RITUAL ARTS ENDEAVOUR IS PROUD TO PRESENT
THE CYCLES OF: BIRTH, LIFE & DEATH
THE CYCLES OF: BIRTH, LIFE & DEATH
The cycles of birth, life and death are a commonality shared across time, cultures, races and religions, with rites of passage and initiation often forming core beliefs within a culture. Since our earliest records, humans have made visual representations of our lives, and for many centuries since, artists have communicated spiritual concepts through visual means to create understanding for their communities.
Given this significance, Ritual Arts invites artists to explore the stories, memories, ceremonies, and deeper meanings of these cycles within their own personal and cultural contexts, in order to express and dialogue between our unique viewpoints.
We are happy to announce that the 2nd Annual Ritual Arts Exhibition will take place this coming November at Calgary’s cSpace in Marda Loop. Our change of venue opens new doors to the possibilities around the inclusion of expanded performing arts showcases alongside the visual art exhibition which will now remain active for public viewing for the entire month of November.
We are also extremely excited to announce that we are hosting Internationally renowned artist, dancer and teacher, TIARE VALOURIA from Portland, Oregon for the 2023 exhibition. This stunning and dynamic artist will be performing in both performance gallery showcases as well as teaching a one-day, Ritual Theatre Immersion encompassing her system of Elemental Fusion Dance. To learn more or to sign up for the workshop, PLEASE CLICK HERE to visit the Body Art Motion website.
~ WE ARE OFFICIALLY AT FULL CAPACITY FOR OUR GRAND OPENING EVENT ~
Please note that the visual art show is a free public exhibition and will be running until November 25th.
✧ THE VISUAL ARTS EXHIBITION – NOVEMBER 2023
This year’s visual arts exhibition contains over 35 talented and diverse artists! We are so honoured and humbled by the level of creativity, originality and thought that has been generated around the theme of The Cycles of Birth, Life & Death. The visual arts exhibition will be open to the public from November 2nd to November 26th, 2023 ( with the exception of the evening of the Grand Opening, which is a ticketed event ).
The exhibition is being held in the lower hallway gallery of the cSpace Marda Loop building, just outside of the Studio Theatre entrance. The space is open from 8 AM to 8 PM.
✧ FEATURED PERFORMERS ✧
~ Land Recognition ~
CHANTAL STORMSONG CHAGNON
Chantal Stormsong Chagnon
Website: cree8.ca
Instagram: @stormshadowsong
LAND RECOGNITION / OPENING SONG
Chantal Chagnon is a Cree / Métis Singer, Drummer, Artist, Storyteller, Actor, Educator, Workshop Facilitator, Social Justice Advocate and Activist with roots in Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, Saskatchewan. She shares Traditional Indigenous Songs, Stories, Culture, History, Arts, Indigenous Craftsmanship and Teachings. Chantal has presented in Classrooms from Preschool through University and Professional, Community, and Social Justice Events and Gatherings. Chantal aims to entertain, engage, enlighten, educate, and inspire everyone she meets.
A Two Spirit single mother of two boys, and twin girls, she understands societal struggle first hand. Chantal has been an activist for over 25 years, organizing events within community with a focus on building allies and alliances. Chantal is an advocate for marginalized voices, including Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls & Two Spirit (MMIWG2S), Women’s Rights, Racial Inequity and Environmental Initiatives. Chantal is passionate about building awareness and sharing understanding of Indigenous culture, spirituality, social justice and political issues. She creates opportunities for cooperation, education, and empowerment everywhere she can.
Chantal recognizes sharing culture and building community is an integral part of building bridges of understanding and acceptance. Chantal is a compassionate woman, who believes that a healthier, fairer, more sustainable Canada is possible as we make decisions for future generations to come.
Artistic Disciplines: Singing | Ceremony
*NOTE: Performing Friday Night Only
~ Featured Headliner ~
TIARE VALOURIA
Tiare Valouria
Website: tiarevalouria.com
Instagram: @tiare.valouri
Youtube: @TiareValouria
RITUAL ARTS HEADLINER – TIARE VALOURIA
Tiare Valouria, (She/Her) Is an animist, and multi-disciplinary artist based in the ancestral lands of the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Chinook, and Tualatin Kalapua, Mollala tribes – also known as Portland, OR.
Mystically driven, theatrical dance is her passion while her specialties are Fusion Bellydance, Classical Temple Dance, Vaudeville & Ritual Theatre. She was born and raised in the Hawaiian Islands and spent her formative years dancing classical ballet and Kahiko in the Hula Halau, while also studying numerous courses in theatre arts, which continued well into her adult life. Portland is where she began her career as a performer, & toured with a circus for 8 years eventually growing into the role of teacher, choreographer, director and producer. She birthed the Valourian Theatre company there, and has produced a considerable number of shows in the Pacific NW, always bordering on the avant-garde and conjuring the wyrd. Some production history includes: The Mystic Parlor, Shatter Spell, APSARA, the Salon L’Orient series, Bogville, The Grand Bazaar & the Witches Ball of the West. Ceremonial embodiment has been a lifelong pursuit and study for her, and all of her mystical practices have always played a role as key components in her Ritual Theatre offerings. It is her personal mission to bring about an awakening in the collective of the sacredness that is in everything, inherent magical power and the responsibility that comes with it within the web of consciousness. She has been blessed with the amazing opportunity to teach Ritual Theatre – and Elemental Fusion in 8 different countries, and she is now pouring all of her loving attention into her dance school at www.animara.life
She is a certified Vinyasa yoga instructor, Vajrayogini/Chod Initiate and devotee of Hekate with an extensive background in Theatre, Fusion Bellydance, Indian Classical Temple dance, Modern Contemporary, Vaudeville, Ballet, Hula and Butoh. She currently offers regular Moon Yoga and Elemental Fusion Dance classes through Animara. Tiare always sets a goal for keeping her classes fun and encouraging, with a teaching approach that is pleasantly informative, fused with a focus on feeling good in your body, therefore easy to digest and always inspiring.
