PS Scarborough by nextgenarts

FRONT COVER

PS SCAR BOR OUGH

Published by Next Generation Arts 1121 Bellamy Road North, Unit 2 Scarborough ON M1H 3B9 Copyright © 2021 Next Generation Arts and their respective authors. All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced or used in any form without the prior written permission of the publisher. ISBN 978-1-9995017-1-6 Manufactured in Canada. Cover and layout by Marianne Rellin. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Government of Canada and LUSH. nextgenerationarts.ca Next Generation Arts _nextgenarts

PS SCAR BOR OUGH

Foreword

9 WHEN WE FIRST began this journey as a group, no one truly knew where we were headed. It was amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and we were all trying to figure out how we would navigate and share the technical and physical elements of photography during a new normalcy. We all met online as strangers only knowing that we had one shared goal: photographing and capturing our love for our Scarborough neighbourhoods. Aside from that knowledge, the rest was going to be an experimental journey, as if we were treading through new territory. As we trod, two things continued to trend for our group each week: first, our love and nostalgia for all the nooks, crannies, hidden gems, and memories that were housed in Scarborough; and second, the want and the need to connect with our beloved communities and each other. As each week passed, we shared glimpses of our personal selves, our favourite places, our memories and experiences, and sometimes, the dangerous yet exciting adventures we went on just to capture that special shot. There were many times we shared photos and it let us speak for longer than our class time budgeted; other times it left us speechless in visual arrest; and of course, there were times when we were just trying something new so the photo did not turn out yet we were gladdened for the experimentation and held ourselves accountable to try again. Each time we shared a photograph, we learned more about one another. We studied each other. We tested each other. We became a group who were no longer strangers, but a group of photographers who just did strange things for the sake of a good photograph. Initially, PS Scarborough was born out of the concept of a photo story—one that captured all the people, places, food, cultures, memories, and visually enticing moments which we have experienced. What PS Scarborough turned out to be was a postscript, as after all the facts were spewed, all of the narratives were told, and all the places explored, what lingered was an overwhelming, “P.S. Scarborough— we love you.” And as you visit this book, I hope, earnestly, that is what you see and feel from this photo story, as this is what we have seen and felt as a group, especially during these COVID times, with no boundaries but every restriction. With kindness,

Jen D. Fabico Founder and Executive Director Next Generation Arts

PHOTO STORIES 10

Patricia ‘Patty’ Guyader David and Mary Thomson Museum

Nithursan Elamuhilan Port Union

Jeannette Burgos-Rigó Guildwood Park, Scarborough

Patricia ‘Patty’ Guyader Autumn Garden Goddess At Guild

Emiliya Volchenko Details

Kinza Iman From Below

Patricia ‘Patty’ Guyader Bluffs At Sunset

Jasmine Chopra Sun

Nithursan Elamuhilan Colonel Danforth Park

Jeannette Burgos-Rigó Snow and Cars in Scarborough on Christmas Eve

Hector King Jr. Shadow

Hector King Jr. Sandbox

Patricia ‘Patty’ Guyader Me and My Shadow at Morningside Park

Rooth Vimalanathan Albert Campbell Square

Kinza Iman Footsteps

Kinza Iman Bluffs

Rooth Vimalanathan Corvette Jr PS

Jeannette Burgos-Rigó Scarborough Bluffs

Emiliya Volchenko Leaves

Rooth Vimalanathan Bluffin About Time

Kinza Iman Puddles

Emiliya Volchenko Rain

Emiliya Volchenko Light

Rooth Vimalanathan Scarborough Civic Centre

Patricia ‘Patty’ Guyader Rosetta McClain Gardens

Jeannette Burgos-Rigó Harris Water Treatment Plant

Emiliya Volchenko Looking Up

Jasmine Chopra Hike

Rooth Vimalanathan Kennedy Station

Hector King Jr. Light

Jasmine Chopra Sunset

Shammah Salwa Wesleyan Cemetery

Shammah Salwa Stirfry

Jeannette Burgos-Rigó Crossing guards like Vesa and Bob play an important role in the lives of children who walk to school in Scarborough

Kinza Iman Playground

Nithursan Elamuhilan Silhouette

Shammah Salwa Doly Begum

Nithursan Elamuhilan The Hotdog Guy

Hector King Jr. Eggs

Shammah Salwa Grocery List

Shammah Salwa Typical Sunday

Nithursan Elamuhilan Adobo

ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES 64

Jeannette Burgos-Rigó Jeannette Burgos-Rigó is a teacher with a strong interest in photography, visual arts, travelling, dancing, and hiking. She is a Scarborough resident who loves to volunteer in many events and enjoys the multiculturalism and unique landscape of this part of the GTA. She hopes to continue her photography adventures. Her work is on pages 14, 22, 30, 40, and 48.

