Toronto Media Arts Centre creates a space for Afro-Caribbean spawned creativity

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“My exhibition is coming up this week; and I have so much to do Simone,” Selina said exasperated. “What is going on Selina? “I decided to take a break to hear the young woman out. Selina McCallum is a young force in our generation who is soon to be globally recognized. The Toronto Caribbean Newspaper had learned about Selina during our tour of South Western Ontario in early 2019. During the black history event, I saw this young woman actively engaged with such a powerful soul. I learned that she was graduating with a degree in journalism, and I knew right away that I wanted to be part of whatever this young lady was about.

Upon graduating in April 2019, Selina went full force into her career as a reporter for the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper, and as the Production Manager at MyTCNTV Network. Along with that, I was aware of her involvement in the community as well as her constant need to better herself. I say all this to lead you to the part of the story that you joined us at.

“So!” Selina said with an almost sudden renewed sense of energy, “I have been part of a workshop put on by the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre, and Sketch Working Arts. We went through a pretty intense exploratory workshop series focusing on digital sensors, glitch art, mxp VR and creating with DIY materials.” “You know that I don’t understand one thing you are saying right?” I replied laughing. “Yeah, I know, I know,” Selina chuckled. “Just come tonight to the opening of “Making Sense.” It starts at 6:00 pm and you can see some of the creative minds that I had a chance to work with Sim.” “You know what?” I mused, “I think I will come see what is going on. I will be downtown anyways, so it works out perfectly.”

I decided to do some research and discovered some wonderful things about the Toronto Media Arts Centre. I saw an opportunity for our young people to get more involved in the technology world. This collectively artist-run centre provides a platform for our young people to create and play with art and technology. There are a lot of creative young minds in Toronto, and there is yet another chance to expose them to workshops that focus on film, animation, video games, music, video, immersive media, electronics, and much, much more.

I arrived closer to the end of the night and ran into Selina leaving with her family. She took a moment to walk me through the gallery, and I was most impressed by what I was seeing. The featured artists that night included: Alice Chen, Annemarie Silano, Sara Prisma Williston, Zoe Bu, Lucia Linares, and our very own Selina McCallum. Selina took a moment to show me her work. She had a series of breath-taking photos, which the visitors were able to preview upon entry of the gallery. Her digital component was a small laptop set up close to the photos. On the laptop were a series of quotes that the viewer had to match with one of the photos in the series. I got the first one right, and the second and third wrong. I found this component of the exhibit to be fascinating; I told her right away how proud of her I was.

Next, Selina introduced me to two team members, involved in the success of “Making Sense” Workshop: Morgan Sears-Williams, and Shaughn Martell. “I am really appreciative of Shaughn Martell, Leqanne Collins, and Jillian W. We all worked together because we really wanted to create a space for the creative mind. Along with the creative arts, we incorporate skill building tools, and it is so fulfilling to see participants explore new concepts and grow,” Morgan explained. When I spoke to Shaughn Martell, he bore very similar sentiments. “I have been involved with Sketch for seven years now, and I have always enjoyed assisting in running programs. I love technology and having the ability to discuss and engage in topics like: game development, coding and hardware is synergetic. People being inspired by each other, is inspiring itself. We are closed until October, but next, we are looking into workshops on photography, and projection mapping.

It is all about discovering opportunities for our young people; the only way to keep them safe, is to keep them active. If you are a parent, or guardian and you are interested, visit TMAC at info@tomediaarts.org