Artistic Disciplines: Dance | Ritual Theatre | Teaching
BODY ART MOTION
Body Art Motion
Website: bodyartmotion.com
Instagram: @bodyartmotion
Facebook: @bodyartmotion
YouTube: @bodyartmotion
Body Art Motion is a school for movement and mystery studies. Similar to a yoga or martial arts system, a spiritual purpose underlies our dance practice and performances. Our classes are open to all humans with any level of experience who desire to exercise their body in a way that includes mind, heart and spirit.
We tell stories through fusion movement arts, myth, tarot and astrology. Our Conjure Motion style is consciously created to travel the hermetic tree of life and sources inspiration through dance, music, mystery and ritual. Embodying a diverse and ancient language of celestial symbols, our movement influences are full spectrum from Middle Eastern, African, Polynesian, Indian and Modern dances, to martial arts, yoga and EDM subculture.
Artistic Disciplines: Dance | Performance | Teaching
VIVIAN HANSEN
Vivian Hansen
Website: vhansen.ca
Facebook: @Vivian-Hansen
I am a writer, poet, and teacher of Creative Writing. I have taught various levels of poetry (Introductory, Prose Poem, and Manuscript Creation) at Alexandra Writers Centre. I teach for the Faculty of Continuing Education with the University of Calgary, in the Certificate Program in Creative Writing. Courses taught: Creative Writing Explorations, Creative Nonfiction, and a final mentor project. I have mentored privately, and with the Writers Guild of Alberta. I have worked as a Story Coach in the Author Development Program with the Alexandra Writers Centre. I am currently mentoring a poet in the Borderlines Writing Circle. I hold a BA in English from the University of Calgary, and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of British Columbia.
Vivian’s publications include three full-length books of poetry, Leylines of My Flesh, which chronicles the experiences of Danish Canadians in western Canada. A Bitter Mood of Clouds was released in 2013, and records the life and times of Arne Petersen, who received sex reassignment in Denmark in 1953. Most recently A Tincture of Sunlight (2017), the story about Old Man, a WWII veteran, biologist and life commentator. Vivian has published recent essays in Coming Here, Being Here (ed: Don Mulcahy, Guernica Editions 2016), and in Waiting (University of Alberta Press 2018). She has a short piece in the Calgary Public Library Dispenser Series (2019) “Where We Surfaced.”
Artistic Disciplines: Poetry
DORIENNE PROULX
Dorienne Proulx
Website: Little Star Artistry
Instagram: @little.star.artistry
My nickname is Dori, a name I’ve had since I was young. Onnagooshin-Anung (Evening Star) is my spirits name given to me by my elders. I am an Ojibwe-Cree Metis woman, with roots in Manitoba. I currently reside in Treaty 7, with my family and partner. I am a powwow dancer, artist, and community member. My goal behind Little Star Artistry is to honour my grandfather, who survived residential school and continue to preserve our traditions and art.
Artistic Disciplines: Dance
TINA MARIE
Tina Marie
Instagram: @missgingasnap
Tina Marie has been performing in Calgary for nearly 10 years. Taking part in burlesque, belly dance, tribal fusion, circus arts and music. No modality of creating art is off limits.
Over the last 5 years she has found medicine in playing ukulele, writing music and poetry is always been a passion of Tina’s but has not felt the ability to share it until this past year. Writing music is a very therapeutic process and has become Tina’s primary ritual in the processing and release of this wild ride we call life
Artistic Disciplines: Singing | Songwriting
SPARQ PRODUCTIONS
Spaq Productions
Website: sparqproductions.com
Instagram: @sparqproductionsincc
Facebook: @sparqproductions
Tania Lemos Malpuria and Vishal Malpuria are founders of SPARQ PRODUCTIONS and bring over 30 years of collective experience from the world’s largest film industry to Calgary. They are enthusiastic and energetic Professional Choreographers and Directors whose mediums include Corporate Instruction, Music Video Choreography and Live Dance Performance Choreography, both locally and on an International level. Having worked with numerous reputable artists within Indian Cinema and having the experience of choreographing and working on Live International Concert Performances, Tania and Vishal, are thrilled to bring their experience to Calgary.
They have had the unforgettable opportunity of working with Oscar and Golden Globe winner Mr. A.R. Rahman of Slumdog Millionaire, as well as to open for Michael Jackson, for his concert in Mumbai, India. They were also the ONLY Bollywood choreographers chosen to put forward a team for Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II, at the 2005 Alberta Centennial Celebrations held in Edmonton. It was also an honour for them to be bestowed the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Pins here in Calgary. In 2015 they received the South Asian Excellence Award for Cultural Icon. On November 19, 2022 they were honoured with the South Asian Inspiration Award for Outstanding Achievement in Arts, Culture and Entertainment. They are also one of the finalists for the Immigrants of Distinction Awards 2023, winner to be announced on November 2, 2023. They have supported many charities through their events – Canadian Transplant Association, Calgary SCOPE Society, Canadian Red Cross, Kids Up Front, YYCharity, Bullying.org and The Sun Life Arts + Culture Pass through the Calgary Public Library Foundation
Artistic Disciplines: Dance
DAVID SCHMEIKAL
David Schmeikal
Website: davidschmeikal.com
Instagram: @davidschmeikal
David has played in the world of design, brand and business for 15 years. With depth in many areas, he’s learned to embrace his versatility as a core strength rather than the weakness it was seen as among the world of specialists he navigated.
4 years ago poetry, writing and speaking became his creative outlet. This guided meandering through his chaotic thoughts and ideas became an indispensable tool in his arsenal to express himself.
Over the last decade, David has unraveled the many stories and beliefs he’s carried around that still influence the steps he takes and the ones he doesn’t.
With no formal training in writing or performance and a pure heart that knows the way, David ventures forward with an open curiosity and productive impatience to lean into the creative process and just put it all out there.
Artistic Disciplines: Poetry | Spoken Word | Performance
MADDY STELLAR
Maddy Stellar
Instagram: @maddystellarmusic
Facebook: @maddystellar
Maddy has been a very musical creature her whole life and has used this an emotional outlet to no only heal herself but heal others. She writes about real life events and experiences with the intention of reaching others to show them that they are not alone and they too can overcome these stepping stones in life. Her music ranges from witchy hard rock to tribal beats to funny little ukulele songs about those embarrassing times in life, expressing them as story through each song. Maddy is inspired to make music by the feeling she gets when playing or writing, it’s just the energy in the air, the emotional ties and healing properties it has.
