Spoken Word and Poetry Workshop (From Weeds We Grow)

From Weeds We Grow is a public art program with local residents in Rowntree Mills Park. Alongside Indigenous artists, this program shares Indigenous teachings and reconnects you to the land through hands-on art making and craft. Now in its fourth year, From Weeds We Grow shines light on the Humber River and the land, and invites the community to play and co-create public artwork!

Join us for a series of free and all-ages community events (registration is recommended, but drop-ins are always welcomed):

• July 20, 2024: Chalk Jam and Tabletop Mural Workshop with Star Nahwegahbo and Shawn Howe (rain date: July 21, 2024)
• August 17, 2024: Spoken Word and Poetry Workshop with Jennifer Alicia Murrin (rain date: August 18, 2024)
• September 14, 2024: Craft and Connection Workshop with Star Nahwegahbo (rain date: September 15, 2024)
• October 5, 2024: Beading Circle Workshop with Lindsey Lickers, Mushkiki Nibi Kwe (rain date: October 6, 2024)
• October 12, 2024: Community Celebration (rain date: October 13, 2024)

Please take note of the date and activity that you’re registering for before completing registration.

Learn more:

Image credit: Alicia Reid

Banner image description: Community members sitting in a semi-circle at the park during an Indigenous learning workshop. Program funder logos are featured, including STEPS, Arts in the Parks, Park People, Rexdale Community Hub, Scotiabank, Ontario Arts Council, Government of Canada, Ontario Government, and City of Toronto.

Accessibility Notice

STEPS Public Art is committed to the community’s full participation in this event. Please indicate the support you require during registration or contact Sukhveen Wachhair (Program Assistant) at [email protected] to share accommodation requests.

Media Notice

Please be advised photographs and video may be taken during this event for archival and promotional purposes. If you would not like to be photographed, please inform a staff member on the day of or keep your camera off if this is a virtual event.

About the Artists

Star Nahwegahbo (she/her) is Anishinaabe, Scottish and English from Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation, Ontario, Robinson Huron Treaty, currently living in Tkaronto/Toronto. Star’s work explores mental health, the parallels of motherhood and land, the impact of colonial violence on Indigenous families, grief, medicine and the art of braiding ourselves back into our rightful place in creation.

Lindsey Lickers (she/her) is an Onkwehon:we (Kanien’kéha)/ Anishinaabe (Ojibwe-Mississauga’s) artist & community developer originally from Six Nations of the Grand River with ancestral roots to the Mississauga’s of Credit First Nation. She specializes in painting & beading as well as Indigenous arts and culture facilitation, governance, community and program development.

Shawn Howe (They/Them/Theirs) is an Ojibwe, Indigiqueer non-binary, neurodivergent, disabled artist. Their Spirit name is Red Cedar Tree and they are Wolf Clan. They come from Neyaashiinigmiing First Nation with membership in Sipekne’katik First Nation. They are a self-taught artist, living in Toronto (Treaty 13), where they work as a digital illustrator, mural artist and community engagement art facilitator.

Jennifer Alicia Murrin (she/they) is a queer, mixed Mi’kmaw and settler (German/Irish/Scottish) multidisciplinary artist originally from Elmastukwek, Ktaqmkuk (Bay of Islands, Newfoundland), now residing in Toronto. She is a two-time national poetry slam champion and her work has been featured in Canthius Magazine, NOW Magazine, CBC and imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.

Funders

From Weeds We Grow 2024 is funded in part by the Government of Canada's New Horizons for Seniors Program, Arts in the Parks by the Toronto Arts Foundation and Toronto Arts Council funded by the City of Toronto, Park People, Scotiabank, and the Indigenous Arts and Culture Partnerships Fund from the City of Toronto.

We're grateful for our community partner Rexdale Community Hub, and acknowledge funding support from the Ontario Arts Council and the Government of Ontario.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Rowntree Mills Park (near picnic area 1), 155 Rowntree Mill Road, Toronto, Canada