Newcomer Creative Exchange: Field Trip to PAMA with Living Hyphen

BAO’s Newcomer Creative Exchange program has been developed to create a space for Brampton-based newcomer creatives, artists and cultural workers to gather, network, create, and learn together in a welcoming and supportive environment.

For our third Newcomer Creative Exchange session, we will be taking a field trip to the Peel Art Gallery Museum and Archives (PAMA), where we’ll explore the Stories of Home exhibition and take part in a writing workshop led by Justine Abigail from Living Hyphen.

During the writing workshop, we will explore the meaning of home, identity, and belonging through our own powerful stories.

No writing experience is necessary to take part in this free session.

Translation: If you need a translator to support your participation, please get in touch with us at info@bramptonartsorg.ca as soon as possible (minimum of 7 days in advance) so that we can make the necessary accommodations.

Accessibility: If you need assistance or support to participate such as an ASL interpreter, please get in touch with us at info@bramptonartsorg.ca as soon as possible (minimum of three days in advance) so that we can make the necessary accommodations.

Transportation: We can provide all-ages Brampton Transit Tickets free of charge to those who need them for all BAO in-person events. If you would like to pick up a ticket for yourself and others attending with you, please email info@bramptonartsorg.ca prior to the event and we will have them available for you onsite. Tickets work for both Brampton Transit and Züm buses.

About the Exhibition:

Stories of Home: Finding Community and Belonging in Peel looks at what home means to the people living, working in and visiting Peel. Throughout history finding a home in Peel has been exciting, overwhelming and at times, difficult. This exhibit explores the ideas around establishing connection to place, and people in creating a sense of belonging that strengthens community. Through personal stories, video, images and objects, this exhibit will showcase connections between the Peel of the past, today and the future.

About the workshop:

Identity, home, and belonging are often wrapped up in so many different and complicated layers. For many of us, this often involves multiple geographies, two or more peoples, places, and cultures. During this writing workshop, we’ll examine the complexities of our diasporic identities through writing prompts, storytelling exercises, and caring conversations.

Join BAO and Living Hyphen for an afternoon of exploring the meaning of home, identity, and belonging through our own powerful stories at the Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives.

No writing experience necessary. Only an open heart and an open mind with a readiness to give and receive vulnerability.

We’ve carefully and intentionally designed this workshop to be intimate and jam-packed with writing. We’ll give you writing prompts to spark your creativity in a safe and positive environment. All writing materials will be provided.

About Living Hyphen

About Living Hyphen Living Hyphen is a community and multimedia platform that explores the experiences of hyphenated Canadians. Through art and writing, we uncover what it means to live in between cultures as individuals who call “Canada” home but with roots elsewhere. We publish a magazine and host a podcast featuring the voices of artists and writers all across Canada. Our stories have been adapted into a stage play with Canadian Stage as part of their Dream in High Park program. Most importantly, we deliver cultural programming by way of writing workshops and storytelling nights to encourage courageous and tender storytelling within our communities. Learn more at www.livinghyphen.ca.

About Justine Abigail Yu

Justine Abigail Yu (she/her) is the founder of Living Hyphen, a community that explores what it means to live in between cultures as a hyphenated Canadian – that is, an individual who calls Canada home but who has roots elsewhere.

She is an award-winning workshop facilitator whose work with Living Hyphen has been featured on national and local media outlets including the Globe & Mail, Yahoo! News, and the CBC. She was also named a “Changemaker” by the Toronto Star in October 2021.

Justine Abigail is a fierce advocate for equity and anti-oppression. Her mission is to stir the conscience and spur social change.