NOZOMI KAMEI: Earlier in her life, Nozomi’s creativity was found in many forms — from origami paper crafting, to photography and facilitating health, wellness, and rehabilitation programs. These experiences encouraged her hands-on approach and her belief in the connection between creativity, nature, people’s lives, and well-being, which continue to influence her art practice today. As an immigrant from Japan and a self-taught artist and photographer, she began committing to her creative journey in 2021. The following year, she started exhibiting her work in Edmonton and transitioned her career into art. Since then, she has participated in over 50 exhibitions, including multiple solo shows, led a grant-supported project, and completed an arts internship. Known for her recent explorations in film, alternative photographic processes, and community-based projects, she brings curiosity, persistence, and a love of hands-on creativity to all she does.

PATRICK FERNANDEZ is a contemporary visual artist who lives and works in Regina, Saskatchewan. A native of Pangasinan, Philippines, his colourful paintings uses symbolism and reimagined folklore imagery as a means of storytelling. His works are based on personal experiences that deal with displacement and adaptation, using circumstances as turning points for growth.

MODERATORS
Tara Vahab: Interim Executive Director at CARFAC Alberta
Jera MacPherson: Program & Outreach Director at CARFAC SASK

LAUREEN MARCHAND lives in Val Marie, Sask, just north of the Montana border at the gateway to Grasslands National Park. Inspired by this region’s subtlety and remoteness, her paintings reflect on our ideas and perception of beauty. These artworks invite us to see not just the painted object, but ourselves in it.

Laureen Marchand has exhibited regionally, nationally and internationally in more than 30 solo and two-person exhibitions as well as over 50 group shows, in Canada and internationally. Her paintings have been recognized by the Saskatchewan Arts Board and the Canada Council, are held in many public and private collections, and have been represented in exhibition catalogues and reviewed in newspapers and magazines. Laureen Marchand has been artist in residence at the Leighton Colony/Banff Centre for the Arts, the Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Ireland, and the Ragdale Foundation in Illinois, among others. She has lived and painted in Canada and Ireland.

BRENDAN O’CALLAGHAN is an emerging artist located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in media arts from the Alberta University of the Arts. Also, he received his diploma in video production from Yorkville University through Toronto film school online. Brendan is creating original artwork of storm landscapes that explore themes of mystery, tension, unease and the uncanny.

MODERATORS
Tara Vahab: Interim Executive Director at CARFAC Alberta
Jera MacPherson: Program & Outreach Director at CARFAC SASK

EVIE JOHNNY RUDDY is a trans nonbinary interdisciplinary artist and scholar. They are an Assistant Professor of Creative Technologies & Design in the Faculty of Media, Art, and Performance at the University of Regina and a PhD Candidate in Cultural Mediations at Carleton University. Evie Johnny creates interactive AR, web-based, and locative audio experiences to disrupt colonial, cis-hetero-patriarchal logics and reimagine more joyful and liberatory futures. They have collaborated with the National Film Board of Canada’s Interactive Studio, Buffalo People Arts Institute, and Common Weal Community Arts. Their work has been nominated for a Canadian Screen Award in the category of Best Production Interactive, and they are a recipient of a Digital Dozen: Breakthroughs in Storytelling Award from Columbia University’s Digital Storytelling Lab. Born and raised in Treaty 6, Evie Johnny is a settler of French, German, and Irish descent. They live in Treaty 4, the territory of the nêhiyawak, Anihšināpēk, Dakota, Lakota, and Nakoda, and the homeland of the Métis Nation.

TIFFANY SHAW is a Métis architect, artist and curator based in Alberta. She holds a BFA from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) University, a Masters in Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) and is currently working at Reimagine Architects and recently started an Indigenous owned consulting company, named Reimagine Gathering.

MODERATORS
Tara Vahab: Interim Executive Director at CARFAC Alberta
Jera MacPherson: Program & Outreach Director at CARFAC SASK

LINDSEY REWUSKI is a multimedia artist based in Saskatoon, SK, Treaty 6 Territory. Her work is informed by light art, multi-sensory environments, and 1960s psychedelic light shows, resulting in immersive audiovisual installations and performances. She combines light, photography, painting, audio, sculpture, and video, crafting experiences that explore the intersections of perception, memory, and sensory engagement. Eschewing digital tools in favour of hands-on, analogue techniques, Rewuski works with liquids, glass, organic materials, chemicals, textiles, and other found or created objects. These elements are projected onto screens and spaces, creating visuals that shift and evolve. Often collaborating with musicians and sound artists, her work explores the interplay between auditory and visual stimulation. She also photographs her projections to create ‘light paintings,’ using hand-painted 35mm slides and multiple projectors to layer colour and composition.

