From Vision to Canvas: Black Artists Reflect on Their Journey in Simcoe County

In celebration of Black History Month, Simcoe County witnessed a showcase of talent and creativity through the "Canvas for Change" event, held at the McLaren Art Center in Barrie on Friday, February 16. This black youth art showcase, organized by Making Change, brought together young black artists from across the county to exhibit their work, drawing attention to their experiences and the challenges they face in the community.

“We want them to allow them to express themselves, whatever they were going through whatever their experiences were growing up as teenagers in Simcoe County,” said Keisha-Ann Shaw Hill, the chair of Making Change, which organized the event. 

The event included workshops led by artist mentor Ashanti, providing a supportive environment for the artists to develop their skills and confidence. The showcase received overwhelming support from the community, with a voting system implemented for favourite artworks, indicating the public's engagement and appreciation. 

“We were a little bit nervous about the turnout because so many people came out this is the second installment we had the first one on February 1,” she said, attributing the initial concern to a snowstorm.

The young artists shared personal insights into their work, reflecting on their inspirations and the meanings behind their pieces. 

Queensleasor Nabuin Legah discussed her paintings influenced by various cultural elements, including the Ethiopian dreadlock movement and Rastafarian culture. “The colours that signify pan-Africanism and other West African influences,” she said about her work. 

David Moseri spoke about his journey in art, influenced by his African heritage and experiences in America and Canada, aiming to pursue art professionally to inspire others. His work Mother Africa is inspired by his mother. “She is a very strong woman and I wanted to make a painting-an artwork-of a strong woman, just like my mother,” he said. 

Kezra Hill highlighted the significance of self-expression and representation in her work, emphasizing the cultural importance of hair in the black community. Kezra Hill highlighted the significance of self-expression and representation in her work, emphasizing the cultural importance of hair in the black community. She said her painting "These Hands" is about a girl with “a very strong personality. People and society try to take her uniqueness away from her and try to blend in with everyone else," she explained. "The hands are black and white. When they touch her, they turn her into black and white, she can like blend in with everybody else.”