JASMINE CHOPRA Jasmine Chopra currently lives in Scarborough with her family. She enjoys the outdoors, hiking, travelling, watching movies, and craft projects such as crochet, knitting, and embroidery. She likes taking photos of landscapes and anything that inspires her and feeds her soul. Her work is on pages 20, 42, and 45.

NITHURSAN Elamuhilan Born and raised in Scarborough, Nithursan Elamuhilan has a strong interest in the visual arts, currently exploring photography as an expressive mode of communication. Through volunteering and personal projects, Nithursan is interested in exploring ways of creating a positive impact in Scarborough and the Greater Toronto community. His work is on pages 13, 21, 51, 54, and 60.

KINzA IMAN Kinza Iman is an aspiring photographer from Scarborough. She’s involved in the Youth Advisory Group at her local library and plans events alongside her peers and library staff. Together, they deliver programs and services to youth and teens in the community. She also hopes to keep continuing photography alongside her academics. Her work is on pages 18, 27, 33, and 50.

PATRICIA ‘Patty’ GUYADER Patty grew up in the Scarborough Wexford neighborhood. Her two sons were raised in Cliffside Village. The family participated in many community and charitable events. Patty now resides in the Oakridge community. These days, in between her “day job”, Patty enjoys photography, travel, music, movies, hiking, and exploring new possibilities. Her work is on pages 12, 15, 19, 25, and 39.

HECTOR KING JR. Hector King Jr. is an Anishinaabe from Thunder Bay, Ontario. He is self-taught in many things. He enjoys reading, people, writing, movies, singing, music, drawing, humour, photography, and videography. He is in a short film called Shadow. His work is on pages 23, 24, 44, and 55.

SHAMMAH SALWA Shammah Salwa considers herself to be a lifelong student of the art of photography, film, and writing. In her journey to become a photojournalist, she hopes to cover various topics within environmental justice movements and touch on themes of nostalgia, sense of belonging, migration stories, and the hyphenated identity. Her work is on pages 46, 47, 52-53, and 56-59.

Rooth Vimalanathan Rooth is an avid reader who loves learning new things and meeting new people. Scarborough has blessed her with various cultural experiences and a love of languages. She enjoys quality time with loved ones, exploring new (and old) places, and doing things that feed her curiosity, creativity, and taste buds. Her work is on pages 26, 29, 32, 38, and 43.

EMILIYA VOLCHENKO Emiliya Volchenko is an aspiring photographer. She enjoys taking part in many creative activities such as drawing, painting, and photography. She contributes to her community through her various volunteering projects, as well as joining other artists in creative projects. She hopes to continue her creative adventures for a long time. Her work is on pages 16, 31, 34-37, and 41.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project would not be possible without our generous funder, the Government of Canada, and our sponsor, LUSH. During this time when connectivity was crucial, they provided us with resources to connect, learn, and create. Through Zoom, we hosted numerous online workshops and compiled the very book you have viewed. LUSH provided us with a large supply of self-care and wellness products which contributed to our program’s care packages. Because of their generosity, we were able to take care of our creative minds and bodies and have a positive and holistic experience through PS Scarborough. Many thanks to our creative and visual extraordinaire, Marianne Rellin. Without your work behind the scenes before and all the way to the completion of this project, this beautiful project would not have come to fruition the way that it did. Your keen eye, critical feedback, and technical savviness continue to ground us, especially in the presentation of our projects. Last but not least, this project would not be made possible without the very people who are showcased in this publication: Jeannette Burgos-Rigó, Jasmine Chopra, Nithursan Elamuhilan, Patty Guyader, Kinza Iman, Hector King Jr., Shammah Salwa, Rooth Vimalanathan, and Emiliya Volchenko. Not only did they lend each other their company, creativity, and support—they did this during a time of uncertainty. They placed their trust in one another as strangers, and each week, formed new and stronger bonds as friends and community members despite never having met in person. Though this compilation was built in separate spaces, there has never been so much togetherness.

ABOUT NEXT GENERATION ARTS Next Generation Arts works in a cyclical model that all projects, programs, and events directly serve the participants while impacting the community through peer-to-peer and graduate model. We source experienced artists, mentors, and facilitators to share their creative passions and host conversations with youth for their next experiences within the arts; and find opportunities for these youth to take on those new learnings and skillsets. Our organization believes in the quality of our training to young people, and in our young people themselves, to directly give them the opportunity to be the next mentors for new incoming youth. nextgenerationarts.ca

Next Generation Arts

_nextgenarts

BACK COVER

ISBN 9781999501716

9 781999 501716