KPU hosts African Canadian Art exhibit featuring works from art therapy program
Attendees can view artworks created by Black seniors, watch a video presentation about the artists, and speak with them in person
Members of the African Canadian diaspora created artwork that will be displayed at the KPU Surrey campus. (Submitted)
An African Canadian exhibition featuring the paintings of immigrant and refugee seniors of African descent will be unveiled in the Spruce building of Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Surrey campus on May 9 from 1:00 to 3:30 pm.
The Holistic Healing Through Painting – An African Canadian Art Exhibition gathers works created during art therapy classes organized by Salt City Advocacy Society, an organization that provides support and resources for immigrants and refugees of African descent.
The initiative will mark the society’s one-year anniversary, says Sosa Eweka, founder of the Salt City and a KPU alumna, adding she reached out to KPU’s social justice film festival KDocsFF about hosting an event together.
KDocsFF Community Outreach Director Greg Chan, who is also a KPU English instructor, says the event is an opportunity to connect the university community and the Canadian African diaspora.
“We have the African Canadian diaspora represented, and we don’t get too many events where we get to connect with African Canadians, especially African Canadian seniors, telling their immigration stories,” Chan says.
The therapy art classes for seniors started in June last year and have since had four sessions throughout the year.
“At the end of the program, I always had it in mind that we’re going to showcase all of our artworks, everything that we have done, and put it out there,” Eweka says.
The art classes are a form of art therapy for seniors, where they learn how to paint, make friends, and connect with the community.
“It helps them to connect emotionally, spiritually, [and] physically because we also include some drumming and some dancing,” Eweka says.
At the event, attendees will have an opportunity to see art that tells the stories of African migration and reflect immigration experience.
“People are also going to see different levels of artwork. Some people are beginners, some people are [intermediate], and then some people are actually very good at painting,” Eweka says. “We are going to see how we’ve been able to really bring different levels together.”
Other highlights include African drumming with musician Jean-Pierre Makosso, a keynote address from Eweka, a video presentation featuring the Salt City seniors and their artwork, as well as a panel discussion about art therapy, the benefits of painting, and community engagement.
The event will finish with a question-and-answer session with the artists, followed by a reception to view the works.
The event is meant to inspire attendees to do more, make an impact in their communities, and recognize the power of collaboration, Eweka says.
“Life doesn’t end with a degree. You can do so much more. I have a degree in journalism, but I also branched out and I decided to start my own non-profit organization.”
Eweka adds events like this help foster a sense of community and connect people that share similar experiences.
“I met up with someone who had said that their family member is a senior, but she’s been having a hard time coming out,” she says. “They also say that she’s been coming for my programs because she likes to be around people that look like her because the program is for Black seniors.”
To register, visit www.bit.ly/AfricanCanadianexhibit.
