Join us online for an engaging panel discussion celebrating the significant contributions of Black individuals in the arts and media. Moderated by Garvia Bailey, this panel takes a deep-dive into the personal stories, academic endeavours and career trajectories of the panelist. Students will gain insights and foster an understanding of representation and authenticity while receiving practical guidance to fuel their own aspirations in the field.
Garvia Bailey (Moderator)
Garvia Bailey is a co-founder of Media Girlfriends Inc. Garvia’s career in media spans close to two decades as a producer, host and columnist for the CBC and JazzFM. Garvia is a 2023/2024 William Southam Journalism Fellow at the University of Toronto’s Massey College where her work will center on shifting attitudes towards the use of personal narrative in journalism. Garvia is a jurist for the prestigious Canadian Hillman Prize for investigative journalism. Garvia is the recipient of the 2019 RTDNA award for opinion writing and a 2017 Silver Medalist at the New York Radio Awards and a 2022 winner for Best International Podcast for the Black Podcast Awards for the Media Girlfriends and Historica Canada produced series, Strong and Free. Garvia is currently working on a book project, My Mother’s Memoir.
Cameron Grant (Panelist)
Cameron is an actor, playwright, theatre creator and artist educator. As an actor Cameron has performed in theatres across the country including the Grand Theatre (London), Persephone Theatre, Thousand Islands Playhouse, Soulpepper, Stratford Festival, 4 seasons at the Shaw Festival, Talk Is Free Theatre, Shadow Theatre (Edmonton), Theatre Animal, Theatre Erindale, Secret Shakespeare Series, Canadian Rep Theatre and Clay and Paper Theatre. He has assistant directed productions at Bard on The Beach, Factory Theatre and Theatre Erindale. He is a graduate of the Theatre and Drama Studies program at UofT Mississauga & Sheridan College.
Cameron also works as an artist educator and has developed and facilitated workshops for The City of Brampton Performing Arts, Theatre Direct, The Shaw Festival, The Rose Theatre, Suitcase In Point Theatre and Shakespeare in Action. He has been a guest artist in high schools across Ontario and has taught at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Cameron’s work as an artist has led to work that builds community. He co-facilitated the first cohort of Heartbeats in Performing Arts, a high school co-op and internship program for Black and Indigenous youth, for City of Brampton Performing Arts. He continues to support the program as mentor and guest artist. His first play Meet Chloe, a play that explores the challenges Black students face in the education system and the lack of Black curriculum content in the study of Canadian History, received its premiere at Carousel Players. The play continues to tour virtually to schools across Canada,has been seen by over 6000 students and educators, and is currently available on the Stratford Festival’s digital streaming platform. Cameron was supported by the Canada Council for the Arts to complete an internship in artistic leadership with the City of Brampton Performing Arts for their 2021/2022 season. Most recently he was the Artistic Director of Shakespeare in Action.
Alica Hall (Panelist)
Alica Hall has been working at the intersection of art, communications and community development for over a decade. As a leader with deep roots in the community, she has served as the Co-Chair of Pride Toronto, helping the organization expand its strategic and artistic infrastructure. She oversaw the expansion of the festival from 10-days to a month and led the development of the organization's first strategic plan. By cultivating partnerships with other major arts organizations, the festival was able to offer new opportunities for artists and creatives and develop dynamic programming offerings. Over the years, Alica has formalized her practice as a curator through community based spaces and partnerships. Her curatorial practice is driven by a desire to explore identity and power, excavate lesser-known stories and a commitment to expand visual narratives surrounding the Black experience. In 2018, she took on the role of Executive Director at Nia Centre for the Arts, a Toronto-based charity that supports and showcases arts from across the Black diaspora in Canada. In her time at the Centre, she has curated their first Art Fair, doubled the operating budget and raised $11-million in capital funding. Now, Alica is heading up the renovation of the Centre's 14,000 sq. ft. facility which will transform it into Canada’s first professional multi-disciplinary space dedicated to Black artistic expression. The space features a multi-use performance space, gallery, event space, digital media lab and artist studio, opening in Fall 2023.
Lillian O’Brien Davis (Panelist)
Lillian O’Brien Davis is the Curator of Collections and Contemporary Art Engagement at the Art Gallery of York University. She has curated independent projects such as Nuit Blanche Etobicoke 2023 as well as the Art Museum at the University of Toronto, Susan Hobbs Gallery, School of Art Gallery at the University of Manitoba, SUPPORT Gallery and the Mackenzie Art Gallery. Her writing has appeared in BlackFlash magazine, Canadian Art online, C Magazine, The Brooklyn Rail and RACAR Art History Journal.