BIPOC youth-led art movement redefines cultural unity in Canada

Bridging Generations: A Cultural Tapestry in Art debuted on Thursday, July 30^th, 2025, at the Markham Civic Centre, drawing a full house for its VIP launch. The event invited guests to “Step into a night where creativity moves you, voices speak truth, and BIPOC changemakers lead with heart.”

The project’s driving force is 17-year-old Afro-Caribbean visual artist Ava Jasmine Dedier, founder of Ava Jasmine Artistry and RISE Collective Canada. She’s a: youth speaker, creative entrepreneur, and visual storyteller passionate about: equity, cultural expression, mentorship, education, and healing.

“This exhibit represents more than art,” said Diane Macklin, Director of Community Engagement at Markham Public Library. “It’s a dynamic, timely initiative that bridges generations and cultures while amplifying BIPOC voices in lasting ways.”

The RISE Collective Canada Foundation, founded by Dedier, reimagines youth leadership, creativity, and cultural unity. Its four pillars:

1. Evaluate systemic gaps limiting BIPOC youth and communities.
2. Elevate emerging leaders and changemakers.
3. Express identity and pride through art, education, literature, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship.
4. Empower communities with knowledge, mentorship, and action.

The mission transcends an exhibition. It’s a movement to: reclaim creative spaces, bridge cultural and generational divides, empower BIPOC artists, transform libraries into vibrant cultural hubs, and affirm that every voice in Canada deserves to be seen and heard.

Alongside Dedier, four women artists contribute to the tour’s cultural impact:

• Fei Lu – Published visual artist, illustrator, and educator.
• Candice Dixon – Afro-Caribbean fashion and Carnival arts designer, professor at TMU.
• Tiffany Joy Villahermosa – Abstract-poetic-calligraphy artist and educator.
• Toni-Marie Ferreira – Visual artist and educator.

The exhibit addresses urgent disparities:

• Only 12% of major galleries feature BIPOC artists.
• Just 9% of arts funding goes to BIPOC-led organizations.
• Fewer than 25% of BIPOC youth participate in arts education.

The demand is clear:

• 85% want more funding for BIPOC-led art.
• 80% believe public art collections must diversify.
• 75% call for investment in youth art programs.

Dedier describes RISE as “a blueprint, not a band-aid, “Transformative, not performative.”

Tour Schedule — August 2025

The exhibit travels to four Markham libraries, each with a unique theme:

• August 7^th–10^th – Milliken Mills Library
  Wearable Culture: Fashion & Carnival Arts — Candice Dixon
• August 14^th –17^th – Angus Glen Library
  Foundations of Art: I Love Who I Am — Fei Lu
• August 21^st –24^th – Markham Village Library
  Roots & Reflections: Storytelling Through Culture — Ava Jasmine Dedier
• August 28^th –31^st – Thornhill Village Library
  Ink & Identity: Culture Through Poetic Expression — Tiffany Joy Villahermosa

Workshops and gallery experiences will connect residents with heritage, family, memory, language, spirituality, and cultural legacy.

For more information:
 www.bridginggenerations.art