Artistic Disciplines: Singing | Songwriting
DRSD
DRSD & De-Anne Weekes
Website: drsdcalgary.ca
Instagram: @drsdcalgary
Born on the beautiful Caribbean island of Trinidad, De-Ann uses her Afro-Caribbean culture to encourage young men and women to believe in themselves. Her vision for D Rhythm Soul Dance Experience is to capture hearts through the creative and interpretive use of Creole dance styles mixed with classic dance techniques. Her work can only be measured by the volumes spoken of her by others.
Artistic Disciplines: Dance
ZARIA RAJHA & MARIO OBEID
Zaria Rajha & Mario Obeid
Instagram: @error404_dancefound
Zaria Rajha and Mario Obeid are movement artists and choreographers who share a deep passion for exploring human existence through dance. Graduates of the Higher Institute for Dramatic Arts, Damascus, Syria where they received professional training in dance, as well as in dance choreography, theatrical movement, mime, and puppetry, Zaria and Mario co-founded Error 404 Dance Found Collective and became the artistic directors of Error 404 performance, establishing themselves as rising artists in the Canadian dance scene. They have co-choreographed and performed works for different festivals and cabarets, including the Quick+Dirty Festival (Dancer Studio West), the Grand Residency Cabaret (Grand Theatre), and Fluid Festival (Springboard Performance), receiving the audience choice award.
Zaria’s background in hip-hop, and contemporary dance, combined with Mario’s roots in bboying and breakdance, result in a fusion of movement that is both innovative and deeply moving.Recently in 2023, they created and produced their show “Error 404” at the Grand Theatre, further showcasing their talent and creativity. Their performances are known for a unique style of choreography that skillfully combines comic joyful moments with dramatic infusions, leaving audiences enthralled and emotionally connected to their artistry.
Artistic Disciplines: Contemporary Dance
PAIGE THOMPSON
Paige Thompson
Instagram: @paige.j.thompson
Facebook: @Paige Abbott Arts
Paige is both a painter and a sculptor. Her sculptures always have an element of taxidermy about them, and her paintings (typically done on Mylar) and sculptures have common themes of life, death and rebirth due to growing up on a farm in Saskatchewan and constantly being emersed in nature.
She received her BFA from the University of Regina back in 2006 and has since been consistently working on her art form and evolving her style.
Performing Thursday night only.
Artistic Disciplines: Poetry
✧ FEATURED ARTISTS ✧
{ IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER }
APIOW AKWAI
Apiow Akwai
Website: apiowakwai.com
Instagram: @apiow_akwai
Apiow Akwai is a South Sudanese emerging visual artist based in Calgary, Alberta. She discovered her passion for arts at the age of six. What started as a creative outlet led to her deep respect and appreciation for the arts.
She first became interested in pursuing a career in visual arts after attending her first exhibition devoted to Michelangelo Merisi Caravaggio at the National Gallery of Canada. Caravaggio’s style incorporates raw and haunting emotions that resonate deeply with Apiow as an artist; greatly inspiring her work. Her work primarily consists of portraits, decapitated human figures with mesmerizing landscape backgrounds that captivate the viewer’s attention. She uses deliberate compositions and symbolism to shed light on the dark and beautiful chaos of emotions that is intentionally portrayed across all her work. The use of art therapy and self-discovery are tools Apiow uses as inspiration when creating a new body of work. She graduated from Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning in the Visual and Creative Arts program; with hopes of becoming a registered art therapist. She is currently working towards a degree in Psychology with a minor in Family Studies at St. Mary’s University. She has worked with non-profit organizations such as the Centre for Newcomers and The Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada and has spearheaded art-based initiatives to inspire young people from low-income communities to have an outlet. She has over seven years of experience working with youth in educational, recreational programming, mentorship as well and teaching visual arts.
Apiow is working on a new project for the City of Calgary Northeast Public Art Initiative with a budget of $42,000. Her project will be installed this fall in the Blackthorn community. She also curated her first solo exhibition titled “Delirious Soul” which was funded by Calgary Arts Development. Her work was exhibited at cSPACE King Edward from October 4th to November 27th, 2022. Apiow has been selected for the Artist as Changemaker Residency with Trico Changemakers studio, Mount Royal University and Calgary Arts Development. The Artist as Changemaker Residency challenges artists to collaborate with other organizations in Calgary to tackle social issues through the arts. Apiow has partnered with the non-profit organization Centre for Newcomers to offer weekly painting classes to youth ages 14 to 24 years old. By offering art-based programming to participants, Apiow hopes to help build interest in the arts and encourage youth to find what they are passionate about. She wants to use this residency as a steppingstone into encouraging other arts organizations in Alberta to think of non-profit organizations like Centre for Newcomers who can benefit from arts-based programming for under served youth in Calgary.
Artistic Disciplines: Painting
BECKY BANACK
Becky Banack
Website: blindcreekcraft.ca
Blind Creek Craft Co. started with a desire to have something that was my own creative outlet. I have always loved to make things, there is just such a sense of accomplishment in being able to make something from bare wood and turn into art that makes my heart and soul happy.
I have lived in the North most of my life, Blind Creek Road was a place where my family raised Sled Dogs as a kid. My dad passed away before I founded my business, naming my company after a place that brought him so much joy, was such a special way to honor him and his memory. I currently reside near the Peace River just outside out Fort St. John.
This year I had my first Solo Art Show “Pieces” at Peace Gallery North. I created 30 statement pieces, with one of them winning and Honorable Mention in the “Open Sky” Juried Art Show.
Artistic Disciplines: Sculpture, Wood Working
‘BUNNY’ BATISTA
Brian 'Bunny' Batista
Website: brianbatista.com
Website: atelierartista.com
Instagram: @brianbunnybatista
Brian “Bunny” Batista is a practicing artist and operates the art school Atelier Artista in cSPACE King Edward Marda Loop. He graduated from ACAD in 2001 with distinction and the board of governors award and was the valedictorian his graduation year. He co-founded the Calgary Underground film festival which has now passed its 20th year. Bunny is the current president of the Calgary Allied Arts Foundation and continues to be active in the Calgary Arts Community. Bunny is a man of many skill and talents, He tattoos on the weekends when he’s not working in the studio. He does big mural projects with Metrographics for park projects all over Canada. He currently he loves painting and drawing the figure from live model regularly as well he instructs classes all over the place, hosting figure events, workshops etc. as he barely sleeps and spends most of his time in the studio. If you’d like to check out his work or livestream videos you can check out his personal site brianbatista.com or the site of the school atelierartista.com.
