Exploring the African Diaspora through Mixed-Media Textile Art

Workshop Description:

This series celebrates Black History Month through the creative transformation of mixed-media art and repurposed books. Participants will explore the stories, resilience, and cultural contributions of the African Diaspora while giving discarded books new life as powerful art objects. Each session introduces a fresh mixed-media technique—combining collage, textiles, paint, and sculptural elements—inviting participants to reflect, create, and honour Black history through personal and communal expression.

Week 1: Introduction to Textile Art Collage (February 13)

● Participants will learn the basics of textile art collage, exploring various materials and techniques.

● A brief introduction to textile art and its relevance to the African Diaspora.

● Hands-on creation of simple textile collages using basic techniques.

Week 2: The Story Within (February 20)

● Participants choose a used book to work with, exploring its textures and stories.

● Begin by altering their book covers with collage, fabric, and mixed media to represent their personal journey

● Reclaiming your narrative and creating your own story

Week 3: Black Out Poetry using the works of Audre Lorde (February 27)

● Participants will create blackout poetry on fabric using the powerful words of Audre Lorde.

● Introduction to Audre Lorde’s work and the concept of blackout poetry.

● Creation of blackout poems using fabric swatches to embellish

Week 4: Pages of Light - Book Ornaments (March 6)

● Participants create ornaments and hanging mobiles using cut and folded book pages, incorporating African textiles, beads, or affirmations.

● Finding beauty in renewal with tactile design, upcycling, and decorative mindfulness.

About the facilitator:

Apanaki Temitayo, a pansexual fibre artist from Trinidad based in Toronto, intertwines her artistic identity with Trinidadian heritage and spirituality. The Artist in Residence at Nia Centre for the Arts (2023), she held the title of the Center for Addiction and Mental Health's 1st Artist in Wellness (2019-2021). She was the first Woman of Colour featured in Room Magazine's Woman of Color Issue (2016). Notable exhibitions include Numb at Workman Arts and international acclaim at the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department's 9th Annual African American Fiber Art Exhibition. Explore her unique talent through her website and social media.

These workshops are being cohosted with CAMH’s Black History Month committee.

***This is an IN PERSON event at 1025 Queen Street West in Downtown Toronto, Ontario. You can find pictures with step-by-step directions here: Directions to the PFLS

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Host or Publisher RBC Patient and Family Learning Space at CAMH