OUR MISSION

The mission for the Feminist - removed

2015 Exhibition

Looking Forward, Looking Back

The Looking Forward Looking Back theme developed organically out of a number of beautiful discoveries as we planned and met with community partners over the last year.

The first of these discoveries was the Women’s Kit at the Centre for Women’s Studies in Education (CWSE) at OISE.The Women’s Kit was a box of feminist resources that its curators distributed to secondary and postsecondary institutions in the early 1970s.  In a meeting about a panel partnership with the CWSE, the Women’s Kit was literally pulled out of a closet and placed on a table.

While we went through the gorgeous pamphlets, slides, records and films out of the box, themes of media representation, beauty standards, economic disparity, and erasure of women’s art emerged from the colourful archives of posters, poetry and recorded conversations between artists like Joyce Wieland and Vera Frenkel.

The contents of this box begged the questions: What has happened within the feminist art movement since the 1970s? What inroads have been made? What victories, if any, have been won? Are we still speaking about the same issues in our work? Are we repeating the same messages, making the same mistakes, saying the same thing? What is different between then and now?

At that table was Frieda Forman, professor, writer and activist, now 77. She talked about organizing the first feminist art conference at OCA in 1973 called Women’s Work. She urged us to go to the archives at OCADU to see if there was any record of the event happening.

We contacted Scott Hillis, an archivist at OCADU, and he got back to us the next day with an excited email. He had images of all the work that was in the 1973 conference exhibition and he had the schedule along with several essays and contentious debates in the student newspaper Nimbus. He urged us to come and take a look. He had also pulled a number of feminist posters and university activity that showed a clear rise in feminist organizing at OCA in the late 1980s and the early 1990s.

At the same time we were going through the curatorial process of the 2015 exhibition and we were painstakingly creating documentation of the submissions for the upcoming curatorial meeting.

This is an important point, because when we sat down at OCADU to look through the slides from the Women’s Work show in 1973, it was like a mirror reflecting back at us. The works were so similar to what we were seeing in the 2015 submissions: the reclaimed textiles, the gendered sculptural objects, the text-focused paintings, the photographs questioning identity and gender. The work demonstrates that visual languages, symbolism, aesthetics, concerns, and political rage have come full circle.

At this moment we decided that we needed to focus our programming around these unbelievably rich discoveries and invite our audience also to consider these questions. We committed to creating a necessary dialogue around what has happened before and what needs to happen next.

For looking forward we have the students of Central Toronto Academy presenting their Stop Suicide photography series, which focuses on supporting trans students at their school. At a very critical moment in trans* rights awareness, advocacy and activism, this type of visibility is crucial to any contemporary feminist art show and conversation.

FRANQ Magazine is presenting a panel of teens talking about feminism from a youth-based perspective. The Girls Art League is displaying the work of their community and students at Artscape Youngplace, paired with established artists ARTIFACTS. These relationships establish a path between generations of feminists, ensuring that these connections are not lost in the passing of time.

On Wednesday night, a student from OCADU, Julia Pereira, will present her online curatorial project called [insert feminism], which showcases the work of emerging artists on an online blog, a wonderful reflection of the internet feminist movement that is dominating this new rise in social justice activity.

Another satellite exhibition is co-presented by Women in Art (WIA) and the Canadian Women Studies in Education (CWSE) called the Women’s Poster Project: Feminist Organizing. The Women’s Poster Project takes cultural artifacts and uses them as touchstones to mark the passion of past feminist organising. These historic posters which detail key cultural, social and political events in the women’s community are a lens through which to view the history of feminist organising. The Women’s Poster Project is ongoing until April 30, 2016 in the Hallway Gallery at OISE/UT (252  Bloor Street West, 2nd floor).

Our film night will feature the screening of Shadeism: Digging Deeper, produced by Refuge Productions. In the film, director Nayani Thiyagarajah focuses on the present-day issue through her niece, a young girl who expresses dislike of her dark skin . Nayani takes this moment to also look back at the history of colonization and white supremacy, a system that permeates the identities of people of colour to this day.

First as a city councillor, then as a Member of Parliament, Olivia Chow has been fighting for women’s rights in policy and procedure. She is a staunch advocate for more women in politics and joins us as the keynote speaker, looking forward and looking back at the place where she started, OCADU (then OCA).

On Saturday, spoken word artist and Wordspell co-founder Andrea Thompson will present at FAC with her workshop students, who have been cultivating their expressive potential through performance. Experimenting with a variety of innovative spoken word forms and practices, they bring passion and power to their words, on both the page and the stage, highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of FAC.

The culmination of this discussion will be explored in our Looking Forward Looking Back panel, which will take place on Sunday from 1:00pm to 2:30pm. On this panel we have Frieda Forman, the coordinator of Women’s Work, Lillian Allen and Paula Bourne, senior activists who have been relentless in their fight for equity and social justice for decades.

With them in the discussion will be Sheila Sampath, the founder of Shameless Magazine, a Toronto-based feminist who explores teen feminist issues in her magazine.

Our youngest panelist is Fannie Gadouas, a Montreal artist, who will be reading the Cuntamponary Art manifesto at the reception on Thursday night. This manifesto seeks to create a new vision for feminism moving forward. Fannie was recently at the fore of the Montreal movement to ban a misogynist speaker and writer who was coming to Canada to deliver speeches and promote rape legalization.

This phenomenal group will be moderated by Johanna Householder, OCADU's chair of Art and Social Change. Johanna is a feminist performance artist with a long history of successful feminist art activism and performance. She was a member of the notorious satirical feminist performance ensemble The Clichettes, who performed across Canada and the US under variable circumstances throughout the 1980s.

We hope that these programming pieces have a dialogue with one another, a dialogue that will help us to move forward and support the next generation and this new rise in feminism (s) that is occurring both in the physical realm and the ever-expanding online world. The challenges that we face within the digital sphere are especially topical, as we are required to think on our feet as we navigate it. Here especially, we can consider where we forge new paths to build a stronger future of equity and social justice within an intersectional framework. We look to continue the feminist tradition of an impassioned approach to our feminism(s) to create real social change in our communities and our art.

2015 P E R F O R M A N C E S

Andrea Thompson in performance with OCADU Students

Butterfield Park, The Arbornauts – with post-performance moderation by Bernadette Wycks

DJ Jacqueline Valencia

Dominique Grant

Fannie Gadouas : read from her Cuntamponary Art Manifesto

Jasbina Misir – with post-performance moderation by Jay Smith

Kelly McInnis – with post-performance moderation by Kathleen Smith

Mapela Uhindu-Gingala – with post-performance moderation by Alicia Rose

Praba Pilar – with post-performance moderation by Maria Belén Ordóñez

Roewan Crowe – with post-performance moderation by Selmin Kara

Rory Jade Grey

Sheniz Janmohamed, Laura Kelsey Rideout : spoken word presented by Wordspell

Valerie Carew – with post-performance moderation by Alla Myzelev

Embodied Resistance

This exhibition was motivated by FAC’s continuous desire to create a platform for engaging in the pivotal social conversations of our day. In response to an open call for intersectional feminist art, we received an abundance of works that activated the body as a site of resistance. In pouring through this diverse array of multidisciplinary submissions, it became clear that the body is on the mind.

Through a wide range of media, the form of the body has become a canvas on which to create and explore. The participating artists use it to navigate their complex identities, challenging expectations related to gender, sexuality, and culture. They also defy limited representations of womanhood by capturing intimate moments of pregnancy and showcasing sexual discovery. This collection of works reminds us that resistance takes many forms.

While some artists have reshaped our assumptions about gender roles through physical labour, others shift ableist narratives of activism by creating digital content. Through an exploration of different experiences, bodies, and identities, the theme of self-love has emerged. Visually striking images and performances combat the shame associated with weight, menstruation, and trauma, advocating for self-care and self-acceptance.

As we kick off 2017, we witness a new political administration that promises to further regulate the body and restrict access to healthcare. At home, infringements to our right to agency and independence have been occurring in alarming numbers in our governments, in social media, and in our communities. Amid this climate, these artists assert control over their bodies and their narratives. Using materials such as clothing and found objects, they share stories of violence and oppression. Through artistic production, they amplify their voices and create resistance. We hope the works on display encourage further sharing, creating, and discussion as we all work toward social justice and progressive change.

Monday | March 9
Satellite Exhibition
The Lucky Ones

10am - 6pm
York University's Convention Centre
Free | Register HERE

The Lucky Ones aims to showcase the lived experiences of women and everyday misogyny – way too often than not, this includes a form of sexual violence. Part of the show is dedicated to sexual violence, building consent culture, creating safer spaces in addition to providing folks with the resources to be active bystanders. The goal is to provide women with the opportunity to start a conversation, highlighting their stories and ensuring that no woman feels like they have to go through it alone. Together, we are humanizing the stories behind the statistics.

The 2020 Feminist Art Festival’s ‘title’ and curatorial focus is Narrative Healing, in regards to: relationships ( between self/state, self/others, self/environment, self/self ), memory ( cultural, personal, diaspora ) and the body ( representation, identity, the gaze ).

Partnered events of festival 2020:

The Exchange – A Partnered Event
presented by the Canadian Women's Foundation

11:30am - 2pm | Ticketed Fundraiser Event
Sheraton Centre, Toronto

In partnership with OCAD University, the Feminist Art Collective presents an exhibition of feminist-themed student artwork at the Canadian Women's Foundation’s fundraiser The Exchange on Thursday, March 5. This exciting programming is organized by young women in the Criticism and Curatorial Practice programme at OCAD University and reflects on some of the feminist concerns facing youth in our communities today. The exhibition is curated by Ada Bierling & Hailey Kobrin. Funds raised at The Exchange will go to the Canadian Women’s Foundation and support programs across the country that empower women and girls to move out of violence, out of poverty, and into confidence and leadership.

Feminist Art Fest Student Exhibition
OCAD University 4th Floor Exhibition Space
Featuring the work of Paulina Padilla, Rabiyah Sagheer, Parastoo Mahmoudi, Lindsay Kadine, Natia Lemay, and Hyunsun Park
Highlight exhibition - When I Touch You
Featuring the work of Marcus Marriott, Christine Xia, Ana Bernardez, Phillip Ly, Amaaya Dasgupta, and Maya Skarzenski

From 2020 Festival page:

Tuesday | March 3
Storytelling & Self- Determination - A Partnered Event
presented by Women's Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF)

6 - 8pm | Tickets HERE
Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema 506 Bloor Street West

Celebrate #IWD2020 with a panel discussion with Indigenous Women speakers Tanya Tagaq, Connie Walker, and Maggie Wente. The panel will be moderated by Tanya Talaga.
This event is co-hosted by Consent Comes First at, Office of Sexual Violence Support and Education, Ryerson University, Aboriginal Initiatives; Office of the Vice President, Equity & Community Inclusion, Ryerson, Ward 1323 Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam and LEAF. Event proceeds will go to support the Native Women's Resource Centre of Toronto (NWRCT) and the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF).

 film video / theatre / music / dance / performance / design / craft / spoken word / painting / drawing / sculpture / textile 

original land aknowledgement

We organize in the traditional territory of Tkaranto (Toronto), a site of activity since time immemorial, with acknowledgement to the Anishnaabe, the Haudenosaunee, the Huron-Wendat, the Petun, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, whose presence past, present, and future include being caretakers of the land. 

The FAC committee is comprised of a group of volunteers with a variety of intersecting identities. Whether we immigrated to this land by choice, by force, by displacement, or were born here in subsequent generations, we recognize that by being here as settlers and immigrants, we are bound to the treaties of this land. In short, “We are all Treaty People.”

FAC recognizes that this treaty and treaties across Turtle Island have been broken and ignored by the Canadian govenrment as a vehicle for land theft, systematic colonial violence and genocide.

We present the Feminist Art Fest and all its affiliated programming with a commitment to unlearning our colonial histories and respecting and giving thanks to all that has come before, to the land and the many stories of the many diverse Indigenous nations from the four directions of Turtle Island.  

We come together for our fifth feminist art conference and exhibition to collaborate on the design of our rematriated futures. 

Our vision includes deference to systems of Indigenous knowledges and the wisdoms of community Elders and Knowledge Keepers, respect for and acknowledgment of the power and legacy of Black feminist activism along with the protection of the rights and safety of trans folks against so-called ‘freedom of speech’ values. FAC knows that the gender binary is a colonial construct and that across the world, countless cultures recognize, revere, integrate and celebrate multiple gender identities. Turtle Island Indigenous communities have always acknowledged these identities; they are not a manifestation of current feminist work. 

FAC does not refer to feminisms in their colonial terms of first, second, or third wave. Such designations discount and erase hundreds of years of Indigenous women's resistance to colonization, and thousands of years of Indigenous women exercising spiritual, economic and political power on this very land we gather today.

The theme of the Feminist Art Fest, Narrative Healing, is a call to action, one that demands radical care of ourselves, our communities, the land and its plants, waters and peoples, as well as our nation-to-nation relationships.