Artistic Disciplines: Painting | Drawing
LUCIE BAUSE
Lucie Bause
Website: luciebause.com
Instagram: @luciebauseart
Lucie has studied English Literature at Trent University in Ontario, Spanish Language and Literature at Universidad de Granada in Spain, and Fine Art and Design at the Alberta University of the Arts in Calgary, Alberta. She has been granted The Mentor Artist-Educator Certificate from Learning Through the Arts from The Royal Conservatory of Music. She also studied through the Foundation for Shamanic Studies and recently completed a Therapeutic Arts Practitioner Certificate Program through the Canadian International Institute of Art Therapy (CiiAT) in Victoria, BC.
Her artwork is inspired by Nature. Patterns, cycles and rhythms in Nature on micro and macro levels inspire and inform her work and life. The cycles and seasons of life, death and re-birth, as well as ebb and flow and seasonal migrations in the natural environment, as well as within the human body. She loves to explore and discover new ideas and media. She works with acrylic paint, photography, land art, video and mixed-media. She has travelled from the Arctic to the Andes and the Amazon, and her extensive travels and rich cultural experiences inform and influence her artwork and world view.
I am passionate about exploring the connections between creativity, art-making and healing, and sharing these opportunities in the community. I am an enthusiastic and insightful Visual Artist-Educator and group facilitator who designs and delivers fun and creative experiential art-based workshops for public and private events for children, youth and adults.
Artistic Disciplines: Painting | Photograph | Installations | Mixed Media
JAI BENTEAU
Jai Benteau
Website: zephrym.ca/
Instagram: @zephrym.art.music.life
For as long as I can remember, art and the creative process have been a fundamental cornerstone in how I choose to move through the world. My life has had many varied paths, each providing new context, inspiration and fuel for this creative fire that burns deep in my soul. I identify as an interdisciplinary artist who is passionate about blending visual and performance art with auditory landscapes and immersive environments. The thread that ties them all together is a deeper soul connection to spiritual identity and self-knowledge.
As an artist, I give shape to both the seen, and more importantly, the unseen. I find dynamic ways to transport others into a world of my own making, breathing life into my creations. This act of curating creative experiences is what drives me forward, pushing me past obstacles of vulnerability and uncertainty. My art tells the story of my soul. It speaks to my truth and the inspiration that fuels my spirit. In a world where it’s easier to keep my feelings safely locked behind closed doors, it’s through art that I’m able to forge a vital connection to the public.
Artistic Disciplines: Painting | Sculpture | Music | Installation | Drawing
CAMILLE BETTS
Camille Betts
Instagram: @camilliobestevez
Camille is a Calgary based artist who graduated in 2006 from ACAD with a Sculpture major and attended Toronto’s Canadian Film Center in 2009 for professional development with Interactive Arts and Entertainment. She exhibited extensively in Calgary between 2008-2019 and has shown her work for two years in the Grove Gallery at Shambhala Music Festival. Volunteering for different festival art departments on her summer vacations for over a decade has been a big part of her art practice. Over the last five years she has taken time to spend with her family in Summerland BC to reflect and grow as an individual and artist, looking back on previous contributions and what she aspires to bring forward as an artist in the future.
Artistic Disciplines: Sculpture | Installations
ELENA BUSHAN
Elena Bushan
Website: elenabushan.ca
Facebook: @elena.bushan
I am a professional visual artist and muralist living and working in Calgary, Alberta. My work has been featured in shows in Canada and Europe and can be found in many private collections around the world.
My interest in drawing and painting began in early childhood, and I was accepted into art school at age eight. I studied fine arts for more than 15 years in my country of birth, Moldova, before moving abroad. Painting became more than my passion; it is my way of living now. I cannot imagine a day passing when I am not expressing myself artistically through my paintings, drawings, or sculptures.
My art is driven by emotions, feelings, passions, or dreams of the moment, muses which always inspire my best work. All the beauty of life also inspires me: nature, people, plants, animals, colors, and textures.
I like to combine both realism and abstract art in my art, and I work in various techniques: oil, acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, alcohol ink, charcoal, pastel, digital art, and clay. I am continuously exploring new media.
I have a special passion for mural painting.
In 2017, I was the recipient of the Canadian Immigrant of Distinction Award for Arts and Culture, as a tribute to my contribution to the Calgary artistic community.
Artistic Disciplines: Painting | Drawing | Sculpture | Murals | Mixed Media | Digital Art
LORA D’AGNILLO
Lora D'Agnillo
Instagram: @loradagnillo
My name is Lora D’Agnillo. Part of what I love about painting is manipulating fabulous colours around a canvas and seeing forms start taking shape – they have a life of their own. It goes beyond this though; painting (and dancing and really any form of creativity) is an excellent exercise in focus and concentration, of practising flowing, of detachment, and also of processing emotions. We humans can experience such overwhelming feelings, emotions and behaviours. Directing our attention to moving them through is essential to transmuting these influences.
I also really appreciate what transcends time and what is ancient; symbols, archetypes, shapes and patterns. Creating is purposeful and grounding, it transforms grief and we can feel joy and gratitude. A Holy Act indeed! All of the landscapes (inner and outer) I’ve lived in, loved on and experienced have influenced me; the light on the elements, the colours, textures and energies; what the Earth grows is my deepest inspiration! There is truth found in witnessing how the lands breathe, and in natural cycles.
