BIPOC in Nature: Highland Creek Valley Walk with Sheniz Janmohamed

Inspired by works in the Doris McCarthy Gallery exhibition Now You See Me that consider BIPOC bodies in nature, poet, educator, and nature artist Sheniz Janmohamed will lead a gentle sensory walk through the Highland Creek Valley at the U of T Scarborough campus. Participants will be encouraged to reflect upon their relationship with the outdoors, culminating in an opportunity to create their own nature art.

After the walk, participants are invited to attend the Now You See Me public closing reception at the Doris McCarthy Gallery.

Spaces limited; registration required. ASL interpretation available, please request upon registration.

The walk will begin from the Doris McCarthy Gallery at U of T Scarborough at 1 pm, where participants can first view Now You See Me, before heading to the U of T Scarborough Valley Trail.

Please bring a notebook and something to write with. Please dress for the weather, wearing good walking shoes as needed, and pants that can be tucked into socks (for avoiding scratches/insect bites if going off path). Sunscreen and bug repellent recommended.

Most of this program will be held outdoors, and it will go forward rain or shine. Participants can choose how much of the valley they would like to explore during the program. The U of T Scarborough Valley Trail is wheelchair accessible; the trail that continues beyond is an uneven, dirt path. This program will include opportunities to sit down/rest.

Masks will be required while in the gallery, physical distancing will be in place, and participants will be asked to self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms before attending the program.

ABOUT THE FACILITATOR

Sheniz Janmohamed was born and raised in Tkaronto with ancestral ties to Kenya and India. A poet, nature artist and arts educator, she regularly visits schools and community organizations to teach and perform. Her nature art has been featured across Turtle Island, including the National Arts Centre and the Art Gallery of Mississauga. She has three collections of poetry, published by Mawenzi House: 'Bleeding Light' (2010), 'Firesmoke' (2014) and 'Reminders on the Path' (2021).

Earlier this year, Sheniz served as the Writer-in-Residence at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus (Winter/Spring 2022).

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

This walk is presented as part of the programming for Now You See Me, a photo-based exhibition that explores issues related to gender and cultural identity. All variously identify as women, femme, and non-binary, artists Dayna Danger, Chun Hua Catherine Dong, Gaëlle Elma, Leila Fatemi, Kablusiak, Meryl McMaster, and Vivek Shraya employ tactics of performing, concealing, and revealing their bodies and those of their collaborators, to produce works that challenge normative, colonial assumptions.