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CITYLIFE | FUTURE TALENT Ones to Watch 2020
This year our annual Ones to Watch feature focuses on eight very talented young women who are ready to ignite the world with their passions. Nominated by their teachers, each one of them offer a glimpse at a better world with their art in it.
AMÉLIE ROBERT Age: 18 School: George McDougall High School - graduating class of 2020 Art form: I mostly create 2-D art in the form of paintings and drawings (acrylic, gouache/watercolour, pencil, oil paint...) but I’m always open to learning how to use new materials. I’ve recently had an interest in wood sculpting but haven’t had the time to create much lately. Future plans: I intend on going to Alberta University of the Arts or another university related to the arts next year (taking a gap year because of COVID...) and want to pursue something in the direction of painting/drawing. Aha moment: I think I’ve always had a hunch that I would pursue a career in the arts ever since I was in elementary. I’ve always been quite creative and have always loved creating things so when I found out that some people were making a living off of their art, I knew I wanted to do the same. I probably realized this when I was taking art lessons at about 10-11 years old from a nice lady called Anne Drouin and realized that a career based in the arts wasn’t such a foreign idea. From then on I worked hard on my art to improve and move towards a career in the arts. I still have a lot to learn and that’s why I’m hoping going to art school can help me. EVALINA JAVORSKY Age: 18 School: Bert Church High School - graduating class of 2020 Art form: Audio/video, video creator. I tend to create more “artsy” pieces that range from music videos to short films. I entered my video Life After Covid in the 2020 Skills Shares Canada competition and placed sixth in the province. I’m also a digital artist and illustrate or animate using Photoshop. Future plans: I’m planning to go into the New Media Production and Design program at SAIT this coming winter semester. I’ll see where my plans go from there, but I know with whatever I do, I want to utilize my creativity, and make things I’m proud of with my own two hands and a camera. Aha moment: I’ve been making videos for as long as I can remember. My cousin Calla and I used to come up with skits and film them with any device we could get our hands on. That’s how I spent most of my middle school days, just goofing around on camera. When I got to high school and went into Mr. Crawley’s class however, I started to take video production a lot more seriously. It became an art form to me, outside of my normal creative endeavours such as drawing and music. Video making grounded me in a way I never realized. It provided me an escape from my anxieties, because I knew if I had nothing else, I would always have what I create. I want to create for myself as well as others, and I would rather take pride in something I’ve made and put effort into than anything else.
GABRIELLE PETERS Age: 18 School: George McDougall High School - graduating class of 2020 Art form/discipline: Fine arts. I tend to veer towards realism with acrylic paints. However, I’ve recently gotten more into some wire work where I have made a few miniature bonsai sculptures. Future plans: I have been accepted into the University of Lethbridge for their Fine Arts program. Even though I do not have a specific career picked out yet, I hope these next four years will open my eyes to all the possibilities in the world of art and design. It’s this uncertainty which makes me so excited for my future because of all the options that I will discover! Aha moment: I was always very artistically motivated, even as a young child, so I think I always knew this was my passion. The moment I realized I wanted to do art for a living was when my parents told me I could actually do it for a career! Up until that point, I assumed I would have had to go into something like science or mathematics, which was not and still isn’t my forte. As my dad once told me, “If you do something you love for a job, you’ll never work a day in your life,” and that is something I really hope I can achieve!
JORJA-RAE WILCOX Age: 18 School: George McDougall High School - graduating class of 2020 Art form/discipline: Musical theatre/actor Future plans: My goal is to attend Sheridan College in Oakville, Ont., to earn a bachelor of fine arts in musical theatre and with a goal of a successful career in either theatre or film/TV. Aha moment: My moment happened during the summer of 2018. This was my fourth Summer Intensive Program (“SSIP”) with Storybook Theatre and the selected musical was Into the Woods. The director and the creative team really pushed me hard during the process and there were many moments when I felt torn or wanted to give up because of how difficult it was. I was struggling with the role they had given me. I was scared of being judged and because I hesitated, I was holding back my talent. At one point during rehearsal, I was doing a scene and was not giving it my all. The director told me that the next time I step out on stage, he wanted me to do the scene as a drag queen. I told him that I had no idea how to be a drag queen. He said “just try.” I took a deep breath, put all my hesitations and judgemental thoughts aside and tried what I thought was a very poor impression of a drag queen. To my surprise, he loved what I did and I had so much fun doing it. Being able to not care about what I looked like and just let myself go was so much fun. That moment made me realize that theatre gives you the chance to be free, to do whatever you want and be able to have fun during the process. I have fallen in love with every aspect of theatre, (and the) the industry and I know that I want to pursue acting and musical theatre as a career.