Artistic Disciplines: Jewellery | Painting
DIANE DIN EBONGUE
Diane Din Ebongue
Facebook: @diane.dinebongue
Instagram: @bonamundi
Diane Din Ebongue is a Cameroonian-born and French-raised interdisciplinary artist and arts manager passionate about intangible cultural heritage, empowerment processes and knowledge sharing through arts. She holds a Master’s of Science, Arts and Techniques of Image and Sound from Aix-Marseille University in France. Her artistic practice includes video, photography, creative writing, painting and mixed media installations. Two main themes are recurrent in her practice: the perception and representation of skin tones in digital media and the connection between Bantu expansion, Ancient Egypt and Western civilization. Every time she chooses a medium, she explores its ability to serve as a common vocabulary for people who do not share the same cultural referents. Creating artwork is an opportunity for her to build a safe environment where complex matters can openly be discussed through a universal dialogue that transcends the barriers of philosophical beliefs and cultural sensitivity. Her work has been selected for competitive residencies, exhibitions, publications, festivals and film screenings in France, Cameroon, Belgium and Canada.
Artistic Disciplines: Painting | Mixed Media | Installations | Photography
DOUGLAS DRIEDIGER
Douglas Driediger
Website: dougdriediger.com
Doug Driediger is a Calgary-based artist, muralist and a graphic designer who graduated from ACAD in 1980 with an honours diploma focusing on painting. He is also the Founder and Creative Director of Metrographics (1981), a multi-disciplinary design and advertising studio that specializes in fine-art-based problem solving.
Doug’s art career has a national reputation for excellence; he is a juried member of the Graphic Designers of Canada, and a juried member of Canada’s prestigious National Watercolour Society, the CSPWC. With a focus on large-scale public art, Doug is best known for his interpretive work for Parks Canada/Alberta Parks, as well as iconic murals (done for CUPS, the Petroleum Club and the Calgary Exhibition & Stampede) visible in downtown Calgary. In total he has completed over 40 murals across Western Canada. Doug’s illustrations have been commissioned by the Canadian Government, Parks Canada and the Royal Alberta Museum, and his personal art is included in several significant collections including a major purchase award by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.
Artistic Disciplines: Painting | Muralist | Mixed Media | Graphic Design
CAITLIN FAST
Caitlin Fast
Instagram: @eternal_fantasy
Caitlin Fast is a Calgary Artist, Originally from Northern BC.
Using her background in Massage, and Holistic healing she incorporates her passion for connection and patterns into each of her pieces. Caitlin’s spiritual practice and research has inspired a newfound love of paint and recycling to express and understand newly forming concepts and stories. Studying Astrology, Myths of Ancient Civilizations, Symbolism, Personal Psychology, Human Biology and Natural Rhythms of the universe. This Collection of work is inspired by Sacred Geometry,Yogic Chakra Energy, Mandalas and symbols found all over the world. Art allows the viewer to interact with the mind of a artist/individual. Caitlin believes that every person has the capacity for artistic expression if given the opportunity to explore and play. Caitlin uses a Blend of Recycled Fabric, Mixed Mediums and Acrylics in a bold colour palette, to express her unique views of the universe. Painting beyond the edge of canvas, filling the space with radiant light and love.
You can follow her art @ Eternal_Fantasy on Instagram or by visiting Cunning Folk Pagan Emporium, Didsbury, Alberta
Artistic Disciplines: Painting | Mixed Media | Textiles
ELENA FAUSHTEYN
Elena Faushteyn
Instagram: @elena_faushteyn_art
I was born in 1980 in Tiraspol, Moldova. When I was a child, I began to show creative ability but was against standards of art education. However, I attended painting classes where I could express myself more freely.
At the age of 36, I have already had experience living in four countries (Moldova, Ukraine, Turkey, Canada) different cultures, travelling around the world. Being a mother of two sons and having stored up plenty of emotions and experience finally, I began my development as an artist. I was eager to art innovation and started to create art objects in my own way. The peculiarity of my style is to use uncommon stuff and recyclable materials. It usually takes quite a lot of time to construct harmonious art objects with the above-mentioned materials to make the audience be surprised, inspired and filled in with energy. My works are based on my own emotions and feelings. The aim of my art is transformation of one’s personality.
For the last years, besides creating paintings and pictures, I have taken part and fulfilled myself in different art projects.
In addition, when it was necessary I attended private painting classes, illustration and neurography courses, psychological trainings, right-hemisphere painting training, learned symbolism, astrology, human design. Moreover, I attended singing classes.
Artistic Disciplines: Mixed Media | Painting
TERRY GREGORASCHUK
Terry Gregoraschuk
Website: terrygregoraschuk.com
Over the past 45 years, I have developed a reputation for supplying unique works of art in a multitude of mediums and styles to both the private and corporate sectors and have participated in over 200 exhibitions at the local, national and international levels. The style of my artwork ranges from high realism through to expressive, folk and abstract, hence my motto “One Artist – Many Visions”. I have worked and collaborated together with Architects, Art Consultants, Engineers and Art Committees on several corporate or public art commissions including Canada Post Corporation, Environment Canada, The Royal Tyrrell Museum and The City of Calgary.
My latest body of artwork visually portrays the trials, tribulations and joys of gender identity and diversity through the eyes of a cisgender heterosexual man. This thought-provoking body of work is intended to educate, enlighten
and engage the public’s perception about gender identity. In my spare time, I love to cook, travel and write fiction literature, with my manuscript entitled “Boxes” placing in the top ten in the “2014 Clive Cussler Adventure In Writing Competition.”
Artistic Disciplines: Painting | Mixed Media | Sculpture
SERAH HEDIN
Serah Hedin
Website: serah-hedin.squarespace.com/
Instagram: @langsam.dyed.goods/
Serah Hedin is a fibre artist and herbalist living and working in Calgary, AB. Her work explores the pursuit of natural colour from foraged plants and mushrooms to historical dye extracts. In her most recent works, she connects with the nature world around her, finding links to the present and past. The process of natural dyeing leaves a lasting imprint on the fibers preserving layers of experience.
Serah has taken course study in the Fibre Arts program at the Kootenay School of the Arts: Centre of Craft and Design in Nelson, BC and Weaving at the University College of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford, BC. Serah continues to build upon her knowledge of natural dyeing and weaving through studio time and study with other artists in Canada, the United States and Mexico. Hedin has shown weaving, embroidery and installation work in group exhibitions in Vancouver, BC. She also teaches weaving and natural dyeing for groups and individuals.
