Monica Wickeler is a LGBTQ2S+/Luxembourg/Canadian artist with a passion for public art. She was originally trained in the craft of hand-painted outdoor advertising in the 90’s and has moved her practice towards community-based public art installations in Toronto and across Canada.
Monica has worked with Art Starts on two mural projects. She was brought on as a lead artist and helped youth artists tackle a large-scale mural project from start to finish.
In light of our 30th anniversary, we wanted to capture as many real stories about Art Starts as we could. Stories that highlight our both triumphs and our challenges. Who better to account for the challenges of starting something new than one of our own founding members: Elizabeth Cinello.
We asked Elizabeth: what was Art Starts’ greatest challenge? Her story takes us back 30 years when community arts was a new concept and local artists were struggling to be recognized.
Kim is an artist, arts advocate and cultural leader living in Toronto. Coming from an arts administrator and teacher background, Kim was hired as Administrations Manager in 2010.
She grew with the organization as our staff, communities and overall impact expanded, and eventually became Director of Operations. With Kim onboard, Art Starts transformed from a grassroots organization into a recognized leader in the community arts sector.
Ayodele Hudlin is an entrepreneur and Toronto based fashion designer who discovered her passion for teaching when she joined Art Starts in 2018.
As an advocate for the community, Ayodele has affinity for teaching the art of sewing and design to people of all ages. Her philosophy is that art can be integrated into anyone’s life as a means of expressing of oneself and as a form of healing.
Anjelica is a passionate dancer and choreographer who joined the Art Starts team as an instructor in 2016.
Her unique ability to blend and teach different dance forms was an instant hit with the busy moms and caregivers from our Program Without Walls Program.
Art is Anjelica’s livelihood and she’s witnessed the profound affect it’s had on her participants beyond the classroom. The positivity and confidence generated in her classes echo throughout the day-to-day lives of each of her students.
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