre and poetry. A natural-born storyteller, she follows in the tradition of African griots who used ancestral memory, physical movement, vocal presence, and the power of language, to engage with their communities. Covid-19’s far-reaching impact has included a gutting of the global arts community, and its impact on the theatre world has been no less demoralizing.

Dawit Tibebu is an Ethiopian photojournalist in Toronto who has been practicing photography for almost a decade. In an exhibit that runs from October 8, 2020 to November 1, 2020, Dawit presents a series of photos entitled Freedom "Fighters: Ethiopia" at the Black Artists’ Network in Dialogue (BAND) Gallery in Toronto. The exhibition is sponsored by the Royal Bank of Canada.

“Art is the physical representation of feeling.” Jaylah Hall Possessing wisdom beyond her years, wunderkind Jaylah Hall knew from the age of 12 who she was, and what she wanted to be. Preadolescence isn’t usually a time when most people can boast enough of self-awareness to know that their uniqueness isn’t a handicap; especially when you’re Black.

(Photo by: Marie-Anne Letarte) In Canada, we pay a lot of lip service to our brand of multicultural mosaic, usually without an understanding that the mosaic extends beyond just language or skin colour. It’s the “culture” within that “cultural mosaic” that causes the most trouble between different camps in society, (particularly when a certain camp considers themselves the native culture to which all others must assimilate). Manuel Mathieu asks the viewer to consider that our worlds are interconnected in ways that they may have never considered.

Bio Photo: Courtesy Sarah Martin Nathan Eugene Carson is a multifaceted, multidisciplinary artist, whose trajectory has been less dictated by the hierarchical confines of what an artist is supposed to do, and more guided by an intuitive understanding of what an artist is supposed to be. Carson brings the same freedom of thought and expression encouraged by his creative familial upbringing into his first major solo exhibition at The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery.

(Photo: Kimani Peter captured by Latoya Powell/Ryersonian) A meeting of beats, hearts and minds is set to emerge online July 4 thanks to Kimani Peter, founder of LOUD.army, a music technology startup. The 27-year-old bespectacled Brampton, Ontario resident has spent most of his waking hours these past several weeks building a virtual stage for Black artists and Black activists to thrive and vibe during the third iteration of UP2SUMIN.

“The subject matter of my work is, and will always be Black, because that’s my experience and perspective. However, the theme of my work is humanity. I try to tell the story of the beauty and humanity in the Black body; something the visual culture of our society has long tried to distort or deny. BLOOM showcases the resiliency, power, and beauty of several amazingly talented black women excelling in their fields.”  -Benny Bing

George Fynn found his purpose at a young age. It all began with a feel for music which grew into a passion. That passion blossomed into a career as a DJ, radio show host, theatre producer, and event promoter. With over 25 years in the media and entertainment industry, George knows what it's like to weather the storm. 

Dawit L Petros has a unique perspective to offer on migration, colonization, and how all that intertwined history impacts us today. His current work, “Spazio Disponibile” (Available Space), reflects on Italy’s African colonies and Italian migration to North America in the period between the two World Wars, during which around 40,000 Italians came to Canada alone.