Nature Poetry Walk: A Palimpsest of Place

Inspired by the Doris McCarthy Gallery exhibition New Light, poet, educator, and nature artist Sheniz Janmohamed will lead an observational poetry walk through the Highland Creek Valley, along the Ma Moosh Ka Win Trail at the U of T Scarborough campus. Participants will be encouraged to reflect upon their relationship to place. What are the landscapes and elements that have offered us inspiration, expansion, and grounding? How can we stand in an overly familiar place and see it through a new light? What does the terrain of our hearts look like? These questions will be explored through gentle sensory prompts throughout the trail, where participants will have the opportunity to document their experiences and observations through journaling. The walk will culminate in the creation of nature-art representing participants’ own "compasses" of place. No writing experience required. Participants are welcome to sketch and draw in addition to writing.

Spaces limited; registration required. Please note any accommodation needs when registering or by contacting dmg.utsc@utoronto.ca, and gallery staff will follow up with you as necessary.

The walk will begin from the Doris McCarthy Gallery at U of T Scarborough at 2 pm, where participants can first view New Light, before heading to the Ma Moosh Ka Win Trail.

Participants are asked to 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, as well as a reuseable water bottle.

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 Ma Moosh Ka Win Trail is wheelchair accessible; the trail that continues beyond is an uneven, dirt path. This program will include opportunities to sit down/rest.

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). Sheniz served as the Writer-in-Residence at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus in 2022.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

This program is presented in conjunction with the DMG exhibition New Light (May 11 - July 7, 2024), curated by Carly Wolowich. Focusing on the life and work of the late, Scarborough-based artist and writer Doris McCarthy (1910–2010), the exhibition unites artwork and archival material to laud emotive and eminently humanistic approach to capturing place, over time. McCarthy’s curiosity and dedication to learning are revealed through glimpses into her studio process, where she experimented with new styles and techniques. Throughout her career of more than 80 years, McCarthy ardently shared her wonder in the world, and was steadfastly committed to rendering it in a new light.

New Light is part of The Doris McCarthy Gallery's 20th anniversary programming, a celebration of the gallery's two decades of exhibitions, programs, and community-building in Scarborough.

The Doris McCarthy Gallery is generously supported by the Toronto Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts.