AGGREY AGWATA

Aggrey Agwata is a Kenyan born artist, from the Kisii community, a highland Bantu community in Nyanza, Kenya. The Abagusii people are the only community that practiced stone carving as part of their traditions among other practices before the colonial era. Aggrey graduated with a B.Ed in Art and Design and History from Kenyatta University, Nairobi Kenya in 2018. Prior to graduation, Aggrey worked in various capacities including as an illustrator, refurbishing designer, graphic designer and art teacher. Aggrey has worked closely with the National Museums of Kenya for several years, Aggrey is in the Unstreamed stream of MAED program. Aggrey has interests in pedagogy and curation of African art and its social practices.

SADIE BILLS

Sadie Bills is an MAED student in the Community Stream. Her research investigates parallel histories of craft, environmental degradation, and the potential for restorative connections between the two. She is interested in participatory artworks-as-pedagogy that facilitate learning through observation and making. Sadie received her BA from Sarah Lawrence College in 2015 with a concentration in creative writing and visual art, and has since worked as an artist assistant and educator in a variety of settings in the US and Canada. Sadie was born in New York City, grew up in Northern California, and spends her summers in Cape Breton.

REBECCA BARCARDAX

Rebecca Baccardax is an illustrator, a sailor, a salsa dancer & a storyteller. She grew up in and around Toronto (completing her BFA in drawing and painting at OCAD U), but travelled east for a holiday, and hasn't returned since. She is now pursuing her MA in Art Education at NSCAD University, and has a special interest in community-engaged art practices & inclusive pedagogical strategies. She is interested in researching the intersection between community, care-taking, sustainability and the arts.

MARIANA CANTÚ

Mariana is from Mexico where she worked as a gallery manager in Monterrey. It is her personal goal to provide a platform for artistic expression and practices that improve the opportunities of underserved and underprivileged sectors of our city. Her intention is to aid all local museums, galleries, artist-run spaces, and independent spaces, so they can have a welcoming attitude towards children and teenagers, providing accessible dynamics that also benefit parents and educators. Having a Master’s degree in Art Education will certainly open a range of routes to accomplish this and Mariana is very excited to explore them.

SOFIA CARDONE

Sofia Cardone is a student in the curatorial stream of the MAEd program. She interested in working towards more accessible and inclusive museums and galleries through exhibition design, educational programming, and feminist and decolonial methods. Sofia has a B.A. from the University of Toronto where she studied Art History, Curatorial Studies, and Gender Studies. During her time at U of T, she held various positions at the Doris McCarthy Gallery, including as an exhibition assistant and researcher. Sofia was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and grew up in Tkaronto (Toronto).

ADI FLEISHER

A tech enthusiastic. MAED student. Interactive designer. Unprofessional coder. Optimistic baker. Animal lover. World changer.

BIYING LI

Biying Li (Ankie), China. She is enrolled in NSCAD’s MAED program and obtained her BFA with honors from Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts University. While she is interested in installation and interactive artwork, Biying is also committed to coordinating intercultural emphasis and using a wide variety of materials and mediums. One of her profound works like changing perceptions of Albinism through mixed media, have seen her travel to many places in order to soak ideaI that inspire her. Biying’s current practice includes pedagogical interactive art in rural areas.

ALEXIA MITCHELL

Alexia Mitchell is an illustrator and designer from Calgary, Alberta working primarily with watercolour and digital drawing programs. Upon graduating from the Alberta University of the Arts (formerly ACAD) with a Bachelor of Design, Alexia enrolled in NSCAD’s MAED program in order to pursue a deeper understanding of pedagogy, research, curation, and applications they can have to her practice. She has an interest using visual storytelling to explore themes of mental wellness, and plans on exploring the links between wellness and artistic practices in her thesis.

OBOL ANDREW JACKSON

Obol Andrew Jackson is a Ugandan illustrator now living in Halifax, Nova Scotia studying in the Masters of Art in Art Education program at NSCAD University. Andrew is a freelance illustrator and a published children’s book artist. Andrew’s Afrocentric and otherwise interventionist work serves to challenge dominant culture in ways that honour and celebrate undermined narratives. Andrew’s pedagogical aspiration is to teach both young and old minds to speak through art. When he is not making art he’s spending time with family and friends.

CLAUDIA PARDO

She is a Colombian architect with a diploma in interior design obtained in Montreal, Canada 2016. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in arts education at NSCAD University. Through geometry she has found harmony in her creations which has allowed her to explore creative ways of artistic representation. She has used color relationships as a fundamental element of expressiveness in her works.

KAYLA RUDDERHAM

Kayla Rudderham is a biracial woman of Mi’kmaq & settler descent from Unimaki (Cape Breton). Since graduating from NSCAD University with B.FA in 2014, and from MSVU with a B.Ed in 2016, Kayla has worked at the Museum of Natural History in Kjipuktuk (Halifax). Kayla is in the Museum and Curatorial stream of the MAED program. She has an interest in fostering engagement between the public and museum collections, the preservation of cultural practices and historical community objects, as well as facilitating acts of remembrance.

PABASARA RANASINGHE

Pabasara is a photographic artist who likes to catch unseen rhythms around her. She is specialized in portraits and conceptual photography. Through her photographic work she tries to capture & express the meanings of human life. After graduate from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka with a BA special degree in ‘IMAGE ARTS, she had been working in the University as a Tutor/lecturer for three years. Subsequent she practiced as a photographic artist in the private sector in Sri Lanka. She is currently involved with the Pedagogy steam of the MAED program at NSCAD University.

ALI ZAGARI

Hello Everyone. I am Ali Zargari. In my Backhome, Iran, I was a Creative and Technical Director for the National Broadcast Television. On 16 October 2012 I became honored by living in Canada as a Gay Refugee. I, also, became honored by earning a BA in Media Arts and Culture from The University of New Brunswick. Currently, I have my third great honor in my life, as I received an admission from NSCAD University to study Master of Arts in Art Education. I love to do short motion 3D files in my free times. I launched VirtuGital Club at S.U.N.S.C.A.D to talk 

about Virtual Media Production. Please welcome to watch some of my motions, still images, and 

the outline of my future workshops.