Artistic Disciplines: Textiles | Fibre Arts
TEIKA HUDSON
Teika Hudson
Website: goldengryphontattoo.com
Instagram: @teikahudson
Teika has always lived a life of art, forever trying to express and recreate the world around her. Mainly self taught, her unorthodox approach to art education has allowed her to pursue unique artistic passions in varying, unconventional ways. Citing a love of body art, Hudson began tattooing full time in 2004, and enjoys a multitude of styles. She owns a small private studio in NW Calgary, called Golden Gryphon Tattoo, and is excited to continue building on a comfortable, creative space.
When creating simply for hobby or pleasure, she finds the most enjoyment in illustration, her heart leaning toward the comic books and cartoons of her youth.
Artistic Disciplines: Painting | Mixed Media | Sculpture | Printmaking | Drawing | Textiles
CHARMAINE HUSUM
Charmaine Husum
Website: www.centreoftheheart.com
Instagram: @soulflowerssacredgeometry
I am passionate about raising the vibration of those around me and the intersection between healing and how art allows for that to come about. I do this daily with Ritual, Sacred Geometry, Meditation and Magic, of course! As a Registered Art Therapist and Somatic Counsellor, my work is also about moving through difficult experiences towards a path of transcendence and healing. I am fortunate to have shared my work around the globe but it is here in Calgary that I feel most at home.
My current works of art have focussed on the relationship between the Sacred and Science. Recreating geometric patterns represented in nature as inspired representations of the Flower of Life, Angels, Metatron’s Cube, Platonic Solids, Merkabah, Vector Equilibrium, Toroidal Field, Fibonacci Sequence and more. Often referred to as Sacred Geometry, my process in creation comes from deep reflection, meditation and connection to spirit or an energy beyond my own. I am simply the tool that energy passes through to create what you see and feel in the art work. Enjoy and Blessings!
Artistic Disciplines: Painting
SKYE KACSMAR-MAYOH
Skye Kacsmar-Mayoh
Instagram: @pineandpidgeon
Skye is an artist, dreamer, and gentle hearted being, creating art inspired by slow ways of being and noticing, of living gently and thoughtfully. Having grown up in the forests of BC, Skye is inspired by the interconnection of living things and the cycles existing in nature. With nuance and curiosity, she explores themes of vulnerability and intimacy, and works towards creating implied narratives that are ambiguous, leaving room for uncertainty. She is drawn to ideas of metamorphosis, becoming and unraveling, and of decay and death nurturing new life and growth. With delicate colours and material applications, Skye seeks to encourage opportunity for introspection, softness, and slowing down.
Artistic Disciplines: Painting | Mixed Media | Drawing
PRISCILLA LIU-TCHENG
Priscilla Liu Tcheng
Instagram: @syrupstitches
I am both fascinated and terrified of the process of death, decay and decomposition. The idea of new life and growth from something so inevitable and so ominous gives me a sense of acceptance. I have currently been exploring the infinite functions of fungi, mold and mildew in my embroidery. Fungi are a beautiful reminder that we must allow the end of life for an abundance of new organisms.
Artistic Disciplines: Fibre Arts
NIKKI MAK
Nikki Mak
Website: www.mikkinak.com
Instagram: @mikki.nak
Hi, I’m Nikki (she/her). I’m a self-taught artist living in Calgary, Canada. As a hobbyist gardener, armchair bug catcher, and aspiring back alley surgeon, I find inspiration in botany, entomology, and anatomy. I use these influences to create bold and graphic art that blurs the line between nature and dreams.
I will be documenting my artistic journey on my public Patreon. (Launch April 12) I’m really excited about observing the artistic process as the art itself through ritual.
Artistic Disciplines: Digital Art
CANDICE MARTINUK
Candice Martinuk
Website: www.wanderingstonestudio.ca
Instagram: @wanderingstonestudio
Candice Martinuk is a creator and maker residing in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta. She has been sharing her work with the world, under the banner of Wandering Stone Studio, since 2018. Creating from found and unexpected materials has been a constant in her adult life. It started with painting scrap materials collected while working in construction. Finding macrame helped open up a whole new world. Pairing past and present gave way to creating pieces with depth and story woven into each one.
Sustainability and community support are the pillars of her work, but the inspirations are drawn from nature and vintage styles.
Artistic Disciplines: Textiles | Fibre Arts | Mixed Media
MARIA MYKHALAP
Maria Mykhalap
Since I was a little kid, I’ve been drawing and painting, and it’s been a journey of pure joy and discovery. It led me to pursue my dreams, I graduated at “Crimean Art College by Samokish” and I graduated as an artist and art teacher. Back in my hometown of Yevpatoria, nature was like a boundless muse for my art. The town sat by the sea, and every wave, every sunset, seemed like a masterpiece waiting to be painted. My desire was simple – to translate this beauty onto canvas, to share with the world what I felt when I looked at the world around me.
And now, as I’ve moved to Calgary this winter, a whole new palette of nature’s wonders has opened up before me. But no matter where I am, the desire to capture the beauty of the world remains the same – a timeless inspiration that guides every brushstroke.
My favorite style of painting is realism, where I can capture the tiniest details of the world around us. But I also love to add a touch of abstraction to create a unique blend that brings out the beauty in unexpected ways.
The heart of my artwork lies in showcasing the beauty of the world around us. From serene landscapes to captivating portraits, I want to bring wonder to your life.
Artistic Disciplines: Painting | Mixed Media
CHERIE NOVECOSKY
Cherie Novecosky
Website: cherieelizabethn.com
Instagram: @cherie_e_n
I have been creating art for over 20 years and went to school at the University of Toronto for Fine Art and Art History, graduating in 2018. My work focuses primarily on the process and emotional journey. I use a variety of different mediums with a current focus towards mixed media between print media, painting and photography.
Artistic Disciplines: Painting | Print Media | Photography
KATIE PARNELL
Katie Parnell
Instagram: @killerkittycuriosities
Katie Parnell is a local visual artist whose work includes a constantly expanding repertoire of skills and techniques, including painting, sculpture, and drawing using a variety of mediums. Primarily focusing on plant and animal life, her artwork is often colourful and high contrast and frequently includes metallic, glittering, or phosphorescent elements that may not be noticeable at first glance. Driven by both curiosity and a desire to inspire joy in others, she enjoys using unconventional and upcycled materials and surfaces in her work. Since 2013 she has sold her work under the name Killer Kitty Curiosities and in 2019 formed a collective with other creatively minded friends called Mortimer + Pessimist.
