Staff

Louise Garfield is a veteran of the thriving cultural scene in Toronto. Her varied background in film & television, theatre and dance as a producer, writer, performer and choreographer, (notably as a founding member of the brilliant feminist lip-sync artists THE CLICHETTES), lend her administrator’s eyes a distinct sensibility.

With THE CLICHETTES from 1978 – 1990 the three founding members (Louise Garfield, Johanna Householder and Janice Hladki) created extravagant feminist theatrical lip-sync satires: HALF HUMAN, HALF HEARTACHE (1980) SHE-DEVILS of NIAGARA (1985), UP AGAINST THE WALLPAPER (1988) and OUT FOR BLOOD (1990). THE CLICHETTES performed in Canada and the U.S. in theatres, bars, benefits and concert halls (Factory Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, Vancouver East cultural Centre). THE CLICHETTES were also featured in WISECRACKS, Gail Singer’s feature film documentary for the National Film Board about female comedians.

From 1992 – 2004, Ms. Garfield was one of the three founding partners at Triptych Media, an acclaimed Toronto based film and television production company. Garfield began her film career as Associate Producer on director John Greyson’s award-winning THE MAKING OF MONSTERS and co-produced Greyson’s first feature film ZERO PATIENCE, A MUSICAL ABOUT AIDS. In 1997 she co- produced Thom Fitzgerald’s THE HANGING GARDEN, which won both the People’s Choice Award and Best Canadian Film at the Toronto International Film Festival, the 1998 International Critic’s Award and 4 GENIES. She produced LUCKY GIRL, a television movie for CTV, directed by John Fawcett (GINGER SNAPS) and winner of 2 GEMINIS for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress and the WRITER’S GUILD OF CANADA’S TOP TEN AWARD. LUCKY GIRL was nominated for BEST TV MOVIE at the 2002 Banff International Television Festival.

Dance is an abiding interest and passion for Garfield. She executively produced 3 award winning dance films: DANCES FOR A SMALL SCREEN, produced by Laura Taler and Mark Hammond, IN THE HOTHOUSE by Annie Bradley and TELL ME EVERYTHING by Brian D. Johnson. Most recently she co-executive produced YES/NO by Brian D. Johnson based on the poetry of Dennis Lee.

Garfield is an alumnus of the Canadian Film Centre, a founding member of DANCEWORKS, the WOMEN’s CULTURAL BUILDING and currently sits on the board of DANCE COLLECTION DANSE.

Ruth is actively involved in the cultural sector as an administrator and teacher. Since completing the Income Manager's Program, an intensive, 54-week training program in arts marketing and fundraising, she has held positions at The Royal Conservatory of Music, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and the Royal Ontario Museum.

In 2007, Ruth completed the Masters Certificate Program in Project Management through Schulich's Executive Education Centre. Most recently, Ruth enrolled in a 'train-the-trainer' workshop facilitation program through the Cultural Careers Council of Ontario and has facilitated workshops on "The Art of Managing People" in Toronto and Hamilton.

An Etobicoke resident for over 5 years, Ruth sits on the Food Access Committee at the Stonegate Community Health Centre in South Etobicoke and also volunteers at the Artists' Health Centre Foundation.

Ruth studied music at the University of Winnipeg and McMaster University, and continues to enjoy teaching music at her home.

Chantelle is a Filipino folk and traditional Hawaiian performing artist. She currently performs with Folklorico Filipino Canada (FFC) and has toured with them across Canada from Vancouver to Halifax and internationally to Italy (2004) and Bulgaria (2006). From 2005-8, during her tenure as the group's managing director, she created and implemented FFC’s first children’s dance program as well as their first intensive program for tribal music. She has also lead Filipino dance and music workshops in Vancouver, Saskatoon, Halifax, Pittsburgh and Toronto. She plays various western and traditional Filipino instruments.

Aside from performing and working in the arts, Chantelle is also a student at Ryerson University pursuing her BA in Arts & Contemporary Studies with a minor non-profit organization.


 

Shira Spector is highly committed to community enrichment work informed by more then 25 years of involvement in various social justice movements. She is passionate about art as activism and as a tool for social change. She sees defying the mundane as her personal mission in life.

With a BFA (in Fibres) from Concordia University (where she began collaborations with co worker Cass Reimer) her background includes performance and costume work for various independent film and theatre companies. Shira’s artwork has been exhibited in Montreal and Toronto and featured in a variety of publications including Lilith, Fireweed and Canadian Women’s Studies. Her writing is published in the anthologies Confessions of the Other Mother: Non Biological Lesbian Moms Tell All, Who’s Your Daddy? : And Other Writings on Queer Parenting, And Baby Makes More: Known Donors, Queer Parents and Our Unexpected Families. Shira’s illustrations have appeared in materials for The 519 Community Centre, The Mayworks Festival for Working People and the Arts, Access Alliance, and The Toronto YWCA.

She has created and implemented arts based programs for children and youth with and without disabilities for a variety of agencies including: Sketch-A Working Arts Studio for Street Involved and Homeless Youth, Learning Through the Arts, The 519 Community Centre, The Sherbourne Health Centre, The Bloorview McMillian's Children's Centre- Spiral Garden Program, The Harbourfront Centre, The Latcham Gallery (Stouffville, Ontario), McGill University-Explorations Program (Montreal) and The Halton District School Board’s Inside Out LGBTQ Youth Conference.

Shira is the recipient of a Canada Council for the Arts Grant to Professional Writers, a Writers’ Reserve Grant (Insomniac Press) and an Individual Crafts Projects Grant from The Ontario Arts Council and is currently writing a graphic novel.

Cass Reimer combines program coordination, art education and visual art creation in her mission to make art and creativity accessible to a wider community.

Cass has worked as a visual art educator for children, adults, youth at risk, families and university students since 1990, through organizations including Learning Through the Arts, Artists in Education, Sketch, The Living Arts Centre, The Latcham Gallery and Arts Etobicoke.

Cass’s own artwork combines text, drawing and dyes on textile surfaces. Notable exhibitions include Scattered Seeds in 2001 Sofia, Bulgaria, and a female pokes the fire in 2002 in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Designs for the stage include Dora-nominated costumes painted with concrete poetry for The Four Horsemen Project (Volcano, 2007). For years she also worked extensively in costume painting for major Canadian stage and screen productions including The Ring Cycle (Canadian Opera Company), Hana’s Suitcase, X-Men and The Lion King.

Cass met and began working with Shira Spector (now sharing the job of program coordinator) at Concordia University in Montreal during studies towards a BFA in 1994. She moved to Toronto in 1997 after earning a Master of Fine Art with University Fellowship from Northern Illinois University.

Graham Curry moved to Toronto, Canada in 2005 from Chicago, Illinois, USA.

She was Co-Director at Lill Street Art Center in Chicago, Illinois, and Director of Education at Evanston Art Center in Evanston, Illinois. Here in Toronto, Graham has served as the Interim Gallery Director for Gallery 1313, and currently works as the Project Coordinator for Art on the Move.

Graham has shown at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, C1 Artspace, Gallery 1313, and AWOL Gallery. She currently teaches adult courses in encaustic painting and acrylic painting at C1 Artspace and children's classes in a variety of media.

She is currently attending OCAD studying Drawing and Painting and is a graduate from The Art Centre at Central Technical School, 3-Year Post-Secondary Adult Art Program where she concentrated in painting and sculpture.