Rewuski’s research into projection gear for live performances led her to explore the artistic potential of multi-sensory environments—spaces designed to support individuals with cognitive impairments through controlled sensory input. Influenced by personal experiences with sensory processing sensitivities and a family history of dementia, she seeks to bridge psychedelic aesthetics, scientific inquiry, and mental health research. Through interactive installations and open dialogue, she embraces an artist-as-researcher approach, fostering deeper engagement with audiences, specialists, and fellow artists.

Since 2015, Rewuski has projected light at festivals, art spaces, and venues across Canada. She is proud to be supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and SK Arts.

MELISSA LUNDELL “Great power is taken from the brokenness of our situation as soon as we are able to bring it to Light.”

I have always highly valued justice, order and honesty, and so was drawn to realism from a young age. Ironically, I grew up a creative liar.

I am a child abuse survivor.

I believed I deserved the treatment I received in the name of “love.” My reality and identity was contorted to maintain the family image. To live, or to have small tastes of freedom, meant to play along and defer attention from the truth. My work reflected this habit: picturesque landscapes, florals, and portraits which deliberately ignored any signs of age, rot or imperfection… My early work could best be described as idealism, rather than realism.

My recent work is an act of defiance against the shame that stole my voice. Great power is taken from the brokenness of our situation as soon as we are able to bring it to light. I hope to redeem my brokenness by depicting it honestly, telling my story freely, and laying claim to the Love that was always mine.

MODERATORS
Tara Vahab: Interim Executive Director at CARFAC Alberta
Jera MacPherson: Program & Outreach Director at CARFAC SASK

STACEY FAYANT, Métis, Nehiyaw, Saulteaux and French, was born and raised in Regina Saskatchewan. She is a member of Peepeekisis First Nation. She received her BFA in Printmaking and painting from the University of Regina in 2002 and her BA in Women’s Studies in 2004. Stacey uses many mediums in her art practice, felting, sewing, dance, beading, painting and tattoo are some examples, but her art has always centred on family, trauma, identity, history, colonialism and how these diverse ideas mingle to form the foundations of how we relate to ourselves, our communities and our world.

JOSH HARNACK My work is an ongoing exploration of finding my voice, and using my passion and skills to help others find theirs. Overcoming cancer as a young adult taught me about the value of time and the importance of authenticity, highlighting the delicate balance between what is within our control and what isn’t. Rather than striving to fit in, I’ve chosen to celebrate the strange, the imperfect, and the extraordinary parts of myself. This gives me the freedom to create my own reality, while leaving the rest to fate.

MODERATORS
Tara Vahab: Interim Executive Director at CARFAC Alberta
Jera MacPherson: Program & Outreach Director at CARFAC SASK

XIAO HAN is a multidisciplinary artist and curator from Wuhan, China. Based in the 6 Territory, the traditional land of Indigenous and Meties, Han's creative practice focuses on photography, lens-based performance, visualizing emotion, and community engagement. Han's research explores diaspora identity, contemporary gender issues, and the relationship between humans, the environment, and the indigenous land. Through visual art and curatorial practice, Han produced numerous projects investigating the Chinese-Canadian restaurant history, the identity of home, and the aesthetic of community relationships.

Xiao Han is the Founder of Kyuubi Culture Artist Collective: a Saskatoon-based multidisciplinary artist collective that creates art projects to present their visual narratives through the perspectives of Queer and newcomer artists.

JENNIFER DYSART is an archive enthusiast, researcher, artist and filmmaker. She was born in Alberta, raised in BC, currently lives in Hamilton, Ontario and has Cree roots on her Dad's side of the family from South Indian Lake in northern Manitoba, Canada. Her film projects bring awareness of the importance of archives in the creation of memory while also representing a growing body of work that prioritises ethical research and interrupts the power of colonial archives. She was Artist-In-Residence for Archive/Counter-Archive at Library and Archives Canada (Ottawa, 2019) funded through SSHRC and in 2025 is involved with another SSHRC funded artist collaboration through the University of Winnipeg.

MODERATORS
Tara Vahab: Interim Executive Director at CARFAC Alberta
Jera MacPherson: Program & Outreach Director at CARFAC SASK

PEATR THOMAS is a self-taught mural artist of Ininew and Anishinaabe heritage from Pimicikamak. Raised on reserve, he transitioned to city life at 14 in 2001, where he discovered his voice through Winnipeg’s street art scene. Over the past decade, Peatr has woven cultural teachings into his work and facilitated workshops with youth across Turtle Island to create murals and canvas art.

PADDY LAMB is an established professional artist based in Edmonton.  During a sustained career he has found a wide variety of opportunities to exhibit his work, including both commercial and public galleries. He has also attended residencies internationally and across Canada.  Paddy has been a strong advocate working hard to improve artist's rights through organizations like CARFAC, where he served as National President from 2019 to 2023

MODERATORS
Chris W. Carson: Executive Director at CARFAC Alberta
Jera MacPherson: Program & Outreach Director at CARFAC SASK

JOANNE BOLEN is a Saskatchewan-born artist who explores thoughts, emotions, and desires through a variety of materials and mediums. She developed a love for drawing in childhood and later studied art at the University of Saskatchewan, continuing her education through workshops and self-directed projects. Joanne's work includes painting in acrylics and oils, as well as printmaking and textile arts. Her style, influenced by Fauvism and Expressionism, uses bold colors to evoke emotional responses.

