WELCOME TO CELAFI'25 ARCHIVE
There's a lot to celebrate in 2017: Canada is turning 150 and CELAFI is celebrating its 25th year of exhibitions, programming and publishing via the CELAFI 1992 & CELAFI 1997 Festivals. To commemorate the event CELAFI'25 Online was launched as comprehensive archive and accessible resource that permanently imprints on the public record the cultural and artistic body of work contributed by Black Canadians as they neared the 21st century and built a platform on which other artists can thrive.
This evolving multi-faceted collection currently contains index of 500 artists, 150 artist profiles, images, exhibition catalogues interviews, media coverage and other biographical information. Launched Feb 1 during Black History Month and kicking off the 150 day countdown to July 1 Canada Day and the Official website launch. The archive will expand and evolve as we continue to add to the collection over the course of 2017 CELAFI'25 Celebrating African Identity and Our Collective Milestone.
ABOUT CELAFI'25
CELAFI'25 Online is digital archival repository dedicated to collecting, preserving, and making available the historically and culturally significant outcomes of CELAFI...
Launched Feb 1 during Black History Month and kicking off the 150 day countdown to July 1 Canada Day 150th celebrations and website launch. This multi-faceted collection currently contains index of 500 artists, 150 artist profiles, images, exhibition catalogues interviews, media coverage and other biographical information. The archive will expand and evolve as we continue to add to the collection over the course of 2017 CELAFI'25 Celebrating African Identity and Our Collective Milestone. Or about the logo
ABOUT CELAFI FESTIVAL
In 1992, CAN:BAIA coordinated its first major undertaking, a six-day international, multi-disciplinary conference and festival, CELAFI '92, held at Toronto's Harbourfront Centre with the theme 'Celebrating African Identity: Strategies of Empowerment, Affirmation and Discovery'. The success of CELAFI '92, which included a tribute to the international filmmaker Ousmane Sembene, led five years later to CELAFI '97, a multi-venue, international event with the theme 'Celebrating African Identity: Entering the Millennium', which again provided an opportunity for African Canadian artists and their work to receive national and international exposure.
ABOUT CAN:BAIA
Canadian Artists Network: Black Artists in Action (CAN:BAIA) was a national, multi-disciplinary organization representing black artists in Canada. In the fall of 1990, CAN:BAIA was incorporated as a non-profit organization, with a board of directors and executive committee drawn from representatives across the country. Funding was sought from Canada Council, the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Ontario Ministry of Culture, Citizenship and Recreation, and the Toronto Arts Council, as well as other agencies. Membership grew to include professional artists, cultural workers, curators, art educators and art enthusiasts.
Click HERE formore on CAN:BAIA AND CELAFI Historical Sketch
FROM THE ARCHIVES OF
This archive was made possible by the hard work of our contributes - thank you.
MARVA Ollivierre (300 WORDS)
In 1994-1995, CAN:BAIA presented a series of traveling skills development workshops, designed and facilitated by Marva Ollivierre, which offered artists across the country information and training in marketing and presentation of their creative output. The workshops were presented in six provinces. . In 1996, Marva Ollivierre on-behalf of CAN:BAIA initiated the launch of a National Black Artists' Resource Centre and Slide Registry, to record the work of African Canadian artists, a pre-cursor to the CELAFI'97. Currenty Marva is a producer and
-
meeting with ayanna
-
my 1991 recruitment
-
voluntering to produce the celebration event for the publication launch of VOICES at Harbourfront.
-
staging a CELAFI celebratory set in the street window of Page's Book Store ,
-
producing the set for Ayanna's Now Magazine shoot (it was done in the back of our restaurant, using props of African Artifacts on loan from the shop of my accounting client)
-
producing the stage setting for the festival invocation ceremony at Harbourfron (visible in the video)
-
Visioning Celafi 1997
-
My CELAFI 1997 highlight
-
ADD PIC OF ARTISTS BOOK MARVA PRODUCED + possibly workshop or MIC panel picture
ORLA Garriques (250 words)
In 1997 Orla Garriques Join the Organization, it was A life-changing moment and my first exposure to the incredible wealth of talent and history that I have been missing in my education and
- Meeting Marva, led to a life long of projects and collaborations, starting with Artists Slide registry Munn’s archives played a critical role in my discovery and pursuit in the art.
- The CELAFI experience was on of multi-decipline, .... and
This experience left an indelible mark and marked the beginning of my work in the arts
- 1998 -1999, As CAN:BAIA drew to a close one of the final projects as had the privilege of working on was in 1999 she worked with Simon Njami on the Canadian entry to the Revue Noire Travel exhibit and tour 'Anthology of African and Indian Ocean Photography', Presenting a comprehensive chronicle of African photography, work includes over 500 images by 160 photographers from the mid-1800s to the present and 30 essays by .....
"art, artists, and art-making are central to human inspiration, self-realization, and meaning".
My personal experience at CANBAIA provided me with a......... , I see CELAFI'25 Online as a much needed archival repository dedicated to collecting, preserving, and making available the historically and culturally significant outcomes of CELAFI , as well as Art'N Facts about Black Canadian Creators as .
My hope is that CELAFI'25 serves as an open resource for researchers, students, curators, artists and the general public; supports research on the history, impact, and aesthetics of Canadian arts culture: and to encourage the next generation of creators by providing a vital link to their past and connection to the rich contribution; and finally for the participants and contributors to CELAFI a rediscovery and ... with ...
- ADD PIC OF REVUE NOIRE ANTHOLOGY BOOK
SPECIAL THANKS
This archive was made possible by the hard work of our contributes - thank you.