FIREWEED: Exhibition, Performances, Workshops

Join FIREWEED over nine days for an in-person multidisciplinary arts celebration.

REKINDLED . RECLAIMED . RAGING . CREATIVE

EXHIBITION . WORKSHOPS . PERFORMANCES

November 13–21, 2026
NVRLND Boutique, 1048 21 Ave SE, Calgary, Alberta

Think sacred rage, joyful creation, getting grounded and gaining momentum. Like fireweed flourishing in landscapes transformed by fire, this event celebrates what grows when creativity is free to flourish again.

Not simply an exhibition, FIREWEED is an unapologetic celebration of artistic imagination, creative freedom, exploration, humour, beauty, connection, and resistance; all centred on artists’ creativity.

EXHIBITION: Original work by artists owning their creative practices and exploring possibility on their own terms. Including work by Honey Jalali, Mandy Stobo, Patricia Ricafort, Raha Jazayeri, Shone Thistle, Trina Rae Cuff (TR Grand). Entry to the exhibition is free with an invitation to donate to HomeFront.

WORKSHOPS:

Sat Nov 14, 1 - 3 PM - Unleash Your Poetic Prowess
with MelVee X - poet, multi-disciplinary artist and 2023 Artist As Changemaker resident with Mount Royal University's Institute for Community Prosperity.

Unleashing Your Poetic Prowess is an empowering and nurturing workshop dedicated to exploring your authentic voice. Through the embodied art of spoken word poetry, we'll learn impactful ways to share difficult truths and how poetry is a tool for becoming grounded in the chaos of life. All experience levels are welcome.

Sun Nov 15, 1 - 3 PM - Now What? Responding to Domestic Violence
with HomeFront's Learning and Development Lead, Lindsay Senger

Learn what happens when someone discloses they’re experiencing domestic violence, you witness something concerning, or the police have come and gone. What happens next?

This workshop provides an introduction to domestic violence, including coercive control, and explores how to recognize the signs, respond with compassion, offer meaningful support and connect people with appropriate resources. Learn practical ways to support someone experiencing abuse while helping avoid further harm.

Tue Nov 17, 6 - 8 PM - Portrait Painting with award winning visual artist Raha Jazayeri

Discover the art of capturing human expression, experimenting with colour and brushwork, and bringing personality and emotion to your painting. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artist, come play, experiment, and nurture your creativity!

Basic materials supplied for this workshop. Artists with their own preferred materials are welcome to bring those along.

Raha Jazayeri is a Calgary-based visual artist with over 20 years of experience in realism painting and more than 10 years of teaching experience. Her work has been exhibited internationally, and she has received recognition from art organizations around the world, including an Honorable Mention from the Society of Canadian Artists in 2025.

Thu Nov 19, 6 - 8 PM - Drawing the Line: Part line making, Part poetry, All Celebration
with Adrienne Adams

For everyone interested in how line drawing can be used within creative expression. Join Adrienne to explore the many ways lines can move, shape and express our lives through drawing, movement, writing and words. In this playful, beginner-friendly workshop, artist and poet Adrienne Adams invites you to experiment, stretch your imagination and creatively explore the lines we draw, cross, hold and reclaim.

No artistic experience necessary—just curiosity and a willingness to play! All supplies provided, but participants are welcome to bring a favourite notebook and writing utensil should they wish.

Adrienne Adams is a poet, visual artist, curator and educator dedicated to creating safer, intersectional spaces that honour the feminine. Her poetry and visual art have been widely published and exhibited, and she is the author of the 2022 chapbook Red Heads, published by above/ground press. A longtime performer and arts curator, Adrienne has worked as an artist-in-residence and community art educator for over 20 years, sharing her practice with people of all ages.

Sat Nov 21, 12 - 4 PM - Centered: A Creative Retreat in Clay & Reclamation
with Nancy Shadlock

Somewhere between surviving, striving and taking care of everyone else, it can be easy to lose touch with the parts of ourselves that want to play, create and grow. This afternoon is an invitation to make space for them again.

Join Nancy Shadlock of Centered Mental Fitness for an immersive afternoon of clay-making, conversation and self-discovery. Inspired by the process of a potter centering clay, this workshop explores the habits and inner voices that keep us off balance, and what growth becomes possible when we respond with curiosity rather than criticism.

Through guided prompts, accessible mental-fitness practices and generous time to work with air-dry clay, you’ll explore your internal voices, what you want to release, reclaim and create next. There is room for laughter, quiet reflection and connection, without any expectation to disclose personal experiences.

You’ll leave with a handmade clay piece, practical reset tools for everyday life and a renewed sense of creative possibility. No experience necessary! Just a willingness to get your hands into something new. All materials included.

Founder of Centered Mental Fitness, Nancy Shadlock is a certified Positive Intelligence trainer and a facilitator who helps people recognize self-critical patterns and build more compassionate responses. Drawing on two decades of listening to leaders and her own creative practice in pottery, Nancy brings practical mental fitness tools together with hands-on exploration. Her workshops invite participants to slow down, reconnect with their creativity and discover fresh possibilities through reflection, conversation and grounding work with clay.

All workshops are ticketed. If you are seeking a barrier free ticket, request one by emailing Shone at [email protected]. Space is limited, so get your tickets now!

FIREWEED: Wicked Tongues brings the exhibition to a fiery close with an evening of unapologetic storytelling, poetry and music. Expect sharp words, bold voices, rebellious rhythms and a little delicious trouble as James Roves, MelVee X, Shone Thistle and Sheri-D Wilson take the stage for an evening of wicked reclamation.

PLUS! After a year long musical collaboration with the ghosts of her ancestors the Doukhobors, Kenna Burima offers us a WORLD PREMIERE selection of songs from her new album Spirit Wrestler. Kenna just completed recording at the National Music Centre at the end of October!