Artistic Disciplines: Drawing
PARISA PARSA
Parisa Parsa
Website: doublepstudio.ca/
Instagram: @doublepstudiodesign.ca/
I am Parisa Parsa, an artist who has drawn inspiration from the diverse tapestry of my roots in Tehran, Iran. I now find myself in the vibrant city of Calgary, Alberta. My artistic journey reflects my enduring passion for the arts, which has been a humble exploration across continents and creative forms.
My academic journey has been grounded in the world of fine arts. Alzahra University in Tehran granted me the privilege of attaining an MA in Fine Art/Painting, a significant chapter in my artistic development. Here, I had the opportunity to nurture the unique perspective that shapes my work today.
In pursuing creative growth, I embarked on a voyage into the digital realm, immersing myself in the study of Digital Design at Bow Valley College. Exploring traditional and contemporary artistic approaches has gently led me into new avenues of creative expression, enriching my artistic palette.
My artwork has found its place on the walls of galleries in both Tehran and Calgary, offering viewers a glimpse into a world where I humbly hope my fresh and distinctive perspective finds resonance.
Artistic Disciplines: Mixed Media
HEBERT POLL GUTIERREZ
Hebert Poll Gutierez
Instagram: @hebertpoll
Facebook: @hebert.pollgutierrez
Hebert Poll Gutierrez is a Cuban author, storyteller, poet, and playwright with 16 years of experience currently based in Calgary. He believes in the power of stories and theater to shape realities. Art is his strategy to defend his triple cultural identity: His identity as an artist, a Cuban, and Afro-descendant.
Hebert has published nine books in several genres (poetry, theater, and short fiction). His latest book is “Whispers from the Black Gods” (Poetry)(The Elite Lizzard Publishing Company, Ontario, 2022) Some of his writings appear in magazines and more than 20 anthologies from Cuba, Venezuela, Canada, Spain, the United States, Mexico, Germany, and other countries. Companies from Latin America, Europe, and Canada have represented his theater scripts.
He is a member of several cultural organizations in Canada. Among them, we can mention SpanicArts Calgary
Playwrights Guild of Canada.
ICAI (Immigrant Council for Arts Innovation).
FAVA (Film and Video Arts Society Alberta).
Alberta Media Arts Alliance Society (AMAAS).
Storytellers of Canada (Toronto)
I was named Calgary’s Artist of the Month in December 2021 by the Immigrant Council for Arts Innovation (ICAI)
Artistic Disciplines: Poetry
SEAN PURTILL
Sean Purtill
Instagram: @s.t.purtill
Sean’s a newcomer to the Calgary/Treaty 7 art scene. This is his first time sharing his art, so he can be quite timid and a bit skittish.
While working remotely as a software developer, he’s been toiling away at night in his basement, sculpting and coding new creations. His projects are influenced by his catholic upbringing, an underutilized degree in philosophy, and his current profession. His projects are a blend of LEDs, micro-computers, and sculpting clay, with a dose of found objects when he’s feeling cheap.
Main interests: New & Emerging Media Art, Existentialism, Conceptualism, and Sculpture. Sean can’t draw.
Artistic Disciplines: Mixed Media | Sculpture | Digital Media
KATERYNA PYSARENKO
Kateryna Pysarenko
Instagram: @kateryna.pysarenko
Kateryna Pysarenko is a Ukrainian artist with a master’s degree in graphic design from Kyiv, Ukraine, and a decade-long career as a designer. Specializing in crafting intricate prints for clothing and tableware, she has honed her expertise in visual storytelling and design composition. In 2020, her creative journey took a transformative turn as she ventured into the world of watercolors, marking a pivotal moment in her artistic evolution. This transition allowed her to express her ideas with newfound fluidity and depth.
As an artist, Kateryna explores the impact of the external world on the internal, merging psychology with art. Her mission is to convey that peace and tranquility can be found in ordinary moments and objects, which can become talismans and sources of strength. She strives to demonstrate that one doesn’t need to wait for something more beautiful than life and the objects around us. Each of Kateryna’s artworks embodies a compassionate story about how, despite the imperfections of the world and ourselves, happiness is attainable by everyone.
Artistic Disciplines: Painting
RAEGAN REITER
Raegan Reiter
Instagram: @witchemporium
Raegan (She/they) is a multi-medium artist based in Mohkinstsis. Through their work, they explore their lived experience with queerness, femininity, disability/chronic illness, mental health, spirituality, and community connection. They are dedicated to giving back to their community and spend much of their time volunteering. Within their career they encourage the use of the arts for personal expression, self-care, connection, and healing.
Artistic Disciplines: Painting | Mixed Media
AMANDA NOELLE RISHAUG
Amanda Noelle Rishaug
Instagram: @livingprayertattoo
Amanda Noelle Rishaug (she/her) is a local, Calgarian tattoo artist, healer and musician. Currently working from her home studio in Calgary, AB, she offers personalized and custom tattoos, created uniquely for each client using meditation, intuition, elements of nature and sacred geometry.
During the decade of her twenties, Amanda travelled, resided, studied and found healing in many beautiful places across BC including Salt Spring Island, Revelstoke, Nelson and Victoria. Activities such as yoga, meditation, ecstatic dance, plant medicine journeys, sweat lodge and massage school all aided in a period of awakening for Amanda. In her life she had often felt lost, out of place and in search of meaningful connection. She had always felt different and struggled to feel a sense of true belonging or ease is the world. The people, places and healing experiences during this chapter helped her to connect more deeply to her true self, her confidence and what she can share with the world as a talented creator!
She has gathered her tools which she now uses to connect with the elements of nature, consciousness and the unique energy that each person and place expresses. It is her pleasure to coax the subtle elements of beauty and being, into songs, shapes and designs, to be seen, felt and heard by the world.
~ In honour and gratitude!
Artistic Disciplines: Mixed Media
JOSEFINA RODRIGUEZ VARELA
Josefina Rodriguez Varela
Website: josefinarv.com
Instagram: @brujaceramics
I find myself constantly breaking free from the traditional norms that I grew up with. My work is not just a form of self-expression; it is a profound exploration of my own definition of womanhood and a passionate celebration of unconventional practices and power relations.
