Fall into Form: Art Workshops with Apanaki Temitayo

Join us this fall for a soulful, hands-on creative journey of reflection and renewal. Fall Into Form invites participants to explore personal growth through the powerful symbolism of autumn — letting go, transformation, and grounding. Each week introduces a new art medium, encouraging playful discovery and mindful making. Whether you're a beginner or seasoned creator, these workshops offer space to express, heal, and reflect using African fabrics, mixed media collage, poetry, and more. Together, we will tap into our inner muses and embrace the beauty of the season.

Week 1 – Intro to Textile Art Collage: “Mapping the Self”

Explore colour, texture, pattern, and composition using African fabrics. Introduction to collage using 8.5” x 10” canvas board. Discuss emotional landscapes and personal symbols. Reflection Prompt: “What do I carry into this season?”

Week 2 – Chance Poetry on Canvas: “Fragments of Baldwin”

Create original poetry using cut-up text from James Baldwin's work. Participants decorate canvas with poetry, embellishments, and art pens. Reflection Prompt: “What truth wants to speak through me?”

Week 3 – Collage Your Own Journal: “A Place to Hold Me”

Use fabric collage to personalize a blank journal cover. Journals become a reflective space throughout the series. Reflection Prompt: “Where do I go inside when the world is too loud?”

Week 4 – Create Your Cozy Place: “Sanctuary in Landscape”

Create autumn landscape scenes with torn paper and fabric. Discuss the idea of safety and inner sanctuary. Reflection Prompt: “What does safety look like in my mind?”

Week 5 – Butterfly Bliss: “Metamorphosis & Renewal”

Create layered butterfly collages using tear-away paper. Symbolize personal transformation and growth. Reflection Prompt: “What version of me is ready to emerge?”

Week 6 – Vivid Alcohol Ink Workshop: “Emotional Weather”

Learn techniques for manipulating alcohol inks on Yupo paper. Express moods and emotions through fluid colour play. Reflection Prompt: “What am I feeling that has no words?”

Week 7 – Fabric Painted Tote Bags: “Carrying Story, Carrying Joy”

Paint and design reusable tote bags with autumn patterns. Embed affirmations and visual storytelling into their bags. Reflection Prompt: “What do I want to carry into winter?”

Week 8 – Air-Dry Clay Bowls: “Holding Space”

Sculpt small bowls and imprint them with flowers or leaves. Explore the concept of holding sacred intentions. Reflection Prompt: “What needs gentle holding right now?”

Week 9 – Felt Ornaments: “Small Joys & Sacred Symbols”

Create hand-stitched or glued ornaments from felt. Use shapes, colour, and texture to represent small joys. Reflection Prompt: “What tiny joys kept me going this year?”

Week 10 – Object of My Desire: Mandala Mixed Media Collage

Participants use mandalas as a framework for manifesting their future desires. Paper, fabric, and symbolic colours/textures are woven into final art. Reflection Prompt: “What do I desire unapologetically?”

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.

This event series is offered in collaboration with the Collaborative Learning College.

***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

Host or Publisher RBC Patient and Family Learning Space at CAMH