In addition to her personal art practice, Joanne plays a significant role in her local arts community. She joined the Melfort Arts Council in 2003, a decision that shaped her involvement in the arts beyond her own work. In 2020, she stepped into the role of Chairperson, helping to revitalize the council during a critical time. Under her leadership, the council has focused on rebuilding its presence in the region, organizing events, and supporting local artists. Joanne is passionate about fostering creativity and cultural engagement in her community, and she is committed to making the arts more accessible to everyone. She believes that with continued effort, Northeast Saskatchewan can grow into a vibrant arts hub, attracting talent and attention from far beyond the region.

JUSTIN SEIJI WADDELL is an artist and Associate Professor at the Alberta University of the Arts in Mohkinstsis. He is a board member of CARFAC National,  Peripheral Review, C the Visual Art Foundation, the New Media Caucus, the Immigrant Council for Arts Innovation, and the Arts, Culture, and Education Committee (ACE) of the National Association of Japanese Canadians. In 2025, he will be an Artist in Residence with Studio Kura in Fukuoka, Japan, and he is currently an Artist in Residence with the Past Wrongs, Future Choices as a part of the Japanese Canadian Legacies Project and the Centre for Asia Pacific Initiatives at the University of Victoria.

MODERATORS
Chris W. Carson: Executive Director at CARFAC Alberta
Jera MacPherson: Program & Outreach Director at CARFAC SASK

GARY VARRO Born and based in Treaty 4 (Regina, Saskatchewan) Gary Varro (he/him) is a an artist whose practice encompasses visual art, performance art and curation. In 1996, Gary established Queer City Cinema (QCC), a Regina-based festival that programs film and performance art in a combined festivals annually - Performatorium: Festival of Queer Performance and Queer City Cinema: Film Festival. Other endeavours with QCC have included national and international tours of film programs and performance art, and special projects such as Camp, Trash, Filth: John Waters Visits Regina in 2017. Gary has exhibited his installation and performance artwork locally, nationally, and internationally within the last twenty years. Areas of interest include: queer identities; public/private domains; self humiliation and vulnerability; spectacle and transgression; humour and pathos, endurance and the creative process itself.

CINDY BAKER Committed to ethical community engagement and critical social enquiry, Cindy Baker's interdisciplinary research-based practice draws upon 25 years working, volunteering, and organizing in the communities of which she is part, engaging with queer, gender, race, disability, fat, and art discourses. Baker holds a BFA from the University of Alberta and an MFA from the University of Lethbridge where she held a SSHRC grant for her research in performance, and has exhibited and performed across Canada and internationally. Helping found important community and advocacy organizations over the course of her career, including the Saskatoon Diversity Network and the Artist-Run Centres and Collectives Coalition of Canada, notable awards include Toronto International Body Image Film & Arts Festival's Body Confidence Canada Award, and Toronto's South Asian Visual Arts Collective (SAVAC)'s Collaborator of the Year Award.

MODERATORS
Chris W. Carson: Executive Director at CARFAC Alberta
Jera MacPherson: Program & Outreach Director at CARFAC SASK

LEAH MARIE DORION is a Metis writer and artist currently living near Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada. Her artwork celebrates the strength and resilience of Indigenous women and families.  Leah is also a published children's book author and illustrator. Several of her Metis cultural books are available through Gabriel Dumont Press in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and Strong Nations Publishing in Nanaimo, British Columbia.  Oscardo Gifts an online gift shop based in Toronto, Ontario began distributing products and fashions featuring her unique style of art works.  https://www.oscardo.com/collections/leah-dorion   

Strong Earth Woman a new fabric line “Strong Earth Woman,” was released in early 2024 called, it is her first experience with fabric as a new artistic medium. Leah has a passion for early year’s education and is currently working with the Metis Nation of British Columbia (MNBC) to develop Metis cultural early years resources for children and families.  She is a proud member of CARFAC which is the national voice of Canada's professional visual artists.  Visit www.leahdorion.ca for more information about her artistic practice.

SHEA PROULX is an author and artist whose latest book is Just Happy To See You (2024), published by Conundrum Press, and she has many other projects published by Renegade Arts Entertainment. She constructs autobiographical visual narratives that very occasionally include murderous clones. Her work will be on display at Nvrlnd Art space in Inglewood October 4th-6th.

MODERATORS
Tara Vahab: Engagement Coordinator at CARFAC Alberta
Jera MacPherson: Program & Outreach Director at CARFAC SASK