Community News
Moving Legacies: Celebrating Black Innovation and Resistance in Ontario
BY PAUL JUNOR
The celebration of Black History Month 2023 by the Toronto Transit Commission was truly an unforgettable experience for those who witnessed the project: Moving Legacies: Celebrating Black Innovation and Resistance in Ontario. On Saturday, February 25th, there was a bus tour that highlighted stops where art works and installations were present. Details about the project can be seen on their website: www.TTC.ca/BHM. The project resulted from a partnership between the TTC and Astrosankofa Arts Initiatives spearheaded by Quentin VerCetty.
Quentin is an award-winning multidisciplinary storyteller, educator, and Afroturist. He describes himself as a: visual griot, artpreneur, educator, artivist, ever-growing interstellar tree. He is the first-ever visual artist commissioned by Carnegie Hall to create a signature work of art to represent one of the Hall’s festivals.
Quentin graduated from OCAD University, previously known as Ontario College of Art and Design. His work reflects a speculative narrative with a strong Afrofuturism motif to address issues of representation, immigration, decolonization and the absence of PDAA (Public display of Appreciation for Africa). He told Carnegie Hall that Afrofuturism is, “A Pan-African frequency that’s a time-bending collage of legacies, an arts movement, and a creative practice. It is about thinking creatively about the collective healing of all living things through an Afro-centred lens and represents the continuation of life in a fantastic holistic way.”
Quentin’s work has been featured in countries all over the world including Mexico, Haiti, Peru, Australia, United Arab Empire, and Germany. As an educator working in the Greater Toronto Area, he co-organized and co-curated the programming for Black Futures Month from 2015 – 2017 within the Greater Toronto Area focusing on events and art exhibits. He founded the Canadian chapter for the Black Speculative Arts Movement (BSAM Canada) in 2016. Quentin’s passion is artivism in which he utilizes art as a tool for social change.
The Moving Legacies project showcased the unique works of several individuals: Adeyemi “Ying” Yem Adegbesan, Autumn Beals, Kanisha Dabreo, Danilo “Deluxo” McCallum, Meighan Morson, Komi Olaf, Quentin VerCetty and Troydell Wallace. These individuals have played very important roles in diverse areas of Ontario such as: politics, education, infrastructure and industry, and thus reflect the richness and diversity of the province.
VerCetty coined the term “AstroSankofa” which is included in AstroSankofa Arts Initiatives. He told Carnegie Hall that he conceived this word to describe the function of his art. “It comes from the West African Ghanian word sankofa which describes how one learns from the past, present and future, or connects with it.” He builds on his Afrofuturism motif to relate it to Sankofanology. He notes, “The intentionality of representation in Afrofuturism allows for timeless deep connections on many levels to many different people. This is important, as this has been the practice of African people that dates to the Nok of Nigeria and the people of Kin.”
Quentin is one of the leading Afroturist a/r/tographers in the world and has also coined the term “Rastafuturism” to extend the creative conception of Black representation. He created Canada’s first art book on Afrofuturism, “Cosmic Underground Northside” in 2020.
I spoke with Quentin on Wednesday, February 22nd, about the TTC project. He expressed excitement about the educational, inspirational and motivational artwork as part of the campaign by AstroSankofa. “They bring art to life.”
On Saturday, February 25th, a customized bus tour occurred between 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm where community partners celebrated the outstanding contributions of Black Canadians.
Anyone interested in learning about Moving Legacies can visit www.TTC.ca/BHM