NVRLND Boutique is an intimate venue with limited seats!
You know the drill - get your tickets now!

100% of proceeds from art sales go to artists.
100% of ticket proceeds go to performers.
100% of donations go to our charitable partner, HomeFront Society for the Prevention of Domestic Violence.

Violence interrupts. Creativity persists.

In 1998, a group of Calgarians refused to accept the status quo. Out of their conversations, a collaborative approach to community justice and survivor support took shape.

The founding members of HomeFront imagined something different and got to work creating it. Thanks to them, there are tens of thousands of individuals and families imagining, with optimism, futures free from violence.

Coercive control, a pattern of abusive behaviour, narrows our choices and what we dare to imagine. Art expands what's possible. Through creativity and community, we witness one another, remember we are not alone, and reclaim our right to dream.

Entry to the exhibition is free with an invitation to donate to HomeFront.

Learn more about HomeFront on their website, or make a donation directly here.

Our bodily autonomy and sacred imaginations are no longer up for debate.

We are FIREWEED. Rekindled. Reclaimed. Raging. Creative.

Info: Join us for a casual evening of art, refreshments and a celebration of what it means to own, reclaim and reimagine futures within our creative practice. This exhibition has limited work and we anticipate pieces for sale will sell quickly, so please don't miss your chance to support these amazing artists by bringing home a piece of their art.

Info: Unleash Your Poetic Prowess with MelVee X - poet, multi-disciplinary artist and 2023 Artist As Changemaker resident with Mount Royal University's Institute for Community Prosperity.
Unleashing Your Poetic Prowess is an empowering and nurturing workshop dedicated to exploring your authentic voice. Through the embodied art of spoken word poetry, we'll learn impactful ways to share difficult truths and how poetry is a tool for becoming grounded in the chaos of life. All experience levels are welcome.

Info: For everyone interested in how line drawing can be used within their creative expressing. Join Adrienne to explore the many ways lines can move, shape and express our lives through drawing, movement, writing and words. In this playful, beginner-friendly workshop, artist and poet Adrienne Adams invites you to experiment, stretch your imagination and creatively explore the lines we draw, cross, hold and reclaim. No artistic experience necessary—just curiosity and a willingness to play!

All supplies provided, but participants are welcome to bring a favourite notebook and writing utensil should they wish. Suggested ticket price is $20, but if this presents a barrier to your participation please email Shone Thistle at [email protected].

Info: Somewhere between surviving, striving and taking care of everyone else, it can be easy to lose touch with the parts of ourselves that want to play, create and grow. This afternoon is an invitation to make space for them again.

Join Nancy Shadlock of Centered Mental Fitness for an immersive afternoon of clay-making, conversation and self-discovery. Inspired by the process of a potter centering clay, this workshop explores the habits and inner voices that keep us off balance, and what beautiful growth becomes possible when we respond with curiosity rather than criticism.

Through guided prompts, accessible practices and generous time to work with air-dry clay, you’ll explore your internal voices, what you want to release, reclaim and create next. There is room for laughter, quiet reflection and connection, without any expectation to disclose personal experiences.

You’ll leave with a handmade clay piece, practical reset tools for everyday life and a renewed sense of creativity.

Info: FIREWEED: Wicked Tongues brings the exhibition to a fiery close with an evening of unapologetic storytelling, poetry and music. Expect sharp words, bold voices, rebellious rhythms and a little delicious trouble as James Roves, MelVee X, Shone Thistle and Sheri-D Wilson take the stage for an evening of wicked reclamation.
PLUS! After a year long musical collaboration with the ghosts of her ancestors the Doukhobors, Kenna Burima offers us a WORLD PREMIERE selection of songs from her new album Spirit Wrestler. Kenna just completed recording at the National Music Centre at the end of October!

Info: Explore portrait painting with artist Raha Jazayeri in a welcoming, hands-on creative workshop. Discover the art of capturing human expression, experimenting with colour and brushwork, and bringing personality and emotion to your painting. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artist, come play, experiment, and nurture your creativity!

Tickets for this workshop are set at $20. Should you need access to a barrier free ticket, please email Shone at [email protected].

Basic materials supplied for this workshop. Artists with their own preferred materials are welcome to bring those along.Raha Jazayeri is a Calgary-based visual artist with over 20 years of experience in realism painting and more than 10 years of teaching experience. Her work has been exhibited internationally, and she has received recognition from art organizations around the world, including an Honorable Mention from the Society of Canadian Artists in 2025.

Info: Now What? Responding to Domestic Violence with HomeFront's Learning and Development Lead, Lindsay Senger.
Learn what happens when someone discloses they’re experiencing domestic violence, you witness something concerning, or the police have come and gone. What happens next?
This workshop provides an introduction to domestic violence, including coercive control, and explores how to recognize the signs, respond with compassion, offer meaningful support and connect people with appropriate resources. Learn practical ways to support someone experiencing abuse while helping avoid further harm.

Info: Explore portrait painting with artist Raha Jazayeri in a welcoming, hands-on creative workshop. Discover the art of capturing human expression, experimenting with colour and brushwork, and bringing personality and emotion to your painting. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artist, come play, experiment, and nurture your creativity!

Tickets for this workshop are set at $20. Should you need access to a barrier free ticket, please email Shone at [email protected].

Basic materials supplied for this workshop. Artists with their own preferred materials are welcome to bring those along.Raha Jazayeri is a Calgary-based visual artist with over 20 years of experience in realism painting and more than 10 years of teaching experience. Her work has been exhibited internationally, and she has received recognition from art organizations around the world, including an Honorable Mention from the Society of Canadian Artists in 2025.

"My artistic practice explores human emotions and ex

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