Press Release from Alberta Arts Gallery
This Black History Month, The Art Gallery of Alberta and CARFAC Alberta are excited to have Dr. Syrus Marcus Ware and Elsa Robinson speak on the topic of how to navigate the art world from their perspective and experiences. This professional development program is open to artists and cultural workers looking for advice and resources in building their careers in the arts in Canada. This event will highlight experiences, education, and opportunities that showcase the artistic and cultural contributions of Black artists and cultural workers in Canada.
You can participate in this hour-long program online by watching our free Livestream. At the end of this program, we will reserve time for an audience Q&A. Please register in advance.
This program is part of a partnership between CARFAC Alberta and the Art Gallery of Alberta, which supports the professional development of creatives in Alberta.
About the Speakers
Dr. Syrus Marcus Ware
Dr. Syrus Marcus Ware is an Assistant Professor at the School of the Arts at McMaster University. A Vanier scholar, visual artist, activist, curator and educator, Ware uses painting, installation, and performance to explore social justice frameworks and black activist culture. His work has been shown widely across Canada in solo and group shows, and his performance works have been part of local and international festivals. He is part of the Performance Disability Art Collective and a cofounder of Black Lives Matter-Canada. Syrus is curator of the That’s So Gay show and a co-curator of Blackness Yes!/Blockorama. In addition to penning a variety of journals and articles, Syrus is the co-editor of the best-selling Until We Are Free: Reflections on Black Lives Matter in Canada (URP, 2020).
Elsa Robinson
Elsa Robinson is an Edmonton-based mixed media artist, sculptor and painter whose decades-long devotion to artistic practice has imbued her work with vibrancy, versatility and an intuitive spiritual poignancy. Through her years of study, both as a self-taught artist and as a graduate of the University of Alberta’s Art and Design program, Elsa has honed the ability to transmit, through a range of visual modes, her deep love and care for humanity.
Through careful attention to colour, shape, texture, intuition and the power of cultural symbols, Elsa is able to express the notions of love, friendship, inner strength, equality and ancestral connection that most powerfully guide her own life. For her ability to distill, in the space of a single image, the wisdom and experiences that are most important to the human condition, Elsa Robinson has become a celebrated and award-winning artist. Most notably, Elsa was the recipient of the 2012 Fill Fraser Award for Outstanding Work in Visual Arts, as awarded by the National Black Coalition of Canada.
Black Excellence in Art : Conversations with Manuel and Curtis
