Multicultural Life Drawing with Yu Chen

This drawing session invites participants to draw from life while models wear traditional attire from different cultural backgrounds. The session focuses on close observation of form, texture, and detail, while also encouraging awareness of the cultural context behind what is being drawn. Open to all levels (no instruction will be given), it creates a relaxed and inclusive environment for artistic practice and cultural exchange. Bring your own supplies and we will also have some art supplies on-hand. Hosted by artist-in-residence Yu Chen.

This is part of the HOME residency in July/August 2026 and gratefully funded by Calgary Arts Development.
For newcomers, home can be a place left behind, a space in flux, or a future still being imagined. For Indigenous artists, home is rooted in ancestral land, community, and resilience, often in the face of historical and ongoing displacement. This residency creates a space for dialogue between these experiences, revealing shared struggles and points of connection while honoring the complexities of each perspective.

Home Residency brings together five Newcomer and Indigenous artists — Kseniia Koshmai, Yu Chen, Shea Iles, Jona Redwood, and Ezgi Türker — whose practices explore different understandings of home through miniature boxes, portraiture, beaded game cards, dreamcatchers and letters.

The residency creates space for dialogue between these perspectives, fostering connection while honouring the distinct histories, relationships, and experiences each artist carries. Over July and August, the artists will explore what home means to them individually, drawing from their own histories, cultures, memories, and lived experiences while also developing a collaborative artwork and offering public workshops.