Toronto Arts Foundation

Meet Brenna Nanie, one of the participants in the ArtWorksTO Indigenous program.🙌🏽✨☺️

Brenna is a mixed Indigenous artist who values the environment and community, and strives to represent these values in her artwork. She hopes to support her loved ones through a successful career of producing work that acts as a voice for the diverse Indigenous community of Tkaronto.

“My time in this program has been enriching and enlightening Being able to work with folks who come from the same walk of life as I has been wonderful. It allowed me to expand my practice and motivate me to learn new things.” - Brenna Nanie

Through her placement with Farm Boy National Inc., Brenna is creating a large, site-specific artwork for permanent installation in the new Farm Boy Collingwood store. The piece will reflect the history, culture, and ongoing presence of local Indigenous communities while weaving together themes of land, food, agriculture, and community. Designed to welcome and connect visitors to the space, the artwork will serve as a meaningful expression of storytelling, relationship-building, and community connection.

In addition to paid creative contracts such as Brenna’s, the AWTO Program, originally created in2015, provides participants with a credential education delivered by OCAD U, mentorship and networking opportunities, and other wrap-around supports intended to help equity-deserving artists establish themselves in Toronto’s creative industries.

The Indigenous stream was added in 2025 as a fully Indigenous(First Nations, Métis, and Inuit)workforce development initiative that creates a customized, culturally rooted, and supportive environment for Indigenous artists, enhancing their representation and success within media arts. 

In honor of Indigenous History Month, we’re highlighting all six participants in the first-ever ArtWorksTO Indigenous Program cohort and celebrating the stories, creativity, and contributions ofIndigenous artists in our community. 



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Photo 1: A portrait of Brenna Nanie standing against a light grey background. She has brig

Meet Atish Mukhopadhyay (Atish Mukhopadhyay - Sarod), an ArtWorksTO Newcomer Program participant in the Arts Education stream. 🎻✨

Atish Mukhopadhyay facilitated after-school music workshops and activities for children in underserved communities with Sistema Toronto (Sistema Toronto). Through his placement Atish helped facilitate after-school workshops and developed a learning activity that explored the musical and cultural context behind repertoire pieces. His work helped young participants deepen their understanding of music through creativity, storytelling, and connection.

Funded by the TD Ready Challenge, the ArtWorksTO (ArtworksTO): Newcomer Program supports newcomer artists in building sustainable careers in media arts and arts education through credentialed learning, mentorship, networking opportunities, and paid work experience. Participants receive a guaranteed paid creative contract valued at $5,000, alongside industry mentorship and access to a growing community of creative professionals.

Are you a newcomer to Canada ready to take the next step in your creative career? Applications are open now for both the Media Arts and Arts Education streams.

⏰ Deadline to apply: Today, Thursday, June 18, 2026.

Questions? Reach out to Program Lead Ximena Berecochea at [email protected].

Learn more and apply through the link in bio! https://torontoartsfoundation.org/programs/artworksto-newcomer/

Meet Glamma Glamma , an Afro-Indigenous (Jamaican/Métis-Mi’kmaq) interdisciplinary artist and photographer based in Tkaronto.☺️✨

“The ArtworksTO Indigenous program so far has been a great opportunity to connect with other Indigenous artists who take their craft as seriously as I do. Also, knowing that all my hard work is going to uplift an organization, and the Indigenous community at large, has really propelled me to uncover deeper levels of flexibility and compassion in my processes. I’m learning so much and am grateful to be working with people that hold me to a standard of excellence while also supporting me in a way that feels sincere and equitable.”

Through photography, film, sound, and visual storytelling, Glamma captures the beauty, resilience, and lived experiences of communities across Turtle Island. Her work spans portraiture, pow wows, cultural gatherings, and community events, creating powerful narratives rooted in connection, belonging, and cultural memory. 📸

Glamma’s work has been exhibited at the Clark Centre for the Arts and Gallery 44, and includes collaborations with CBC Arts, Manifesto Festival, Emancipation Arts, the Toronto Zoo, and the Distillery District.

As part of the ArtWorksTO ArtworksTO Indigenous program, Glamma is completing her placement with Shawish Market. Through this project, she will document and celebrate Indigenous artists and makers, capturing their creative journeys and stories while building connections across generations, communities, and artistic practice.

In honor of Indigenous History Month, we’re highlighting all six participants in the first-ever ArtWorksTO Indigenous Program cohort and celebrating the stories, creativity, and contributions of Indigenous artists in our community.✨💛💐