Traditionally, society has placed women within a narrow spectrum of expectations, dictating how we should behave, look, and exist. These imposed norms have often suffocated the true essence of womanhood, rendering it one-dimensional and restrictive. My art serves as a vehicle for liberation, to redefine and rediscover what it means to be a woman. I use ceramics and drawing to create narratives with a particular focus on figurative work.
Artistic Disciplines: Ceramics
JESSICA ROH
Jessica Roh
Website: Jessica Roh/a>
My name is Jessica Roh and I’m a born and raised Calgarian. I’ve always enjoyed making and viewing art because I believe it is the pure expression of the soul. I graduated from Alberta college of Art and Design with a major in textiles. Although Textiles was my major, I loved to explore creating art with video, sculpture, mixed media, painting, and performances. I am very excited to apply for this gallery opportunity because the past year of my life has been one of struggle, sickness, healing, and growth.
Artistic Disciplines: Painting | Sculpture | Textiles | Mixed Media | Performance
CHANTAL SOUCY
Chantal Soucy
Website: therabbitsden.com
Website: www.withdignitydoula.ca
Instagram: @intherabbitsden
Chantal is a self-taught visual artist born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, creating a lot of her art pieces with a mix life and death together, and almost a neo-traditional tattoo style to each painting. Chantal is a certified Death Doula and a Funeral Service & Embalming Diploma student at Mount Royal University. Chantal also provides therapeutic art sessions for people within our community who might benefit from it as part of the end-of-life care and support she gives, because art and music have been proven to be beneficial for people physically, emotionally and mentally.
Artistic Disciplines: Painting | Drawing
PAIGE THOMPSON
Paige Thompson
Instagram: @paige.j.thompson
Facebook: @Paige Abbott Arts
Paige is both a painter and a sculptor. Her sculptures always have an element of taxidermy about them, and her paintings (typically done on Mylar) and sculptures have common themes of life, death and rebirth due to growing up on a farm in Saskatchewan and constantly being emersed in nature.
She received her BFA from the University of Regina back in 2006 and has since been consistently working on her art form and evolving her style.
Artistic Disciplines: Painting | Mixed Media | Taxidermy | Sculpture
LORAINNE WILSON
Lorraine Wilson
Website: themossycauldron.com
Instagram: @themossycauldron
Lorraine is the creator and artist behind local business and Calgary market staple, The Mossy Cauldron. Her truly unique and one-of-a-kind creations capture the essence of the natural world around us and bring them together in a preserved harmony.
“I make art out of foraged and cultivated botanicals. Inspired by the sky and the earth and the interconnectedness of life.”
Artistic Disciplines: Sculpture
ALEXIS WINNING
Alexis Winning
Website: www.woodwispcreations.ca
Instagram: @woodwispcreations
Alexis is a Calgary born pyrography artist, specializing in witchy, Norse, nature, and pop culture aesthetics. She found her passion in channeling the wood spirits through pyrography, and finds inspiration in bringing beauty to the macabre. Sometimes incorporating resin in her work, she finds the two mediums fascinating in the ways they play together on wood.
During the day, Alexis works in human services, where she’s learned the art of embracing people as they are, and translates this mentality into her art process: things are always in flow, always shifting towards their highest form. There is beauty in imperfection.
Alexis has strong negative feelings about mushrooms as a vegetarian substitute, and she can often be found playing The Last of Us as her emotional support game. You can find Alexis’ work through her stage name of WoodWisp Creations.
Artistic Disciplines: Mixed Media | Wood Working
THE LOCATION
We are beyond thrilled to be making the stunning cSpace Marda Loop facility our home for the 2023 exhibition. Situated in a re-imagined historic sandstone building and dynamic inner city neighbourhood, this innovative creative hub and coworking space features retail and exhibition galleries, a theatre and an onsite café.
The performance gallery portion of the show takes place in the cSpace Marda Loop Studio Theatre. Purpose-built to support multiple artistic disciplines and event uses, the Studio Theatre is contemporary – a highly adaptable, technically sophisticated and beautiful rehearsal, performance and event venue. We have taken the time to carefully curate a dynamic viewing experience consisting of 60 general admission tickets in the tiered rack seating and 30 intimate VIP tables, directly on the studio stage. Both performance dates are licensed with beverage consumption right at your seat!
Where the school’s former students used to build friendships, talk freely and have fun, cSpace has reimagined these voluminous hallways as unique opportunities for showcasing art, both to creative peers and the public. These unique character spaces have 13’ high ceilings, gorgeous historic architectural features, fibre connectivity, professional gallery hanging and accent lighting. The visual art exhibition will be up for free public viewing from November 2 through the 26th.
CSPACE MARDA LOOP – 721 29 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2T 6T7
✧ IMMERSIVE WORKSHOP ✧
BODY ART MOTION & RITUAL ARTS ENDEAVOUR PROUDLY PRESENT
ELEMENTAL FUSION DANCE WORKSHOP
WITH TIARE VALOURIA
FULL-DAY RITUAL THEATRE IMMERSION: SAT. NOV 4TH, 2023
This initiatory Ritual Theatre immersion is a foundational rite of passage into working with the Elemental Fusion Dance format. A journey through the integral embodiment techniques and key intentional practices for energetic clearing, consecrating the circle, setting intentions and opening elemental embodiment portals while being guided through thoughtfully curated dance motifs. Together we will align within ourselves and with each other, dancing through each element with a newfound awareness and refined sense of purpose. Our experience culminates with an infusion of the dance into Tiare’s signature geometric framework A.K.A.: ‘The Temple Tableaux Format’ so that we can savor the fruition of our journey together in synchronized sacred dance, empowerment and unity.
This streamlined mini-immersion of the Animara Elemental Fusion Dance Format lays the essential groundwork for beginning your journey towards a fully realized Ritual Theatre dance practice, either as a solo practitioner or to be utilized in a group setting.
LIMITED SPACE: $175 CAD or $150 Early Bird if paid in full by Fri. Oct.6th
RITUAL ARTS ENDEAVOUR IS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART FROM THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF
