2024 Artasia Team
Our 2024 Team
Each summer, the Artasia Program brings children together, community wide, to discover the transformative power of the arts through the pillars of art education, civic engagement, environmentalism, innovation, and storytelling. Our Artasia team members are key in helping make this happen.
Our Artasia team is comprised of a diverse group of people, each from a wide range of educational backgrounds, brought together through their love of the arts. It is a unique opportunity to both receive mentorship working under other professionals in local arts spaces, as well as return as the role of mentor in the delivery of our programming. The team works hard to plan and test programming activities, as well as travel to each of our 44 neighbourhoods to bring children the opportunity to explore their artistic voices.
Our team carefully document their experiences at each site so that they can share their experiences with others. If you would like to learn more about our Artasia 2024 team, they are listed below. To view what our team has documented during their summer programming, please explore each site in the Digital Documentation and Exhibition section above.
Each team member has a unique way of documenting their experiences, and the moments they share are incredibly impactful.
Ava Aalbers
She / Her
“It was wonderful to see the kids explore different textures and engage in a creative new craft that they likely hadn’t experienced before. The smaller group allowed for a more personalized experience, and it was a joy to witness their enthusiasm and creativity!”
Wren Breeze
She / They
“this week the activity got the kids thinking about colour and different flowers! one child used the materials to show us he knew the difference between colours and one child was incredibly interested in the different flowers we had, she wanted to learn their names.”
Kento Cady
He / Him
Kento Cady’s mentorship was generously supported by Today’s Family.
Quinie Cui
She / Her
Quinie is currently going into her second year of Integrated Engineering at UBC. This is her first year working with Artasia.
She really enjoys doing art as a hobby. She’s taken many art lessons as a kid and it has always been a passion of hers. A particular project she’s been working on is her been bullet journal, which has been an ongoing project for five years now. She also enjoys crocheting and making things with her hands. Outside of visuals, Quinie loves playing the piano and drums as well.
“I found that you really start to build relationships with the kids that you see each week. This past week I was at Jamesville Bennetto working with the kinders and a little girl asked me to make a bag for her while I was packing up. I made a few bags for the kids earlier and she was like, ‘Quinie you didn’t make me one!’ So I ended up quickly making her one at the table and this other little girl beside her said that she’s only doing this because she doesn’t want me to leave. It was just so sweet to hear that and see how I’ve gotten closer with the kids I see each week and I really felt that I’ve built this relationship with them in that moment.”
Caroline Edgar
She / Her
Katie Favell
She / Her
Katie Favell is a self taught artist, who shows art comes from within. She takes inspiration from the colour of the world around her. Bright and bold would describe her style. Katie specializes in pet portraits, and as such has worked with numerous animal charities to do fundraising.
Katie has worked with Arts for All since last winter and has joined Artasia for the summer months. The most rewarding part of her job is showing children art can be made with everyday items.
“Anything can be art! You don’t have to have the most expensive markers or paints to be an artist. Create your masterpiece with things already in your life.”
To see more of Katie’s work, check out her Instagram and website.
Saadet Serra Hasiloglu
She / Her
Saadet studied International Development and Liberal Arts at McGill University and is starting a MA program in Communication and New Media at McMaster this September. This is Saadet’s first time working with Artasia. She writes poetry and short stories, with her academic research focusing on intersections of solarpunk futures and migration.
“Seeing how kids’ sensory interactions impacted the art-making process was a very valuable experience for me. I’d also like to think that making art with and through nature made us all think about the beyond-human realms of this Earth!”
For more of Saadet’s work, check out her Instagram.
Ace Martin
They / Them
“During one of the sessions once the main activity was slowing down someone asked about how to draw eyes and noses. This which turned into a mini art lesson on how to draw faces.”
Brynn Mercer
She / Her
Brynn Mercer is a graphic designer and illustrator based out of her hometown, Hamilton, Ontario. She recently graduated from Sheridan College’s four-year honours BA of Illustration program in May, and is working towards illustration as a full-time job. She specializes in portraiture, as she deeply enjoys capturing the likeness of people from all different walks of life. Aside from illustrating, Brynn also enjoys oil painting, jewelry making, and playing with makeup.
This is Brynn’s first summer working with Artasia and she’s found it to be a wonderful experience. She has been assisting by creating graphics for the Arts for All Instagram and updating and designing the Artasia website alongside her work as an artist educator.
“A special memory I have from this year’s programming was from week 4 when we were creating wearable art pieces. A few girls from my site at Cathy Wever worked together to construct a functional pair of pants! I am always blown away with what these children are capable of making, they constantly exceed my expectations in every way!”
To see more of Brynn’s work, check out her Instagram and portfolio website.
Lauren Misiaszek
She / Her
“There was one mother with a young child (still under 2 years of age) who was nervous about participating in the activity. She was reluctant at first, but I reassured her that the dyes were natural and should not be harmful for her child, so she was willing to try. That same kid ended up grabbing some fake spatulas from a nearby toyset and used those to dip the fabrics in the dyes, which I thought was really cool! I didn’t even think about using tools for this activity, and this near-infant figured it out for me!”
Tatiyana Newyniak
She / Her
Tatiyana’s parents were both artists, so it’s her goal to follow in their footsteps. Her practice is drawing and painting, as well as selling greeting cards, colouring sheets and prints that feature her original artwork. It’s her hope to venture out to make more kinds of merchandise available with her images in the future. She hopes to have the proceeds donated to charitable organizations in the area.
Tatiyana has experience in teaching arts to children with parks and recreation in the city of Toronto, where she was born and raised.
“I believe all artists are unique and bring something special and different to the table!”
For more of Tatiyana’s work, check out her Instagram.
Meshach Pathmathaneswaran
He / Him
“One week allowed the children to let their creativity run wild with creating wearable art. The kids were able to create a variety of different things such as hats, bracelets, necklaces and clothes. Thanks to the variety of materials provided to them, we saw a diverse range of ideas and creative ways to turn trash into treasure.”
María Puerto
She / Her
April Song
She / Her
This is April’s first year working with Artasia. She is currently going into her second year at the University of Toronto for a double major in sociology and criminology. In the future, she hopes to pursue a career in law. In her free time, April enjoys sketching, making zines, drawing with oil pastels, and scrapbooking. Additionally, she has also always loved music as an art form, whether it’s playing the violin and guitar, writing lyrics, or just listening to it!
“My favourite memory so far has been seeing the children greet me when I arrive at the sites. Everytime they are extremely welcoming and always ask what we are going to be making for the day. Their excitement always brightens my mood and makes me feel reluctant to leave!”
Jazmin Vega Rodriguez
She / Her
This is Jazmin’s second year working with Artasia. She has graduated with an honours bachelors in Interactive Design from Sheridan College, and she specializes in UX, 3D, Augmented Reality and visual design.
Jazmin is a multidisciplinary designer who uses her design expertise to empower individuals. She’s passionate about using her creativity and skills to harness the power of education.
“This year I observed a special moment of friendship among two little girls. One looking after the other kept requesting help to make a special bag for her friend. Witnessing a caring moment between these two little friends was touching.”
You can find Jazmin on LinkedIn here.
Charlotte Wilson
She / Her
Charlotte Wilson is a graduate of the Creative Industries program from Toronto Metropolitan University where she specialized in Communications, Media Business, and minored in Disability Studies. A lifetime student of the arts she has always had dreams of supporting people’s discovery and love for all forms of creativity. Her focus on disability arts makes her keen to create equal opportunities for accessible arts spaces, programming, events, learning, and working by focusing on the impact of Human Resources within arts organizations.
This year she led the material preparation and organization for our team, as well as supporting staff at certain sites. She also led the Focus on Youth students in assisting the rest of the team.
Sophie Zuccolo
She / Her
Sophie is studying Computer Science at the University of Guelph, and is minoring in Culture and Technology Studies. This is Sophie’s first year working with Artasia. She is a visual artist and works primarily in drawing, sewing and digital art.
“I’m inspired by how giving and considerate the kids are, always trying to make us, their friends, and family happy. My favourite part of working with Artasia is getting to see the creativity of the kids firsthand and how many different ways they can all interpret the same prompt.”
Focus on Youth
Artists and Educators
Setareh Masoumbeiki
Zorica Silverthorne
Artasia Team Member portraits illustrated by Brynn Mercer
Additional textile artwork created by Artasia participants