Employees / Staff

ARCA has had the honour and privilege of working with a group of recent graduates through the Young Canada Works program. We hired several artists, curators, designers and illustrators to work with us on a variety of developing projects starting in October of 2021. This addition to the ARCA team has been a wonderful experience leading us towards new operational models where training initiatives will become ongoing within ARCA.

Biographies

Magan Wilson is a potter and fibre artist with a love of plants, experimentation, cats, and the hidden beauty of the natural world. Her love of glaze chemistry and form transformed into a love of dyes, fibre, felt, and knitwear. Her work catches the wholeness of existing in the present. The wild nature of the world that flourishes on the fringes of awareness. Chasing the idea of a ‘wild night’ you can find her work via her alias of Oíche Rua (EE-ha RU-ah), an Irish phrase capturing the chaos and wild beauty of the night sky.

Hi, I’m Katherine Valenzuela, and I specialize in visual communication and illustration. Much of my work is guided by my curiosity for socially engaged design. I am studying Design for Health at OCAD University, where I’m looking at the intersection between design, research, and community wellbeing.

Roy Xu is a multidisciplinary artist whose work ranges from animation , installations , illustrations to graphic novels and music. He developed an interest in art at a young age and decided to pursue it for the rest of his life. He is interested in the cross between spirituality, religion, history and politics as well as various underground subcultures that became popular during the 90s. He is currently living in Toronto while working with ARCA.

Caitlin McCurdy is a recent Master of Museum Studies graduate from University of Toronto. Her research interrogates the influence of 19th century knowledge production on current education practices. Outside of academia, she has been a choreographer for ten years in multiple companies and collectives. She primarily works in contemporary and jazz, merging the two styles, inspired by themes lifted from her own experiences. Caitlin hopes to continue dancing in any capacity as she moves through her academic career. (still is from Horizons Collective’s dance concept video entitled Billow)

Angie Rico is Mexican-born artist living and working in so-called Vancouver, Canada. She holds a BFA in Film, Video, and Integrated Media from Emily Carr University. Her filmmaking, photography, and writing practice are rooted in a documentarian sensibility. Her works primarily arise from topics such as family & collective memory, immigration, gender, and sexuality. She often employs tactics such as bilingualism, humor, color, and DIY aesthetics to point at moments of fracture and slippage in the everyday.

Veronica Leal-Correia is a multidisciplinary artist from Ottawa, Canada who works primarily with photography, painting, and illustration. She is also pursuing career and academic paths in museum and conservational work. Having studied both the fine arts and biology at the University of Ottawa, Veronica enjoys finding ways to meld the worlds of art and science together, and is always exploring new ways in which she can expand her artistic practice and foster connections between different mediums and disciplines. Her art often draws a lot of inspiration from nature and uses notions such as dream-like illusions and the obscure to study the introspections and fragmentation of the human experience.

Eliza McClenagan is originally from a small town in Northern BC. She is currently a PhD student in Humanities at York University, which she started after completing an MA in Holocaust Studies and a BA in English and History. In the past, Eliza has primarily been involved in educational roles, working with diverse groups of learners as a piano teacher and history instructor.

Jacob Dayfox (Anishinaabe/Ojibwe) is a multi-disciplinary artist and performer originally from Sheshegwaning First Nation on Manitoulin Island currently residing in North Bay and working on completing his Bachelor of Arts degree (Major Indigenous Studies, Minor Gender Equality and Social Justice) through Nipissing University. Jacob has achieved diplomas from Canadore College specializing in Media Arts – Radio Broadcasting and Television Production. Jacob is a self-taught musician working in his own personal time developing original guitar and lyrical pieces. Jacob is also actively involved with the continuation of the cultural traditions relative to his people such as traditional pow-wow dancing, singing, drumming and he enjoys attending ceremonies. Jacob utilizes both his personal life experience and educational background to lead by example for anyone seeking help and encouragement. Jacob has utilized his skills in the past as former Communications Coordinator for the Aboriginal Curatorial Collective / Collectif des commissaires autochtones (ACC-CCA). Jacob has worked with Aanmitaagzi Storymakers, Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement of Ontario, ON THE EDGE Fringe Festival, National Film Board, Spiderwoman Theater and Zakide Artsit-Run. Jacob has assisted many arts projects bringing Indigenous protocol respectfully to his mindful event coordination ensuring ethical behaviour is maintained and acknowledgement and respect are given to participating artists.

Alessandra Schlums is a fashion designer based near Toronto, exploring the intersection of fashion, art and technology. With a bachelor’s degree in Mechatronics Engineering and work experience within the Engineering industry, she is applying her gained knowledge of 3D modeling and 3D printing to create digital fashion and 3D printed fashion. Her previous work, including dresses with integrated wearable electronics, has been showcased in local fashion shows. She also runs an Instagram and TikTok account @fashiontechworld to share the research she finds surrounding the Fashion Tech field. Alessandra is working to integrate these concepts into her independent fashion label HOUSE IUNGO.

Hi, I’m Hannah Walsh (she/her), a design student at OCAD University. My interests have long involved arts, sports, and mental health, and finding bridges between all three. Health equity and access to healthcare are newer areas that have also been driving research forces in my design and artistic interests. I’m particularly interested in getting my hands busy and exploring different materials and styles to find what suits an idea best, and in sparking new ideas.

Blake Sanders – Art is a lens that I view the world through. It is bright, colourful and full of magic with endless possibilities. When I go to draw, I try to imagine the best moment to capture for the character or the scene. Should it be dazzling and full of sparkles? A pure black background to highlight the moment at hand? Going through this exhilarating process is the magic of art itself and why I am called back to create something new, each and every time.

Hi everyone, I’m Kevin Wu. I studied graphic design and fine arts in Toronto, Canada and developed a strong passion for this field. In the past, I have invested much time in studying fine arts, graphic design, editorial design, and more. I love nature, the landscape, and works that speak to various themes. I love art that celebrates traditional and abstract values, along with sculptures and film. I recently graduated from OCAD University with a degree in Graphic Design, and I’m currently pursuing a Graduate degree at OCAD as well.