LEAH HOOPER Age: 18 School: W.H. Croxford High School - graduating class of 2020 Art form/discipline: I do mainly illustration, using traditional mediums such as paint, markers and coloured pencil, as well as digital mediums in programs such as Photoshop and Procreate. Future plans: I’m not entirely sure yet. I’m going to be taking a break year, focusing on honing my illustration skills with online classes and lots of practice. After that, I’m considering taking an avenue in post-secondary that would allow me to have a career in either illustration or design. No matter what I decide to do after my break year, though, I want to make sure I’m still creating art all the time. Aha moment: Pinning down the moment that I decided to pursue art is a little complicated, as I’ve always somewhat known I wanted to do something artistic. I was constantly crafting, drawing and painting as a child and I eventually went into a painting class in Bowness at age 11, where I was really able to improve my skills. I enjoyed it so much that, despite my age meaning I had no set plans for my future yet, I knew for sure that, no matter what I was doing, I wanted to be painting in the future. I carried that sentiment with me all the way through middle school and, in Grade 10, I was able to join the Visual Arts and Media Academy at my high school. That really sprung me into understanding art as a career and pushed me to pursue something in the field, which, at first, was going to be graphic design. My decision to consider illustration specifically came pretty recently with the realization that painting and drawing people, animals and scenery is what I really enjoy and am passionate about.
MACKENZIE COX Age: 17 School: W.H Croxford High School - graduating class of 2020 Art form/discipline: Children’s book author and illustrator, working in the mediums Copic Markers, acrylic and water colour. Future plans: I plan to go to the University of Lethbridge and get my bachelor’s degree in education and art. I want to teach kindergarten but aspire to be an art teacher of elementary, middle or high schools. I plan to continue writing children’s books and possibly illustrating for other children’s book authors. I want to inspire children to create and love art. Aha moment: The response back from Airdrie, my school, the community and the families I’ve impacted; simply by doing what I love sparked my passion to continue to write and illustrate books. Reading my books to children and seeing their faces light up with curiosity is a gift. When parents send me photos of their kids reading my books and making up their own costumes related to the story and the message, it inspires me to continue pursuing my passion!
MACY FIELDS Age: 18 School: Bert Church High School - graduating class of 2020 Art form/discipline: Painting Future plans: To attend Alberta University of the Arts for a four-year painting bachelor’s. I hope to pursue mural painting, and possibly tattooing as well. Aha moment: When I realized art was how I could express myself freely without judgement. Art is open to interpretation and there are no rules in what you can create and how you can create it. From a very young age I was painting and drawing and I’ve always loved it. I find it’s very fun for me and making a career out of it is a dream!
MADISON HUGHES Age: 18 School: Bert Church High School - graduating class of 2020 Art form: Photography, mainly focusing on landscape, wildlife and nature Future plans: I plan to continue investing time and energy into learning techniques, skills and strategies to better my knowledge and overall quality of my photography. I use photography to help capture nature, which is my inspiration and passion. Using photography, I would like to one day promote the need to conserve and preserve nature around the world by working with a company such as National Geographic, Patagonia (or) The North Face to showcase the beauty of our natural earth. Aha moment: I was very young when I got into photography. I started with a little Fisher Price camera, which I eventually upgraded to my parents’ Sony point-and-shoot camera when I was in Grade 3. I saved up money from babysitting and got a Nikon Coolpix when I was in Grade 8, and saved and invested more of my money to buy a good quality Canon camera with extra lenses and equipment a couple years later. Over the years, the hobby grew into a part of my personality. I enjoy going to a forest or on a hike and capturing what I love; it allows me to express what my passions and inspirations are and who I am as a person. It was not just one single “aha” moment, but a feeling that I was able to experience an activity that allowed me to grow and further appreciate nature, which is my passion and inspiration. life 78 airdrielife.com | FALL 2020
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