In the Minds of Muses - Mental Wellness and Art Intersect in Wakefield Brewster Presents, Pt. 3
In the oblique and often challenging world of mental wellness, many find solace through a variety of artistic mediums - allowing for unique perspectives on connection, understanding and mindfulness. Wakefield Brewster Presents, Pt. 3 sends a passionate invitation from four beloved local female artists to relish in the power of wellness and art. Soul-affirming Indigenous songs swirl with sculptures made of newspapers, joyfully brought to life with performance, poetry, and the beating hearts of ideas beautifully in-sync. Hosted in the Engineered Air Theatre at Arts Commons on April 26 & 27, stay after the show Friday for an unforgettable party or Saturday for a low-key meet- and-greet.
Noreen Demeria is Aninshanabe Kwe from the Tootinaowaziibeeng First Nation in Treaty 4 (Manitoba), and both a traditional Indigenous drummer and singer as well as community worker and healer. Noreen uses art to break through residual effects of intergenerational trauma and systemic barriers by assisting people to find and use creative outlets for self-expression. Her work is devoted to the spirit of reconciliation, and she works with people to develop an approach that is grounded in their strengths and considers the challenges they want to address.
As an advocate for mental health, Kamika Bianca Guerra-Walker draws on her multi-disciplinary arts background to understand people and help them understand themselves. Hailing from Calgary, Alberta, Kamika is of Jamaican and Chilean heritage - and strives to ignite societal change while inspiring individuals to always approach life with compassion as their leading principle, triumphing over their human instinctive judgment. Her work as a director has been widely recognized for its ability to accurately capture the lives of those grappling with mental illness, addiction, and houselessness.
Music has a unique ability to affect emotion and transport the listener to different place - or letting them walk in the shoes of another. Sandra Sutter knows this well, as an award-winning Cree-Metis recording artist, songwriter, poet and filmmaker. Her work has harnessed a bridge between indigenous and non-indigenous worlds, through a number of albums that celebrate her cultural heritage, which was embraced after her upbringing in a loving non-indigenous family.
Sometimes it’s necessary to get loud about what you believe in - as with the efforts of LOUD Art Society, founded by Tara Vahab. A Persian-Canadian interdisciplinary artist and therapeutic arts practitioner, Vahab and LOUD Art Society support the cultivation of positive mental health and wellbeing through creative practices. She hosts a number of workshops across the Calgary area that aim to make art-making accessible while fostering positive mental health outcomes. Vahab’s artistic practice involves bright colours, patternmaking, found objects, and newspaper, informed by her research on the metaphysical and its ties to humanity, empathy, and joy.
These four remarkable women take the stage at the Engineered Air Theatre for Wakefield Brewster Presents, Pt. 3 on April 26 and 27 to present their practice as part of the TD Amplify 2023-24 season. Join us and take a journey through the possibilities of art as a therapeutic resource!
